Large Bird Feeder

This is one of the largest projects I have ever done (literally and figuratively!) and I really enjoyed it! Hopefully it proves useful to you as well.

This is a bird feeder made from laser cut sheets of plywood and 3D printed parts as well as some extra things I had lying around the house. It is roughly 4x4x16 in, so it is quite large and you will not need to refill it as quickly. The design was done in AutoCAD for the main body and then laser cut from 1/4" plywood from Home Depot. The parts were then glued together with CA glue and clamped to fit together in one large assembly. The assembly pattern is as they are laid out in the DWG file. Essentially, just fold it together like you would a net for a 3D shape. I also drilled small holes near the bottom for drainage and holes near the top and on the lid for the strap and handle respectively (I'll come back to this later).

For the 3D printed parts, I used PLA and designed them in Fusion 360. The perches were made so both small and large birds can eat and there is a seed catcher that can be glued to the bottom of the wooden assembly. They are best printed with organic supports. I found that the regular supports are quite hard to remove from the irregular shape. The handle is attached to the lid piece with two M4 by 20 mm nuts and bolts and the two magnet braces allow the lid to be strongly attached to the feeder, but still easy to open. I used magnets instead of a conventional clasp since it seemed easier and because I've had problems with squirrels trying to open feeders and breaking the lid. The braces should be positioned on the inside of the feeder with the magnets attached to them with double sided tape such that they line up with the lid perfectly with the use of plastic spacers so as not to wear out the magnets and give them something to rest on. They are also CA glued in place.

Finally, to finish things off, the magnets I used were 60x10x5 mm neodymium ones (I will link the ones I used below) and for the strap to hang the feeder, I used an old violin strap I had that I retracted to the smallest length. The magnets came with these plastic spacers as they were quite strong, so I glued them in place for protecting the magnets and preventing wear. The strap has clasps so it is easy to detach and re-attach when necessary. To attach it to the frame, I drilled two small holes with the smallest drill bit I had near the top of the sides and used two brass picture hangers. These came with nails so I slotted the nails in and bent them on the inside to ensure they don't come out. I also cut off the picture hanging part of the brass hook and only kept the rounded portion for the nail and after bending it with some pliers and soldering it shut to ensure it would stay in place, I clipped the violin strap into each side so that it would hold. The entire assembly was also spray painted with a clear coat for weatherproofing.

Depending on how much of a problem squirrels are in your area, this may not work for you though as I had issues where they would chew the wood just to get in and had to sand and re-finish it after applying wood filler. But, I mitigated the issue by using seeds they don't like as much like Niger and safflower seeds, adding chili oil, and scaring them off whenever they came close and eventually they found it too much of a hassle and avoided the feeder altogether.

Cardinals, finches, sparrows, chickadees, and blue jays seem to come, so it has been fun watching them!

Link to Magnets: https://www.amazon.ca/FINDMAG-Neodymium-Rectangular-Countersunk-Mounting/dp/B07RVK5YPD?th=1