As in birdhouse bird safe.
I’ve got a small hobby market potential for making turned birdhouses. Real ones, not the decorative collectable kind. Since most birding publications recommend cleaning them out annually, I’m wondering if it would be benefical, housekeeping wise, to finish the insides with something to seal the wood. I’m thinking a penetrating oil, tung or log oil would be appropriate but not sure if this is a healthy thing for birds. It’s a pretty tight environment inside a birdhouse! Or once the oil has cured does it no longer present a problem with toxic outgassing? Or just forget the finish altogether?
………..
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Replies
Dennis, I wouldn't put any kind of finish in a birdhouse.
Oil finishes in an enclosed space gas for a long time. That's why it's not recommended to finish the insides of dresser drawers, armoires, etc. I built a set of nightstands 20 years ago, before I knew any better, and finished them in and out with tung oil finish. The acrid smell is still very apparent if I stick my nose into the durned things. However the cat doesn't seem to mind. :)
Birdhouses sound like fun, good luck with your enterprise.
Thanks for the reply, Plolarsea1. I can't imagine why all the reference material recommends cleaning out the bird houses anyway. I doubt that the gudzillion cavity nesters in the world suffer unduly in the wild (grin) -No finish the best finish............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
Ever consider buuilding underground birdhouses? -- and that's no joke. Well, maybe a little joke. You build a conventional birdhouse with a flat roof, then put some dirt on the top with a little sprinkling of grass seed. Voila! An underground bird house! I got this design from a little book on "different" birdhouses. Can't remember the name right now, but I bet you could get some attention with one or two of these in your portfolio.
Dennis,
Shellac is the classic finish for the inside of cabinets and drawers because it is odorless once it dries. Shellac is also harmless if eaten, so it won't present a risk even if the birds pecked at it. Shellac isn't nearly as tough as a polyurethane but it won't do any harm and may make the inside of the birdhouse a little easier to keep clean.
John w.
The baby birds can peck at the inside and any finish may be unhealthy for them. There are parasites that invade bird houses. Most well made, modern houses have a wire mesh that keeps the nesting material off the bottom and away from the parasites. Check out the Audubon Society for proper building techniques. There are many things to consider if you want a house that attracts birds and keeps them healthy and safe. Wrong size holes, perches and other factors can create a predator feeding box. Not providing a means for the hatchling's to climb out can create a trap. Often, a specific species of bird is identified and houses are built to accommodate them.
Beat it to fit / Paint it to match
Hammer Good POST.. I love birds and other critters....
Will,
"...Good POST.. I love birds and other critters...."
Me too, Will...they're delicious!
Har!
Ray
Me too, Will...they're delicious! Oh geeeee...
My best guess would be shellac. There are no fumes at all once it dries (and it dries quickly). The finish is non-toxic to humans, hopefully to birds as well. Since it is made from insects and birds eat insects, I would expect it to be non-toxic to birds as well.
Dennis -
Use no finish inside. Bird houses have to be cleaned out annually, disinfected, and treated with pesticides. Birds carry tremdous numbers of lice and mites. I use diatamacious earth in my purple martin boxes to control crawly critters. Totally non toxic to people or birds.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)
PlaneWood
Sorry Mike, should have been addressed to Dennis (why do you suppose you can't edit that sort of thing?) ............I would check with the experts. Down here (MN) we have a Department of Wildlife that's crawling with experts on this kind of thing. We have a big program for building bluebird houses in this state, which I have participated in from time to time. They say it's okay to paint/stain the outside, but do nothing on the inside.********************************************************
"I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there."
-- Herb Caen (1916-1997)
Edited 7/3/2005 11:41 pm ET by nikkiwood
Thanks everyone for the timely advice. I have looked at lots of info on the web, the info here being in agreement with what other sources I've run across - no finish is the best finish. Suits me fine! (haha)I'm boring out the insides of 5-7" branch wood for these things with a spun copper "roof" and removable disk of aluminum sandwich panel recessed into the bottom. I try to find sections of logs that have a dead or dying branch in them, bore out the interior then carefully hog out the old branch so the entry hole is kinda like a natural opening where the tree has begun building tissue around the old dead limb. No word yet on how well they're rec'd by the bird community but they do look kinda cool............
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
I use diatamacious earth ... Geee,, I need some for my pool filter!
I got a 25 lb bag at a pool supply store for $8.
You know their putting that stuff under the slab of new houses now for a lifetime termite guarantee. They make it about 2" thick.
PlaneWood by Mike_in_Katy (maker of fine sawdust!)PlaneWood
No I NEVER heard of that.. Learn something NEW EVERY day!
Yeah, the stuff is amazing... I just found out (from my neighbor) that it will keep ants off my fruit trees! Just slather some around the trunk, and the ants can't get across it. Lots easier to deal with than Tanglefoot. (The ants carry aphids up to the growing shoots, and then sort of "ranch" them, protecting the aphid from predators etc... the aphids cause tremendous damage... keeps the ants off, and the natural predators quickly eat up the aphids!)"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
Albion-How do you "slather" it on the tree trunks? I thought the stuff was a powder. Do you mix it with water to a slurry to apply? Does it dry to a cake hardness that will resist weathering?Inquiring minds want to know ...... (grin)...........
From Beautiful Skagit Co. Wa.
Dennis
It is a powder, very fine and lightweight. I just slathered it on by hand, it sticks to the bark just fine and it only takes a thin layer to discourage the ants. It hasn't rained here since I applied it, but my neighbor said it stayed on even through the last rain we had in mid June. You can also make a thin slurry with water, and maybe a little soap, and spray it on. This would be a great way of dealing with the initial aphid attacks, before the ants start ranching them. Neighbor also says it keeps earwigs away! (This is a mixed blessing for the apple trees, as earwigs are the primary predator on the aphids.) He has a large greenhouse, and found that applying a band of DE to the soil all around the greenhouse kept the earwigs out. He also puts it round the base of plants to protect them. It's cheap and easy to apply, so re-applying it after rains etc. would not be a big deal. Since it's non-toxic, you don't have to worry about buildup or residuals, either."Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." A. Einstein
http://www.albionworks.net
Nope, Dennis, you don't want a finish. The houses are cleaned out mostly to get rid of mites, IIRC. The wood needs to "breath" and you don't want any fumes in there.
Here's a recommendation for a great book: Beastly Abodes by Bobbe Needham, ISBN 0-8069-3169-8. It'll give you a feel for what various designs are based on. Bird houses are species-specific with regard to the size of the inside, the size of the entry hole, and its distance from the floor. They should not have a peg/perch (you probably already know that!).
PS: If you Google you'll find lots of specifics from Audobon sites and such.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Edited 7/4/2005 1:21 am ET by forestgirl
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