Things You'll Need
Tape measure
1/4-inch-thick wood
Scroll saw
Drill with a 1/2-inch diameter drill bit
Sandpaper
Paint or stain
Wood glue
Finishing nails and hammer
2 eye hooks
Chain
2-inch-long piece of 1/2-inch dowel rod
Making an eight-sided birdhouse is a relatively small project. The supplies are simple and mostly items you will probably already have in your workshop. The actually work should take less than an hour, but the total project will take a couple days, since you'll need to leave the paint and the glue time to dry. When you are done you can hang the birdhouse from a tree branch in hopes it will actually get used or hang it up in your house as decoration.
Step 1
Measure out eight pieces of wood 6 inches high and 4 inches wide.
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Step 2
Cut out those pieces of wood with a scroll saw.
Step 3
Drill a hole in one of the eight pieces of wood where the door will be. Use a scroll saw to cut the hole larger. Drill a second hole below the door one 1/2 inch in diameter, for the perch.
Step 4
Measure out two octagon-shaped pieces of wood with each side of the octagon being 4 inches long.
Step 5
Cut out the two octagons using the scroll saw.
Step 6
Sand the edges of all the wood you cut out so that the sides are smooth and do not splinter.
Step 7
Paint or stain each piece of wood before you assemble the birdhouse and leave time for the paint to dry completely.
Step 8
Take one side panel and put a thick layer of glue down the vertical edge.
Step 9
Stand a second side panel up next to the first and push the vertical edge into the glue you put on the first piece. The two pieces should stand up together, like playing cards.
Step 10
Continue putting glue down the vertical edges and adding side panels until you have all eight pieces standing together. When you add the eighth side panel, you should put glue on the vertical side of the eighth panel so it is glued to the seventh panel and the first panel.
Step 11
Let the bird house sit until the wood glue is completely dry. This usually takes approximately 24 hours.
Step 12
Line the top edges of all the walls with wood glue and place one of the octagon pieces on top of the bird house for the roof.
Step 13
Holding the roof down, pick up the entire birdhouse and carefully turn it over so that the roof is now on the bottom.
Step 14
Put another thick layer of glue along the bottom edges of all the walls and place the second octagon on that side pushing it down into the glue. Carefully place a book on top of the birdhouse and let it sit overnight.
Step 15
Nail finishing nails through the top and bottom of the bird house and into the edge of the walls. This will secure the roof and the floor of the birdhouse to the walls.
Step 16
Add the perch by pushing the dowel through the hole you drilled below the door of the birdhouse.
Step 17
Screw two eye hooks into the roof of the birdhouse at opposite ends. Attach the chain to the eye hooks.
Tip
If you have trouble getting all the sides together, try gluing together four sets of two walls and letting the glue dry before gluing all the sets together.
Warning
Make sure all your measurements are correct before you cut the wood. If the measurements are off, the pieces won't fit together perfectly.
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