Wine Bottle Bird Feeder - Up-Cycle a Bottle and Make a Bird Feeder

I love seeing and hearing the birds in our yard. This spring I want to be prepared to make our yard a great neighborhood for our winged friends by providing plenty of houses, feeders and baths. In my last posts, I made a Mid Century Modern Bird House. This time I up-cycled a bottle to make a feeder.

I've seen similar feeders on Pinterest but they looked a bit "rustic" with hard edges and exposed joints. I also wasn't sure how functional the ones I saw were, because I didn't see any that provided for drainage in the seed tray. I knew the time was right to tackle this re-purposing project when I came across an empty gin bottle at an estate sale today (free!) and my new
Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E was sitting in my living room, waiting to be used.

I grabbed some scraps of rough cedar 1x6 left over from the bird house project and set to work on a table in our spare bedroom. Most of the bench top Proxxon tools include an adapter to connect a vacuum cleaner, making them great to use in the house. Practically all the saw dust collects in the vacuum! While I worked on the wood pieces, Joe Morgan worked on the metal embellishments.

The Pattern/Measurements

The bottle I used was about 12" tall, so these measurements are based on that. This is a bird feeder, not a fine piece of furniture, so don't worry about being precise.  Here's how I figured out the measurements for my feeder so you can see how you might adjust them to fit the bottle you're using.

Rough cedar 1x6 is about 5-1/4" wide. So, a circle that fits over that would be 5-1/4" in diameter. The half-circle would be 2-5/8" tall.

You need 3/4" from the bottom of the bottle to the top of the feed tray so there's room for the seed to come out.

The feed tray base (without counting the "lip") is 3/4" thick.

So, the length of the back piece is: 18-3/4", which is 2-5/8" (top half circle) + 12" (bottle) + 3/4" (space from neck to tray) + 3/4" tray + 2-5/8" (bottom half circle)

The base trays are 4-3/8" long (from the back piece to the tip of the half-circle). The part that holds the neck of the bottle is 3-1/4" long.

What You'll Need

• Rough Cedar 1x6, cut to these lengths. I used the Proxxon Table Saw FET, but the Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E would work too.:
• (1) 18-7/8"lengths (back piece)
• (2) 4-3/8" lengths (to make the seed tray)
• (1) 3-1/4" length x 3" wide (bottle neck holder)
• A wine bottle. I used a gin bottle because I liked the flat sides
• A piece of metal decorative tape or flashing about 1" wide by 12" long. If you use flashing, you can cut it on the Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E and then run it through an embossing machine to give it a neat texture. I found 1" metal decorative tape at my local big box craft store.
• Compass
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Wood glue (I prefer Titebond)
• Staple gun
• Clamps
• Long zip ties (about 5)
• Sand Paper
• Linseed Oil
• Screws or sawtooth picture hanger to hang the feeder
• Bird seed
• Small funnel
• Proxxon Table Saw FET
• Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E
• Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115
• Proxxon Original German Chuck for the TBM115
• 1/4" Drill Bit
• Proxxon Disc Sander TG 125/E
• Proxxon Rotary Tool with a small drill bit (like Complete Model Building and Engraving Set)

Steps To Follow 

Read these steps before you begin the project so you understand why they are in this particular order. I found this order really makes this project simple and quick.

1) Using the compass, draw the half-circles at both ends of the back piece and on one end of one seed tray and one end of the bottle neck holder.

2) Draw a line 3/4" inch in from the sides and half-circle of the seed tray from Step (1).

3) Use the Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E to cut the curves on the ends of the back piece and on the end of the bottle neck holder.  When you're cutting large curves, be sure to cut "relief cuts" around the curve. These allow waste pieces to fall away as your cutting, making it easier to follow a long curve. 

(4) Use the Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E to cut the inside line of the seed tray in Step (2). When you're done, this will look like you cut the letter "U" with 3/4" thick sides out of the rectangle. This will become the lip of the seed tray. Sand the cut with sandpaper. You should still have one seed tray that is untouched.

4) Use the wood glue to bond the tray lip to the feeder tray. Be sure the flat ends of the "U" line up with the end of the feeder tray. Clamp these two pieces and let them dry.

5) Use the Proxxon MICRO Bandsaw MBS/E to cut the outside curve of the tray assembly from Step (4). The Proxxon bandsaw can easily handle this thick piece (about 1-1/2" thick!) and by cutting them when they are assembled, you are guaranteed the edge will be perfect across both pieces.

6) Use the Proxxon Rotary Tool with a small drill bit to drill lots (about a dozen) small holes in the bottom of the seed tray for drainage. I didn't think to do this until after I glued the pieces together. It would be easier to do that now while the piece can lay flat on your work bench. Keep the holes small enough so seed doesn't fall through them.

