i built a simple beginner bird house for under $5 in under 5 minutes days!
supplies (found lying around):
-1"x5.5"x6' scrap cedar board
-random screws & nails
-bit of wire
-pencil
-ruler
-circular saw
-hammer
-power drill
-
Build a Bird House for Under $5 in Under 5 Minutes
-courage in the face of the unknown (carpentry)
day 1: 1 july 2025
i rummaged about in outbuildings for suitable wood and came up with a lead-painted monstrosity that helpfully educated me on why trying to strip lead paint is simply not worth the bother. i then dove back in for a second go-round in different outbuildings and emerged with a promising untreated piece of wood. i hauled it back to the house to my grandmother for identification (cedar), marked my cuts, and went on the hunt for a saw. all three manual saws were rusted beyond use, so i opted for the least-intimidating power tool, the jigsaw. the jigsaw did not appreciate being used on cedar. sweaty and defeated after multiple hours of scavenging, i collected a circular saw for future research and slunk back to the house with my tail between my legs and my cedar plank in two crooked pieces.
day 2: 2 july 2025
a day spent mostly stewing in resentment of my own ignorance.
day 3: 3 july 2025
grandma felt up to teaching me how to use the circular saw - hoorah! i sliced everything up, checked out the viability of the build with my less-than-expert cuts, made a couple trims to make sure the pieces fit together with minimal gaps/awkwardness, and scrounged up some spare screws and nails. for the entrance hole on the front board, i actually drilled a bunch of holes with the biggest drill bit we have (not very big) and sort of immersion blended them into one big hole with the help of a carving tool to scrap down the sides. it's slightly larger than a quarter and, shall we say, charmingly irregular. after i put the whole bird house together, i cradled it to my bosom briefly but lovingly. i left it on my work table to watch over me as i slept, finally at peace with the knowledge that i no longer need to fear circular saws beyond a certain healthy respect.
day 4: 4 july 2025
my first dimensional woodworking project has declared its independence from the climate-controlled house. it's hanging/wedged about 7 feet off the ground, facing south in the lower branches of the black gum tree to the northeast of the big house.
concluding remarks...
remedial shop class rocks. i look forward to revisiting and improving this bird house in the future after observing how it integrates (or doesn't...) into the landscape.
