Barn-wood Bird House

So my parents love old barns.  I remember a few years back that whenever my Dad would pass an old barn that looked like it was being torn down or was about to collapse he would ask the owners if he could collect the barn-wood.  Since then he's been making a bunch of barn-wood furniture, barn-wood frames, and bird houses.  My Mom has been using the barn-wood for photo transfers, and book covers, printmaking, and probably another half-a-dozen  other things.

Perhaps I should have mentioned previously that my Mom is an art teacher and my Dad is an engineer.  My little sister is going to school for a BFA.  So the amount of crafting that happens within my household each week is mind-boggling.  So when I need help with a project I have to work it out with them ahead of time.  This past Sunday when I came by the house to pick up some things I asked my Dad if he'd teach me how to make a bird house on Monday.

So it's Monday and I don't have class because it's a holiday, and today I made a bird house.  My Dad helped with some of the cutting for safety reasons, but I've done 95% of the work on this project!  (From his own lips!)

Barn-Wood Bird House

First thing you're going to need is some barn-wood.  Thank goodness there is just a box of it sitting around the garage.

 

So here is a list of the materials:

barn-wood

branches

brad nails

nails

screws

copper plated rod

wood glue

Tools Used:

table saw

air powered nail gun

drill press

hammer

power drill

various sized bits

circle saw

Steps:

1. Gather the tools and the materials you will use.  

2.  Draw your design.  I decided to make a shack with a slanted roof and a pipe coming out of it.  I wanted it to kinda look like a moonshine shack.

3.  Chose your dimensions!  I decided I was going to have the back wall be 10 inches and the front wall be 8 inches.  I chose a base that was big enough for the pieces of barn-wood I was going to use that also had a nice rustic edge.  The only real measurements after this that would be needed was to measure between the walls for the front and the back wall.  The roof would be much like the base, just a piece of barn-wood that would be squared off.  Since barn-wood already comes in planks that are generally the same size, there is very little cutting.  Its really more about which pieces you choose.  Holding up the right and left wall of the bird house you can measure what the width of the front and back wall need to be.  My measurement was 5 1/4 inches.

4.  Cut the wood 'square'.  When my Dad said this I had no idea what he was talking about, but I quickly learned that it meant to make the edges that we wanted even to be even, like the back of the base that would line up with the back wall; as well as the roof that would fit over top, and the bottom of each wall so that it would line up with the base.  I used a table saw to square up each piece.

5.  Cut more wood, no but really cut all your dimensions.  Using the table saw after all the pieces are squared up, I cut the lengths I wanted for back and front wall, and then measured with a ruler on the left and right wall what angle I would need to cut.  To be able to place the roof, I also had to cut just the ends of the back and front wall so that the roof wouldn't bulk up and instead lay 'evenly'.  (Its barn-wood, it isn't going to lay flush!)

6. Now that we have all the walls and the roof and the base, we have to place the hole for the birds in the front wall.  So, then I moved on to the drill press for the next part. I decided to put my hole just above the center so I would have room for the perch.  I used a circle saw to mark where I was going to be putting my hole.  It's best to mark where you want it and then drill through the wood all the way around the mark.  The wood is really thick and it can be hard to cut through and damage your circle saw.  So just go into the wood a little, use that as a tracer and then drill with a smaller bit straight through the wood all the way around the circle.  Then you also what to use a larger bit to drill a whole straight through the middle.  This will make it easier for you to completely cut out the hole with the circle saw.

7.  The last bit that I did with the drill press was make a hole with a bit that was the same size as the branch that I picked out for my perch.  Don't go completely through the wood for this, only go in about half.  You'll end up using wood glue to secure the perch.

8.  Now that all my walls are done it's time to nail everything together!  Using an air powered nail gun (specifically the kind that uses brad nails), I nailed the four walls together.  The brad nails are just used to hold the form.  You want to go back and also place straight nails with a hammer next to the brad nails.  You put one nail at the top and one nail at the bottom, rinse and repeat for all four sides.

9.  The walls are secure now, and you can add the roof.  Using the powered nail gun again, secure the roof to the walls along the edge, once it is secured by the brad nails you want to go back and place a straight nail next to the brad nail.  You may need to use a powered drill to make a starting hole for your nail.  It makes it a lot easier.  