 

7) Create a 1-3/8" hole in the bottle neck holder. 

1. Mark the center of the hole with the pencil. The center is 1-1/2" from the edge and 1-1/2" from the top of the half circle.
2. Use the compass and pencil to draw a 1-3/8" circle around the center mark.
3. Drill a pilot hole using the 1/4" bit and Proxxon Bench Drill Press TBM 115 on the center mark.
4. Use the Proxxon Scroll Saw DSH/E to cut out the circle. Fit the blade through the pilot hole and then cut around the pencil mark. Sand the finished hole with sandpaper.

8) Sand the edges of all the exterior curves. The Proxxon Disc Sander TG 125/E really made sanding the curves easy. It smooth out any jagged parts of my cuts. I held the pieces flat against the sander to get the curves smooth. Then I held the pieces at an angle against the sanding wheel to round the edges of the pieces.

9) Glue the feeder tray and bottle neck holders to the back piece. I positioned the feeder tray so the bottom of the tray was at the start of the bottom half circle. The bottle neck holder position will vary depending on the bottle you want to use. You want this piece to hold the bottle up so that the opening is about 3/4" from the top of the feeder tray. This is far enough from the base so seed will flow out of the bottle, but no so far that it just pours out. I didn't have clamps that would reach that far so I improvised and used zip ties. They held the pieces together until the glue was completely set and worked great!

10) Seal and protect all parts of the feeder (except the inside of the seed tray) with linseed oil. Rub it in using a cotton cloth (rag).  I didn't do the inside of the seed tray because I wasn't sure if the birds would like that oil against the seed they are eating. Let dry completely.

11) Attach a length of metal tape across the top of the bottle and on to the sides of the back piece using a staple gun. You want the metal tight enough to hold the bottle in place, but not so tight you can't slide the bottle out to refill it.

12) To hang the feeder, you can use screws to attach the back piece to a tree or fence, or attach a sawtooth picture hanger to the back.

13) Embellish! We changed the color of the metal tape with spray paint. We had a little owl necklace  and thought that would look great hanging in front of the bottle. So it didn't look so "new," we distressed it some paint to make it look a bit older.

 

14) Use the funnel to fill the bottle with seed. Then slip the bottle back in to the feeder. If you hang the feeder using a sawtooth hanger, you can take it down, turn it upside down, slide it over the bottle and then flip it right-side-up to hang. If the feeder is attached with screws, just hold your fingers over the bottle opening or put a small piece of masking tape over the opening just until you flip it over and have it in place.

I think this will be a great addition to our backyard! I hope you'll try making one and let me know how it turns out.

Happy Crafting!
Joe
www.createNcraft.com

Having a blast trying out my new Belt Sander!

Hello everyone! I've done a little tutorial for you using my Proxxon Jig Saw STS 12/E and my brand new "Belt Sander BS/E". I'll tell you what, I've been so excited to receive my new belt sander! I had a terrible time deciding whether I wanted to try the jigsaw or the sander out first and chose the jigsaw first and then received the Delta Sander OZI/E to try! These tiny tools are just amazing folks! If you use or need some tiny tools, then I would definitely recommend the Proxxon brand.

Items needed for this project:

Proxxon Jig Saw STS 12/E 
Proxxon Belt Sander BS/E
1 or more scrap pieces of gourds
Wood burner tool or carver if you have them
Embossing fluid and powder
metal leaf glue and metal leaf
wire
beads
drill
necklace cord
alcohol inks (orange and red)

I started by cutting out several pieces for a necklace from gourd pieces:

 After cutting out a few pieces, I chose one that I wanted to use as the focal point of my necklace. To start with after the cutting out was finished, I used my new belt sander to smooth out both the side and the bottom of my piece.

You can also hook this sander up to a dust collection system which I have but haven't hooked it up to yet. (Hopefully by the next project.)  I used a 120 grit sanding belt and you talk about smooooooth when I was finished. It worked great and you can get that belt into some small spots too. Once everything was sanded, I wood burned some maple leaves (my favorite thing) onto the front of the pendant (the part that wasn't sanded) and stained them with orange and red alcohol inks. I applied embossing glue to the back of the piece and then added embossing powders and heat activated them to the back of the piece.

I then brushed metal leaf glue around the sides and overlapping the front and applied metal leaf pieces that I had in my box.

Once all that was done I added some wire and beads to the front, applied Kamar Varnish to the piece both front and back, drilled a whole for the cord and put it through the piece with a bead on either side. Turned out pretty good right?

These pendants are so lightweight also, as gourds are very light once they have dried out and been cleaned.

This is a great project and these Proxxon tiny tools (micromot) are just life savers in getting the job done. Make a visit over to www.proxxon.com/us and then come back here and let me know what tool you think you'd like to play with!

