Things You'll Need
- 1 bottom piece of 3/4-inch thick untreated pine, cedar or fir
- Wood glue
- 1 back piece of 3/4-inch thick untreated pine, cedar or fir
- 8 wood screws, 1-inch
- 2 side pieces of 3/4-inch thick untreated pine, cedar or fir
- 1 front piece of 3/4-inch thick untreated pine, cedar or fir
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Compass
- Drill
- 3/8-inch drill bit
- Hand jigsaw
- 9 finishing screws
- 1 top piece of 3/4-inch thick untreated pine, cedar or fir
- 2 strap hinges, 3-inch
- 1/8-inch drill bit
- 6 flat head screws
- 1 safety gate hook, 2-inches
Instructions
Building Instructions
Lay flat the bottom piece of wood on a flat surface. Run a small strip of wood glue along the backside of the piece. Place the back piece of wood at a 90 degree angle to the first piece. Allow glue to dry. This will serve as the bottom and the back of the owl house. The back piece is slightly higher than the rest of the walls to allow rain to run off and ventilation in the box.
Screw 2 wood screws into the back and bottom connection from the bottom to secure the pieces together. Lay the birdhouse back down on its bottom with the back piece standing up.
Run strips of glue along the sides of the bottom piece and up the sides of the back piece. Place the two side pieces along each of the glue strips at 90 degree angles to the bottom piece. Allow glue to dry. These pieces are the sides of the bird house.
Screw 2 wood screws in along each seam to secure the pieces together. You will need 6 screws total for this step.
Lay the front piece of wood flat down. Use your ruler to measure and mark the center of the circle and draw a small letter b to mark the bottom of the board. Each owl house will have a different hole diameter and the distance from the bottom of the board to the hole will vary.
Use your compass to draw the circle on the front piece using the point marked previously as the guide to placement.
Drill a 3/8-inch hole in the wood just inside of the circle along one side. This will be the entry point for your jigsaw blade.
Using the circle as a guide cut the circle out of the piece of wood using a hand jig saw. This will be the owl's entrance to the nest.
Lay the birdhouse down on its back piece with the open front side facing up. Run a strip of wood glue along all three edges of the bottom and sides. Lay the front piece on top of the glue making sure that the letter b that you marked earlier is at the bottom of the bird house. Wait until the glue dries.
Screw 2 finishing screws into each side of the front piece. You will need 6 screws total to finish this step.
Set birdhouse on its bottom so you can work on the top piece. This piece will have a hinge so that you can open the box and clean it at the end of the nesting season. Lay the top piece across the top with the extra 1 inch hanging over the front of the box. This overhang will help to keep water out of the nest.
Place two 3-inch strap hinges at the inside of the back equally spaced so the top can be easily opened. Draw guide holes for each hole on the hinge.
Drill holes with 5/64-inch drill bit into each of the marked points for the screws. Screw the hinge into place on the back piece of the birdhouse.
Place the top piece parallel to the back piece and extend the hinges straight up. Mark holes with pencil on top piece.
Drill holes with 5/64-inch drill bit into each of the marked points for the screws on the top piece. Screw the hinge into place, connecting the top to the rest of the birdhouse.
Drill a starter hole on the edge of the top piece in the center and one on the front piece to attach the safety gate hook. Screw the hook into the holes. This will keep animals from getting into the box.
Drill 8 holes in the bottom of the birdhouse with a 3/8-inch bit to allow any water that might get into the house to drain out.
Install the birdhouse and wait for owls to take up residence.