Vicki's Wood 'n Things

Squirrel Feeder

Even though I have a love/hate (they love digging in my flower beds, and I hate themfor doing it) relationship with the local squirrel population I couldn't resist thisnice-looking squirrel feeder.

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".

Email me with comments

Indoor Projects || Indoor Projects2 || Outdoor Projects || Garden Projects || Wood Burning || Work Shop

Recent Projects || Plans || Links || Guest Book