squirrel

This is another project that allowed me to make use of my scrap wood collection. I had a bunch of short pieces of PTL decking boards. I jointed the edges and ran them through the planer and they looked pretty good. I set my circle cutter on 1 3/8" to create three 2 3/4" holes. One in each side and one in the front for the Mayonnaise jar. You'll need to use the appropriate size hole for your jar. I made mine fit real tight so while the squirrels are in the box they won't push it out.

I was going to use biscuits to join the feeder, but lining up the number of small pieces seemed too monumental a task so I used Pocket Hole Joinery. I used one of those $10 generic jigs and had a heck of a time getting good results. Since then I have gotten the Kreg Rocket Jig and the difference in ease of use and quality of the hole are amazing. A word of caution: make sure you have a drill small enough to go inside the "box" if you decide to use pocket-holes for your feeder. No way could I get a regular drill in there to join the "roof" without one. I used a right-angle drill attachment on mine.

Here's a pic of the completed project. Whoops! Wrong feeder.

Here's my feeder sans customer. The only visible screws are on the back piece attaching it to the 3 sides. Since I cut 2 key-hole slots in the back to hang my feeder on my fence post they don't show. Once assembly was completed, I gave the feeder 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Cuprinol Cedar Stain. I made a 2 feeders while I was at it, and gave one to a friend who lives in the country. She has LOTS of customers, many with wings!

I didn't design these plans. They were drawn up by my friend Sandy in VT. And here's a shot of his feeder and a tip from him: "I made the hole for the jar JUST large enough to accept the metal lid rim (part with the screw threads) of the jar and used silicon caulk to keep it in place, then the jar screws in with little or no trouble. I cut the thin metal lid (part with the rubber seal) in half and it acts as a 'holdback' so the seed doesn't end up on the floor of the feeder. Something else I've done with the caulking: seal the joint where the back and top meet. I found that rain was getting down that joint".

Follow the cutting diagram below. The "stop" is optional. I cut it out and will attach it if need be, but I prefer the feeder without it.		My stock was 1" X 6". If I make another I would use 1" X 8" and change the 9 1/4" on the "C" pieces to 11".