Obsession...

[DaveO]

A year or two ago my beautiful wife bought a cheap pine birdhouse from some craft store and my daughter painted it (in her own personal style ). We gave it to her Grandparents for Xmas. Obviously they loved it... it was from their granddaughter. After about a year it started to fall a part, poor joinery
So my wife asked if I could make them another one, and one that would hold up for a little longer.
I started out jointing and planing some rough cut Western Cedar (it's not really a Cedar but an Arborvitae) down to a ½" thickness. I was worried about some cross grain joinery in my plan so I drilled the holes over-sized and used screws. The rest was glue joints only. I cut dadoes for the sides to reinforce the construction. It has a dovetailed bottom that slides out for cleaning. I turned a Walnut peg for a perch. In all I used almost all of my tools. Jointer, planer, tablesaw, bandsaw, drum-sander, spindle sander, RAS, router, ROS, chisels and block plane, drill/driver, and lots of glue.
I worked for 5 glorious hours in my shop (something I haven't had the time to do for a while). And ended up with this -



I spent most of a day making a Birdhouse Soon my daughter will slather it with paint and no one will see the effort I put into the tight joints or precision miters, not to mention the consideration I have taken to deal with the enviable wood movement. Yes this birdhouse will be hanging out with the Cockroaches after the world ends.
Oh, well the things that you do for those you love


Dave

[TracyP]

Good job Dave, and a good deed indeed. Please post a pic of the finished project with the paint and all

[Splint Eastwood]

That's a really nice birdhouse. Im the sure your fine feathered friends will appreciate the great construction! Looks real cozy!

5 hours.... That would have taken me a week.

Nice Job!

Matt

[JimmyC]

Dave,

Years from now, you will look in your Inlaws yard and see that birdhouse, your daughter will be fully grown and in a different place in her life, but that birdhouse will bring back a memory of Daddys little girl. And because it is so well made, and will last, so will the memories of the ones you love.

Then you'll appreciate the amount of work that you put in it.

Nice job Bro'

[rcflyer23]

Looks great. Can't wait to see the painted pics.

[AudreyO]

Why did you not put one of Ava's birds sticking out of the bird hole? You know how I feel about this...I love it and your mom and dad will love it too. Did you prepare everyone that tomorrow it is going to gave paint splattered all over it by Ava?

[cskipper]

Sounds like you had an enjoyable day making it. You'll laugh and take pleasure in it's painting by those you love. Your inlaws will cherish it. And,, as Jimmy said, you'll have good memories for years to come. Wow!!!!

[Bas]

Dave, I know exactly what you mean. My wife asked me to make a rack for the recycling bins. Two years ago, I would have gotten some 2x4s, screwed them together, and said: Done! But now, as a serious woodworker, I laminated some boards to make nice, thick posts. Put stopped chamfers on all the parts. Dado for the shelves. Mortise-and-tenon for the sides, wedged tenons for the stretchers so I can take it apart. BLO and Poly finish. Buffed with steel wool and paste wax.

It is a beautiful birdhouse, and it's not about whether it's overkill or whether it's going to be covered in paint. You exercised the craft the way it was meant to be, had the fun of a whole day in the shop, and produced something of quality for someone you love. What's not to like!

[flatheadfisher]

What Bas said times two!

[erasmussen]

Thats super, everyone will love it

[CaptnA]

Nicely done. The one question I didn't see an answer to but can only assume, is - "Are YOU satisfied with it"?
Sounds like one of those jobs I do for mother or one of my sisters.
It OUGHT to be a simple little knock something out but somehow in the process I get to 'figuring' and 'rationalizing' and before I know it that little something is almost an ordeal...
Like you said, "the things you do for those you love"!
Its a love squared problem I think. You're doing something you love for someone you love. You know, love to the second power~

[G_ville_worker]

What Bas said.

The gumption to do something well, making it the best you can no mater how small, seems to be a fleeting ideal in todays world. And I don't think you will ever be able to put into words what you will feel 15yrs from now when you look at it and think of your daughter.

B

[LeftyTom]

A day in the shop is a day well spent.

[Canuck]

Certainly better than money can buy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I really like the way you coverd the endgrain of the roof, Dave.

Built from the heart and built to last many, many years.

Very well done, indeed.

Wayne

[PChristy]

Great looking bird house Dave Even thoe it will be painted you will have all of the great memories you spent in the shop building it - not counting the memories you will cherish after you see the final outcome of thepaint job