How to Make a Wooden Bird and Squirrel Feeder

Feeding squirrels may not be high on every backyard bird lovers' list of priorities, but even squirrels need nutritious food to last them through colder months. Squirrels will readily visit any source of food available, whether it's sunflower seed, nyjer seed, peanuts, suet or fruit. Both squirrels and birds like doves, cardinals, sparrows, juncos and jays appreciate platform feeders--a simple style that requires only a large, flat surface for seeds and a post on which to mount it in the ground. Platforms are ideal for distributing any kind of food, but sunflower seeds will attract the greatest variety of birds.

To attract ground-foraging birds and squirrels, place the feeder slightly elevated from the ground to allow for drainage. Some birds, like White-Throated or Fox Sparrows, even prefer scratching for seeds that have spilled off a platform feeder. None of your seed will go to waste with this simple design.

Things You'll Need

  • Two 1 inch x 2 inch pieces of wood, 26 inches long, for platform edges
  • Two 1 inch x 2 inch pieces of wood, 24 inches long, for platform edges
  • One square of inch-thick lumber, 2 feet x 2 feet, for platform base
  • 3 inch x 3 inch wooden post, 20 inches long
  • Workbench vise (optional but handy)
  • #4 box nails
  • Hammer
  • 0.25-inch drill bit
  • Power drill
  • Four right-angle brackets
  • Screws
  • Electric screw driver
  • Small spade
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Instructions

  1. Make the Platform

    • 1

      Place the platform base on a work surface. Drill drainage holes in the base near each corner with the 0.25-inch bit.

    • 2

      Position one of the 26-inch lengths of wood, standing on its inch-wide side, against one side of the base. The piece will extend one inch past either corner of the base. This forms a one-inch tall edge to the base. Nail into place.

    • 3

      Repeat Step 1 with the other 26-inch piece of wood, placing it on the opposite edge.

    • 4

      Position a 24-inch length of wood against the base as described in Step 1. It will fit between the two extending ends of the 26-inch edges. Nail into place.

    • 5

      Repeat Step 3 with the remaining 24-inch edge. When finished, you will have a 2-foot square platform with a 1-inch edge around the perimeter. This raised edge will keep seed from being scattered by birds and squirrels.

    Attach the Post

    • 6

      Turn the base over on the work surface and measure the center of the base where the post will be installed. Mark with a pencil.

    • 7

      Stabilize the post in a workbench vise or by other means. Place the platform, right side up, on top of the post. The post should be in the center to keep the platform level. Nail the platform on to the post, just to keep it in place for the installation of brackets.

    • 8

      Place a bracket at the right angle formed by the post's side and the underside of the platform. Screw the bracket into place on the post and platform.

    • 9

      Repeat Step 3 with the three remaining brackets so the platform is secured on all sides of the post.

    Install the Feeder

    • 10

      Choose a place in your backyard that is open, but has some trees or shrubbery nearby to provide cover for birds.

    • 11

      Dig an 8-inch deep hole with the spade at least 3 inches x 3 inches around to accommodate the post.

    • 12

      Insert the post into the hole and fill in the dirt around it, pressing down to keep the platform level and stable. The platform will be roughly one foot above the ground.