Home comforts

Mark Rayner makes a roofed bird feeder to keep the food dry and provide shelter for the birds while feeding.

Seed for garden birds is readily available at most supermarkets, or use bread, cubes of dripping or other animal fat, nuts, pieces of fruit or pieces of broken fresh coconut to keep your feathered friends happy during the winter months.

You will need:

19mm treated plywood cut to the following dimensions:
- 200mm x 300mm (x2) for the side walls
- 400mm x 200mm (x2) for the roof
9mm plywood cut to the following dimensions:
- 360mm x 40mm (x2) for front and back ledges
- 400mm x 200mm for base
Offcut of treated wood for chimney
Drill with 40mm and 1.5mm drill bits, 19mmx 1.6mm galvanised nails, and 40mm x 2mm galvanised nails
Hammer, paintbrush, pencil, set square, sandpaper, saw, tape measure and exterior PVA glue
Resene Quick Dry, Resene Lumbersider, Resene testpots of Resene Bright Red, Resene Midnight Moss and Resene Rich Cream

Step one
Measure and mark the pieces of plywood to the dimensions listed above.

Step two
Using pencilmarks as a guide, cut the pieces with a saw.

Step three
Using pencilmarks as a guide, cut the pieces with a saw.

Step four
Smooth cut edges with sandpaper.

Step five
Fix the side walls to the base with PVA glue and 40mm nails, drilling pilot holes first, and the front and back ledges to the base with PVA glue and 19mm nails. Allow glue to dry.

Step six
Fix the roof sections together with PVA glue and 40mm nails, drilling pilot holes first.

Step seven
Drill two 10mm drainage holes in the base, close to the centre of each ledge.

Step eight
Apply one coat of Resene Quick Dry to the roof, base and chimney of the bird feeder and allow two hours to dry.

Step nine
Fix the chimney to one of the side walls with PVA glue and 40mm nails. Paint the bottom section of the bird feeder (except the chimney) and underside of the roof with two coats of Resene Rich Cream, allowing two hours for each coat to dry.

Step ten
Fix the roof on to the bird feeder with PVA glue and 40mm nails. Spot prime nail heads with Resene Quick Dry and allow to dry.

Step eleven
Paint the chimney with two coats of Resene Midnight Moss, allowing two hours for each coat to dry.

Step twelve
Paint the roof with two coats of Resene Bright Red, allowing two hours for each coat to dry.

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Resene Paints Ltd – www.resene.com