10.  The bird house is ready for the base.  For the base, you want it to be really secure, so I used a powered drill to screw the base to the walls.  The main structure of the bird house is complete.

11.  You can now put wood glue into the notch you made for your perch and then stick it in.  It'll take a day or so for it to dry, so you'll need to put it somewhere while the glue sets.

 

12.  Embellish your bird house with a bit of flavor!  You can paint it if you want, but I wouldn't suggest painting a barn-wood bird house.  You can add a bench on the base, or dried moss, or little logs.  For my bird house I decided to add some logs outside and I decided to add a little copper smoke stack coming out the top to go with my moonshiner theme.

13.  The last step for your bird house would be to decide where you want to put it and how to hang it.  You could put it on a post, or in a tree, or on your deck.  It's really up to you from here on out.  

The List

As I've said before [Link], I have already started my planning process for Quals.  I've had two sit down sessions where I thought about the categories, what my strengths were and what I could enter there, and what my weaknesses were and what to stay away from.  While my goal is only to achieve the average score of 3, I personally don't like just entering crap either.  Most of my entries I prefer to prepare specifically for Quals, while a few of them I will choose from items I have created in the recent past to be able to cushion  myself. 

Strengths:
Writing
Cooking
Painting
Drawing
Aromatics
Construction

Weaknesses:
Armor
Sewing
Performing
Sculpting


A Regent only needs to pass with 10 entries; I personally feel that one should always enter in more than what is required just in case you don't make that average score because one or two judges didn't like your apple pie.    (This is just an example.)

Categories: 
Categories (those in parenthesis are subcategories):
Jewelry (wire, beading, metal, textile/hemp, other)
Active Construction (weapon, shield, armour, siege, reach, open [spell ball, etc.])
Passive Construction (metal, wood, ceramics, leather/horn, mixed media [bone/steel knife, etc])
Bardic (singing, oratory, instrumental, physical, other)
Written (factual/non-fiction, how to, poetry, fictional, other)
Garb (court, fighting, accessory, monster garb, other)
2D Art (painting, drawing, photography, 2D on 3D medium [painted miniature, etc.], other)
3D Art (subtractive sculpture, additive sculpture, low relief, display, other)
Food (main dish, beverage, dessert, side dish/appetizer, drink, other)
Textile (embroidery/cross-stitch, appliqué/felting, crochet/knitting, weaving/braiding, other)
Open (open, rose, new media [promo movie, website, etc.], heraldic display, multidisciplinary) 

Categories have sub-categories which are the categories that are counted when the person running for Regent must get 10 entries.  Sometimes one entry can be entered in more than one category.  This is easily achieved by simply filling out two entry forms for the same entry.  In retrospect the term "entry" is a bit ambiguous when this rule is in play.  For this Quals, that rule is in play; which can be an excellent strategy when trying to pad the total # of your entries.  I like to think of it like the +1 enhancement bonus you get to x because of y.

Food entries I usually wait to decide on these until closer to the event.  I like to consider the season, the weather specifically around the time the event is (I live in a place where the weather changes like crazy and can be spring weather one day and then snowing the next.), and foods that aren't too extreme.  This is because taste buds can be a fickle thing, and sometimes people just hate certain foods.  Sweets are usually a definite, drinks are also good.  Drinks can also be really bad though if you are trying to enter things that have complicated chemical processes like fermentation. 

So I wont talk about foods for awhile.

Generally you can guess a lot of the categories.  There will be art, there will be bardic, there will be construction, garb, written, open, and food.  Art is comprised in two major categories; 2D Art and 3D Art.  I decided to start planning for those categories in December.  I decided I would have a painting, a drawing, a poem, a how-to, an aromatic, a necklace, and a rose.  I put a few things on my maybe list as well: a song, a sculpture, a candle, bracelets, and a mask. 

During my second planning sit down I actually started thinking of specific concepts for the entries.

Painting:  The Dryad, a painting I've been working on for the past few months.
Drawing:  Charcoal, some fruits or veggies.
Poem: One of the poems I'm currently in the rewriting phase with.  (I like to do this for the feedback.)
How-To:  An A&S how-to, book necklaces.
Aromatic: Cold Remedy
Necklace:  Book necklace
Rose: A gift book necklace.

Singing: Song of Exile
Sculpture: Clay
Passive Construction: Candle
Heraldry: Bracelets
Garb: Mask.

