How to Build a Round Birdhouse From Wood

A round birdhouse is a little more challenging to make than a traditional square house, but the result is a charming silhouette to brighten your garden. The most difficult part of making a round birdhouse is fitting each angle of wood together without gapping. These instructions are a basic beginning, but you can experiment with different styles and techniques to make your round birdhouse a personal conversation piece.

Cut 20 strips of pine wood 12 inches long and1 inch wide. Angle the left edge of each strip to the right at nine degrees. Angle the rights edge of each strip to the left at nine degrees. This way the widest ends of both angles are on the same side of the strip.

Place two strips together side-by-side so that the angles meet and the wood fits exactly together. Glue between the two strips along the seam. Let the glue dry until it will stand on its own. Continue adding strips side-by-side until they meet back at the original strip in a wood cylinder. Allow the round birdhouse to dry completely.

Stand the wood cylinder up on a scrap of pine wood. Trace a circle around the base. Add 1/2 inch rim around the perimeter of the circle. Cut the circle from the wood and glue it to the bottom of the wood cylinder. Flip the wooden cylinder upside down and trace another circle one inch wider than the perimeter on pine wood. Cut out the circle. Glue to the top of the wood cylinder.

Measure the diameter of the roof circle. Cut a triangle the width of the roof and the height you want the roof to be, usually 6 inches. Screw an eye hook with at least a 1-inch eye into the point of the wooden triangle. Glue the bottom, or the longest, side of the triangle to the top of the bird house roof. Allow this to dry.

Use a hand-held saw to remove a 3-inch circle from the center of the wood cylinder for a birdhouse door. Glue a 2- or 3-inch long section of 1-inch wooden dowel sticking out just below the doorway opening. Thread wire or rope through the eye hook for hanging. Paint or varnish the wood portion of the birdhouse and allow it to dry completely.

Cut a circle from tin using tin snips with about a 12-inch diameter. Mark the exact center of this circle. Cut a line along the radius from the perimeter to the center dot. Cut another line starting 2 inches over from the original cut on the perimeter and angling into the center to remove a small triangle wedge. Put on the gloves. Overlap the edges of the tin by pulling in toward the open wedge. Pull the edges in as far as you need to make the tin roof as tall and pointy as you want. Leave a hole in the center to fit the eye hook through. Place the overlapped section on one side of the upright triangle on the roof. Nail through the overlapped tin into the edge of the triangle to secure the roof and the overlapped edges. Nail the other side of the roof to the opposite edge of the triangle.

Put on the gloves. Overlap the edges of the tin by pulling in toward the open wedge. Pull the edges in as far as you need to make the tin roof as tall and pointy as you want. Leave a hole in the center to fit the eye hook through. Place the overlapped section on one side of the upright triangle on the roof. Nail through the overlapped tin into the edge of the triangle to secure the roof and the overlapped edges. Nail the other side of the roof to the opposite edge of the triangle.

Tread wire or rope through the top eye hook for hanging or glue the bottom of the birdhouse to the top of a round post for free-standing.