Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Cutting the Wood
Use a saber saw to cut away a 16 inch piece of the board. Use a pencil to mark this piece as the mounting board and put it aside. Cut another 16 inch piece from the board, label it as the base, and put it aside.
Cut a 17-1/4 inch piece of the board. Turn this board so that it is taller than it is wide. Measure down 9-1/4 inches from the top of the left side of the board and use a pencil to mark it. Measure down 8 inches from the top of the right side of the board and mark it, as well. Use a straightedge to draw a diagonal line between the two points and cut the line with the saber saw, forming two identical trapeziums of wood. Mark both as side pieces and put them aside.
Cut an 8 inch piece of the board and use a pencil to mark it as the front. Cut another 8 inch piece and mark it as the roof. Put both aside.
Mark the remaining 6-3/4 inch piece as the jar support and put it aside.
Preparing the Wood
Take the jar support board and place the bottom of the jar on it so that the lowest part of the bottle's curve is 1 inch from the edge of the board. Use the pencil to trace this curve and then cut along the line with the saber saw. Cut the sharp corners from the curve and smooth the cut curve with sandpaper. Label the semicircle of wood produced by this step as the end piece. Put both pieces aside.
Take one of the side boards and measure 3-1/2 inches down from the highest corner. Draw a straight horizontal line across the board at this point. Measure 3 inches across from one of the bottom corners and draw a straight vertical line from this point. Place the point of the compass where the lines intersect and draw a circle 3 inches in diameter. Place the two side boards together so they perfectly overlap and use a jigsaw to cut a hole through both boards. Discard the cut-out circles of wood and put the pieces aside.
Take the front board out and lay it down. Measure the diameter of the mouth of the jar. Turn the jar on its side and place it on a flat table, then measure the distance from the table surface to the bottom of the mouth of the jar. Add the two measurements together. Measure 3 inches across from one of the bottom corners of the front board and mark this point as the horizontal center. Measure the combined measurement that you took and draw a vertical line of that length from the horizontal center. Place the point of the compass at the end of this vertical line and make a circle that is half an inch wider than the diameter of the jar mouth. Cut the circle, discard the circle of wood produced by the cut, and set the piece aside.
Assembling the Feeder Box
Place the side pieces on the base piece so the high-corner edges meet the edge of the base. Use an electric drill to attach the side pieces to the base with 1-5/8 inch screws. Place the front piece flush against the side pieces and use the drill to attach it to both the base and the side pieces with 1-5/8 inch screws.
Insert the jar's neck through the front piece and hold it in place. Slide the jar support piece under it so that there are at least 3 inches of jar sticking out beyond it. Remove the jar and attach the jar support to the base with 1-5/8 inch screws.
Insert the jar's neck through the front piece and allow it to rest on the jar support. Take the semicircular end piece and slide it across the base until it is flush against the bottom of the jar. Hold the end piece tightly and make sure that the jar is firmly in place, but can also be tilted and removed; adjust the location of the end piece accordingly to fit these conditions. Remove the jar and screw the end piece in place with 1-5/8 inch screws.
Attach the base and sides to the mounting board with 1-5/8 inch screws. Use at least three screws for each of the side pieces (and space them evenly) to ensure a strong connection and stability. Attach the roof to the side pieces with 1-5/8 inch screws, completing the feeder box structure.
Attach the mounting board of feeder box to a strong tree (to the wood, not the bark) with 2-1/2 inch screws; make sure that the feeder box is well-anchored to the tree and use additional screws if it is not. Put squirrel-edible food in the jar and place the jar in the feeder box.