At this point my maybes get listed in their specific category for when I get done with the projects I feel more confident about and its time for me to starting picking my overage.  When I reach this phase I usually have 80% of what projects I want picked out or finished.  When it comes time to really pick out that last one or two entries for Quals, I usually double up in a category I like.

The next time I thought about Quals I decided to get to work, choosing book necklaces and a bird house to be my first projects.  Now I know that bird house seems to come from no where, but it happened because I knew I could build things and that I would be spending a lot of time at home in the next few weeks.  This meant I would have the tools at my disposal to be able to complete these projects quickly. 

This week I actually started working on my first projects.  I've already started the book necklaces.  I plan to decorate them on the inside with calligraphy and printmaking.  For me, Quals are the best time to try a new craft.  Also I can keep in mind that I can have the necklaces judged on the jewelry category and possibly two 2D categories.  Most likely I won't have to do this, it's only something to keep in mind in case of emergencies.  Next week I plan to start working on the bird house.

In the upcoming weeks I will write the How-To on book necklaces and post pictures.

The Beginning

Since this is the first post on my blog, I do feel a little exposition is required.  I play in a live-action role-play (larp) that is more action verses role-play.  Other descriptions of the game that I play are "its kinda like a fantasy medieval-reenactment society", "its not like Nero", or "its not like SCA".  From my understanding, AMTGARD is a strange amalgamation of a lot of styles of larp, but it is more physically focused.

I started playing in late April of 2012, and since then I have easily settled into the culture that is Amtgard.  Amtgard isn't just a game, it is a society of friends and families and sometimes rivalries that has created a really enjoyable culture that really feels like its something I've been looking for my whole life. 

Amtgard isn't just about the fighting and the fantasy though, another part of Amtgard (from which I understand is a lot like SCA) is the Artisans.  Amtgard has entire culture also built around their crafters and armorers, dressmakers and thespians.  This is called the Arts and Sciences, and is deeply interwoven into Amtgard politics and society.  Amtgard honors and prides itself on the amazing creations and accomplishments of its members.  There is an honors system within Amtgard that one can follow to try to achieve the most revered position of Knighthood.  One of the orders of Knighthood is that of the Artisan, or as it is called in Amtgard, the Serpent. 

I will clarify that I am not a Knight.  I am what is called a Squire.  A Squire an apprentice to a Knight, and is either their best friend or someone that the Knight believes has what it takes to become a Knight. 

Currently I am an officer in Amtgard, which is an elected position.  I am what is called the Regent, and my duties are primarily over the Arts and Sciences.  Secondly, is being Vice-President, but a lot of people tend to forget that part.  I'm going to try to not get complicated here....  

In Amtgard, we are divided up into Kingdoms.  Kingdoms are for the most part a couple of states that all follow the same Corpora (Amtgard is an official Non-Profit Organization and therefore we must have volunteers who 'run' our chapters).  Within a Kingdom you have 'parks' which are smaller chapters that all follow the same Corpora as their Kingdom.  My Kingdom consists of parks from Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Wisconsin, West Virgina, and Illinois.

Now that is out of the way, I'll clarify.  I am a Kingdom Level 'Officer' that was elected into this position by the voting populace of my Kingdom, and it is only a 6 month term.  The end of my term is fast approaching, and I have decided to run again.

As I said, Arts and Sciences are interwoven with politics.  How you may ask?  At the end of every 6 month term there is a Fighting competition and an Arts and Science competition called QUALIFICATIONS (Also known as Quals), and the position I am running for requires me to make an average score of 3 on 10 unique entries.  By unique, I mean that the competition is organized into multiple categories and I am required to enter and make an average score in 10 different categories. 

So my pilgrimage to Qualifications has begun again.  Quals are on March 2nd and it is currently January 15th.  A month ago I began brainstorming ideas for my entries.  It is best to enter in over 10 entries just in case one or two don't make the minimum score of 3.  Last year I think I had over 12 entries and I was still really nervous.  I had planned for 15 but as I got closer to the deadline, and crazy mishaps occurred I was unable to finish a few of the pieces.

Now the exposition is over, and I offer you the meat.  This blog was created to document my pilgrimage to Quals, provide craft project ideas/suggestions, provide how-tos, and to become one of my entries for Quals.