Build a bird feeder from the scrap wood in your shop. These 9 easy DIY projects go from simple hanging trays to a two-tier hanger and a little log cabin.
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If you’ve got a pile of scrap wood sitting in your shop, your backyard birds are a good reason to put it to use. I rounded up 9 DIY bird feeders you can build from leftover boards, from simple hanging trays and a wine bottle feeder to a two-tier hanger and a little log cabin, so you can clear out some offcuts and give the birds a place to gather.
They make thoughtful handmade gifts too, perfect for family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers on birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas.
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Saws on Skates
Fence Picket Wine Bottle Feeder
I saw one of my favorite creators turn a glass bottle and some dollar store wood into a feeder, and it stuck with me. Mine swaps in a wine bottle and a couple of old fence pickets I grabbed off the roadside.
Amanda built this feeder with her 8-year-old, and it's shaped like a little house with a peaked roof. Trim runs around the base to form a shallow tray, so seed stays put and the birds get a place to perch.
Michelle built a two-tier feeder that hangs from a chain, with a coconut husk cradled in the top level as the seed bowl. Weathered lettering runs down the sides for a rustic, pallet look, and the lower level holds a suet cage.
I kept my feeder simple and open, with a flat top and a rope threaded through each end to hang from a branch. The low sides make a shallow tray that keeps the seed corralled, and the cedar is left natural, so it weathers to a soft grey.
Jamison's feeder puts an upside-down wine bottle in the middle of a square wooden frame, so the bottle holds a reserve of seed that trickles down to the tray as the birds empty it.
This one’s my little log cabin feeder, with rounded logs stacked into four walls and a peaked roof resting on the gable ends. The rounded edges are what sell the cabin look, and I hung it from a length of jute twine tied off at the peak.
Ana shaped this one like a little peaked-roof house, with a recycled plastic bottle standing inside to feed seed down on its own. The wide base lets it sit flat on a rail or post, or you can hang it, and the plastic bottle means nothing shatters if it takes a tumble.
Shelly’s feeder has a peaked roof with a long overhang, so rain rolls off instead of soaking the seed. The side walls sit high on purpose, keeping seed in the tray when a squirrel decides to help itself, and a length of rope through the roofline hangs it from a branch.
Ana’s has a triangular gable standing at each end, creating a pitched roof. The long sides are open with a low rail to hold the seed so that birds can land from either side.
Hi there – I’m Scott, a woodworking enthusiast and creator of Saws on Skates, a site I started in 2015 to share easy-to-follow tutorials, space-saving shop tips, and project inspiration for DIYers at any skill level. Learn more about my woodworking journey here.
