Google Map Marker Birdhouse Template

Here's my video for a super easy to build, super awesome birdhouse.

Download: Google Map Marker Birdhouse Template

A few years ago I wrote a blog entry on this birdhouse.

Google Maps Place Marker Bird House

As soon as I saw this post on Lumberjocks I wanted to make this bird house design.

I downloaded a photo of the google place marker. Imported it into Sketchup to use as a guide for the proportions. I'm still learning sketckup but once I found the "offset" button things went really smoothly --hint the inner boarder is an offset of the outline. I set the print to 1:1 and printed off a number of blank pages. If anyone knows how to control how to position a drawing on a page please let me know--I still have not figured it out other than printing only page 5 of 9 pages.

I spray glued the template on a piece of 1"x 10" pine; roughly cut it out on the bandsaw; then sanded up to the line. I then cut some scrapes to the shape of the can and attached to the back side of the facade; drilled some pilot holes and attached the facade to the can.





The can is a reused coffee can. I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage and attached some "L" brackets on the back. If I was to make another one I'd just drill the holes though the back of the can and then attach the facade.

Up until this project I've only spray painted things using one colour. I traced out the wood shape on a piece of cardboard and cut out the shapes to mask out the areas. I think it turned out pretty good as the paint didn't bleed as much as I thought it would.

Enjoy making your own google place marker bird house.

A Designer, Shu-Chun Hsiao, has installed his google map bird houses around his city, ccheck out his site here.

Bird House

I came across a photo of a bird house (see link) that looked pretty cool so I decided to make my own version.  This is the result.  I used some left over hardwood flooring (Maple).  I ripped the pre-finished flooring into strips and cut tenons on either end.  The tenons on one piece are on the face of the maple strips and on the next piece the tenons are on the back of the so when stacked in the groove they're staggered in and out.   The exterior is pine stained dark and the screws are stainless steel.  The bird house is 11 inches tall 6 inches wide and 5.5 inches deep and the hole is 1.25 inches.  The bottom has quarter inch holes for drainage.

My cut list was as follows:
Pine (1x6)
2@ 6x5.5 (top & bottom)
2@ 10.5x5.5 (sides)
1@ 10.25x4.5 (back)

Maple (Flooring)
7@ 5x1.5

The hole should have been  1 1/8 inch for a black-capped chickadee but I didn't have a 1 1/8 hole bit so I when with the next closest hole saw being a 1 1/4 bit

1/4 inch drainage holes in bottom.

Gap at the top for venting and a hole in the centre to hang up the bird house.