Fixing a Burgled Birdhouse

This last week, I finally got around to fixing the hole some critter (most likely a squirrel) ate into the birdhouse my daughter and I built a few years ago. I just got sick of looking at it sitting empty.

Since I nailed and glued the front of the house in place, simply removing the front board and replacing it was out. I could have sawn out a rectangular section and replaced it, like a Dutchman in cedar, but that seemed like too much work. I finally decided to glue a thin (1/4″) cedar board over the front of the house and drill a new smaller 1-3/8″ hole.

Only having 3/4″ cedar scraps I decided to resaw a piece using my new router fence technique. Once I separated the two pieces and planed down the island in the middle, I cut the piece down to size so it would cover the entire front (it was a little narrower, but that’s okay). I used a block plane to remove the weathered cedar on the front to prepare the surface for gluing. Then I glued the false front onto the birdhouse and shot 6 stainless steel nails to hold it in place until the glue dried. I decided to use the stainless steel nails because the original nails I used rusted and discolored the house in less than 2 years.

Since spring is approaching early this year, I just hope I got the fixed birdhouse out in time for a bird to occupy it.

Related Posts:

• Building a Bird House with My Daughter
• Birdhouse Breaking and Entering