Bamboo Birdhouses

[foxd]

My first attempt to make a birdhouse using bamboo and gorilla glue. Still a work in progress, but it at least it has the start of a roof now.



I am going to talk to someone who has experience with birdhouses to see if a bird would actually want to live in it.

[Iowaboo]

nice project you have going there, don't know about birds, but if I could shrink myself, I'd live in there.

[Jerry Hamilton]

Dan you need to think how far the hole is from the bottom of birdhouse. Can the young birds get out of it. I was told not to put it very far from bottom.
Jerry

[Alan_L]

nice project you have going there, don't know about birds, but if I could shrink myself, I'd live in there.

Good thing Dan is planning on making "plywood" sheets out of bamboo next (well, sometime in the future). He could probably make you a house that you could actually fit into... someday.

[foxd]

Dan you need to think how far the hole is from the bottom of birdhouse. Can the young birds get out of it. I was told not to put it very far from bottom.
Jerry

From what I read on-line all the dimensions depend on what type of bird you want, so I chose one. I am going to add some sort of ladder inside so the young birds can get in and out.

http://baltimorebirdclub.org/by/house.html

[foxd]

The Mark II Bamboo Birdhouse!

[Bamboo Conne'isseur]

The Mark II Bamboo Birdhouse!

Looks good

[David]

I like them Dan. We've been building bluebird houses since the call went out in the early 80s to help them survive the starling and house sparrow invasion. As you noted earlier the size and position of the hole varies with the type bird you want to attract. For bluebirds they like a deep box with a 1.5" hole, no outside rest, and 3-6 ft off the ground. We place our opening about 7-8" from the bottom, seems like a long way for the fleglings to climb but they make it out every year. We have had bluebirds raise 3 broods a year. I think I'll try my hand at your design.

[foxd]

I'm going to make some small sections of the gorilla glued bamboo boards to make sure that nothing bad happens if I rub them down with acetone prior to giving them a coat with polyurethane varnish.

On a related note, I found the long misplaced bamboo sections that had been treated with various substances prior to being varnished. The one treated with acetone looks very good and the varnish is showing no signs of peeling. Certainly easier than sanding the heck out of it.

[David]

On a related note, I found the long misplaced bamboo sections that had been treated with various substances prior to being varnished. The one treated with acetone looks very good and the varnish is showing no signs of peeling. Certainly easier than sanding the heck out of it.

Good info. I've been sanding with 600 grit prior to finish, but as you say it's lots of work. I wonder if a solution of trisodiumphosphate would do the same without the smell?

[Bamboo Outlaw]

All houses are specific to what you want to attract. The wood duck houses I built have a very high hole. On those it was suggested to add a strip of 1/2 hardware cloth tight up against the inside front of the house to assist the small ducks. Most any bird you want to target will have a plan you can find on-line. Many of the plans describe how and where to mount the house for best attraction which is equally important.

[Alan_L]

Foxd's birdhouse has already attracted some sort of rare bird (as seen in the photo), so he must have done something right. Although it's weird that he has birds living in his basement... but maybe that's part of his millipede control strategy this year.

[foxd]

Foxd's birdhouse has already attracted some sort of rare bird (as seen in the photo), so he must have done something right. Although it's weird that he has birds living in his basement... but maybe that's part of his millipede control strategy this year.

The bird was bought at Hobby Lobby. I had wanted a larger bird, but the only one they had was missing half its face. I considered making a mask to hide its deformity, making an bird opera house and putting in a small pipe organ for it to play, but the whole project was getting too complicated.

Actually I did find a bird in the basement one Winter. No idea how it got in, but there it was lurking amongst the plants.

The pots with millipedes got a dose of diatomaceous earth with severin which seems to have made them disappear.

[foxd]

The Mark III Bamboo Birdhouse.





And as an added bonus, the Bamboo Birdhouse Christmas Tree Ornament!