Reader Project: Tree-Cutout Bird Feeders Made by Second-Year Woodworking Students

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Werner teaches woodworking in Hasselt, Limburg, Belgium, and this batch of "voederboomhuizen" — bird feeder houses with a tree shape cut through the gable — was made by his second-year students in the wood programme, all of whom have a disability. Each student sketched their own tree on paper, cut the drawing out, and used it as a template to mark the piece out in wood.

The feeders are built from pine offcuts, so the material cost was nothing, and most students finished in about 18 lesson hours. The roofs are shingled in a tile pattern and treated with black oil, which is what gives the whole group its matching look on the bench.

In Werner’s words

Mijn leerlingen met beperking hebben deze gemaakt. Zij volgen de richting hout en zitten in het 2de jaar.

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The build

  • Project type: Outdoor — bird feeder houses
  • Skill level: Beginner
  • Wood: Pine (grenen), from shop offcuts
  • Finish: Black oil on the roof
  • Tools: Jigsaw, rasp, file, bandsaw and nail gun
  • Time: Most students finished in about 18 lesson hours
  • Cost: Nothing — made entirely from scrap
  • Plans: Students sketched the tree themselves on paper, cut it out, and used it as a template

Biggest challenge

Zelf ontwerpen aan de hand van een vb., zelf aftekenen met mal van hun ontwerp, twee dezelfde maken, het dakje in pannenmotief monteren.

Photos

Two finished feeders on the bench, each with a different tree cut through the gable and a black-oiled shingle roof.
Two finished feeders on the bench, each with a different tree cut through the gable and a black-oiled shingle roof.
The whole class batch lined up in the workshop, including one open post-style feeder, showing how each student's tree cutout came out differently.
The whole class batch lined up in the workshop, including one open post-style feeder, showing how each student’s tree cutout came out differently.

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