Barbara

Pierced Eggs for Easter

It's not too early to start thinking about Easter decorations. And for me, that means eggs. I've created these unique beauties with my Proxxon Engraver GG 12.

To begin, I blow out the insides of the egg using a syringe. (You can also blow them out with your mouth.) Next, the emptied shells soak in a bleach bath (~2 tablespoons of household bleach/1 pint of water) for half an hour. Then, after they are rinsed well in water, they soak in a baking soda bath (~2 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in 1 pint of water) to neutralize the bleach. One last water bath, and they are put aside to dry.

I use an egg lathe to mark guidelines on the shell.

Using the guidelines, I add preliminary sketches of my design.

I use the Proxxon Engraver and different size burrs to pierce a series of holes in the egg shells to complete the design.

When I'm finished with the piercing, I buff the shells with a thin coat of coconut or olive oil. Jewelry findings are added for displaying the completed eggs.

Give it a try!! It's not as hard as you think, and you'll get impressive results.

Carole

Valentine's Day Treat Baskets

Hi everyone Steph Ackerman here today  as a member of the Proxxon Tiny Tool Design Team. 

With Valentine's Day approaching, it's time to create goodie bags for friends and family.

 

Supplies:

 

 

Proxxon Detail Sander
Wood Baskets
ColorBox Crafter's Ink for Ann Butler - Canyon
Clearsnap Art Screen
Gesso

 

 

These wood baskets were just the right size for Valentine's Day treats and I knew with paints and inks they'd turn out cute! 

Using the Detail Sander, I quickly and easily sanded the baskets.

Once I painted them with Gesso, I resanded them to get a nice smooth surface.

Using a Clearsnap Art Screen, I created the hearts with ColorBox Crafter's Ink in Canyon.  Crafter's Inks work well on all surfaces including wood.

Tie some ribbons to the handles and add tissue paper inside.  Fill with goodies for the kids for a fun Valentine's Day treat.

 

What will you create for Valentine's Day treats?

 

Thanks for stopping by.

 

 

 

 

Steph

 

How To Create A Valentine Candle Decoration Using The Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter

Hi everyone, Tammy Santana here today with a fun and inexpensive Valentine craft! I love finding fun supplies at the Dollar Store to make projects with. I found some cute heart stickers, a battery powered candle, some ribbon, and a wire wreath form that I decided would make a great Valentine decoration. 

Supplies I used:

Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter

Ribbon

Small wire wreath form

Battery powered candle

Heart embellishments

How I made the Valentine candle decoration:

1. Cut and heat seal ribbon with the Proxxon Hot Wire Cutter.

2. Tie each piece of ribbon around the wire wreath form.

3. Add heart embellishment stickers to the candle

4. Place candle inside of the ribbon decoration

This craft is so cute and so easy to make! With all of the different kinds of ribbon and sticker embellishments available at the Dollar Store, you can make one of these for every holiday. These would work nicely as a centerpiece or decor for a powder room.

I love to see your projects! Tag me on Instagram @TammySmithSantana

xoxo Tammy

~Hello Valentine~ NEW DT Project for Proxxon by Sherri Welser

~Hello Valentine~

What fun this sweet paper doll Valentine Girl was to create! Wood is a beautiful base for so many fun and unique projects and incorporating it with these beautiful vintage paper dolls by ArtChix Studio was a blast! Proxxon  tools has made working with wood so much easier~ the tools are so well made and easy to operate! For this project I used a scrap piece of wood that I sanded using the  Delta Sander OZI/E. I love the sander and use it often for my woodworking projects!

~Supplies~

Proxxon Delta Sander

ArtChix  Paper Images

Rectangle piece of scrap wood ( Mine is about 2 1/2 x 9")

Acrylic Paint in red

Inspirational stamp saying and  LOVE stamp

 Archival Ink pad-black and Sepia

Metal key

Weldbond glue

Mod Podge

Piece of lace ( about 5 " long)

Canvas  oval tag

Misc charms to hand off of the lace tie

White Sharpie Marker

1)Cut, sand and paint your rectangle  wooden block and let dry.

2) Cut out the paper doll parts and glue on the wood with the mod podge. Adding different hats , crowns, wings etc is also fun! 

3)Using the Sepia Ink pad, create a distressed look on the wood and edges of paper. 

4)Stamp the inspirational phrase  at the bottom with the black ink .

5) Attach the charms and the canvas tag to the lace.

6) Stamp the word LOVE on the tag.

7) Add Lace through the key and  use the Weldbond glue to attach to the wooden rectangle at the top.

8) Using the white Sharpie Marker add dots all around the edges of the girl.

I hope you have enjoyed this easy but very creative project using some Valentine Inspiration!

~In Love & Light~

Sherri