Millennium Birdhouses
Tools
(Not all of the tools will be needed for every birdhouse.)
- Electric Blender
- Compound leverage aviation snips (tin snips)
- 7" Circular snips
- Diagonal cutter
- Needle nose pliers
- Thin long nose pliers
- Lineman's pliers (for cutting the support rod)
- Screwdriver or screwgun for mounting the base on post mounted structures
- Metal ruler (for bending the hardware cloth)
- Large colander (6 quart)
- Large mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Several cotton flour sack towels
- Latex gloves (snug fitting ones)
- Measuring cup, and measuring spoons
- Graph paper, ¼" grid (36" x 20 yd roll) optional for making the full size patterns
- Felt markers, black & red
- Safety glasses*
- Gloves*
- Long sleeves*
*For personal protection during hardware cloth cutting.
Materials
- Hardware cloth ¼" (amount determined by the pattern used)
- Nylon cable ties 4" (if possible get the clear colored nylon cable ties)
- Split key ring 1" (for hanging the birdhouse)
- Clean full sheets of black & white newspapers
- White glue
- Acrylic craft paints and brushes
- Exterior acrylic latex paints
- Decorations (optional)
- Wooden dowel 2" lengths for perch
- Support rod, ⅛1/8" x 3' rounds-key cold rolled
- Eye bolts #10-24 x 1-⅜3/8" and washers. (for hanging the Silo Birdhouse)
- Ceramic tile mastic and self adhesive mesh dry wall joint tape. (used on the Stone and the Shard Glass Birdhouses)
- Premixed ceramic tile adhesive and grout. (used on the Stone and the Shard Glass Birdhouses)
- Cement dyes can be added to the papier mache pulp for unique colors. (See the Jailbirds Birdhouse, for an example.) Using the cement dyes eliminates the need for painting. Spray with a Clear Acrylic sealer for added protection.