DIY Log Cabin Birdhouse (Easy Scrap Wood Project) | Saws on Skates® (original) (raw)

Give your backyard a rustic touch with this DIY log cabin birdhouse made from scrap wood! Easy-to-follow instructions included!

DIY log cabin birdhouse in the foreground and green foliage in the background

Looking for a fun and creative way to use leftover scrap wood? Look no further! This charming DIY log cabin birdhouse is an excellent way to repurpose materials into a cozy home for your feathered friends.

With a few basic tools and these easy step-by-step instructions, you’ll have this eye-catching cabin built in no time.

Inspiration for This DIY Log Cabin Birdhouse
What Tools Do You Need?
What Wood Should You Use?
How to Make a DIY Log Cabin Birdhouse
Get the PDF Plan

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Inspiration for This DIY Log Cabin Birdhouse

I spotted a log cabin birdhouse in a Facebook woodworking group a while back. I was taken by how creative and clever it was, so I took a screenshot and filed it in my “project ideas” folder. Later while working in my shop, I noticed some narrow strips I had left over from ripping some boards to width, and it instantly clicked; they would make the perfect logs for a cabin!

Pile of narrow wood strips used to make the logs for a DIY log cabin birdhouse

After drawing a quick sketch of the birdhouse, I grabbed my scraps and got to work. Here’s what I came up with: a cozy home for our feathered friends made for free using nothing but scrap wood!

Looking slightly from below at a DIY log cabin birdhouse

You can make this DIY log cabin birdhouse with just a few tools. Here’s what you’ll need:

Table Saw

I used my table saw and a push block to rip narrow strips to width to make the “logs” for the cabin and to rip the removable bottom and roof parts to width.

Miter Saw

I used my miter saw to cut all the log cabin’s parts to length.

Scroll Saw

I used my scroll saw to cut notches in the gables, the triangular portion of a wall at the end of the pitched roof, to fit around the logs.

Brad Nailer

I used a brad nailer to attach the cabin’s parts, but you could use a hammer and nails instead.

Pocket Hole Jig

I used a pocket hole jig to attach the removable bottom so you could clean out the birdhouse at the end of the season. You could also use a hinge to connect the bottom instead.

Related: Which Kreg Jig Should You Buy? (Here’s the Answer)

Drill

I used my drill and a Forstner bit to make an entrance hole and to drill pocket holes for the removable bottom.

Related: How to Use a Drill (Tips & Techniques)

Front view of a DIY log cabin birdhouse

What Wood Should You Use?

I made my log cabin with scrap pieces of pine, which isn’t rot-resistant, so it’s not the best choice for outdoor projects. While it may only last a short time, I was able to make it for free from my scrap pile, so I consider that a win.

If you’d like your log cabin birdhouse to last longer, you may want to choose a rot-resistant wood like cedar instead. However, I wouldn’t recommend pressure-treated lumber as it contains chemicals that could be harmful to birds.

How Do You Finish the Log Cabin Birdhouse?

While I chose to leave my birdhouse natural, you can paint or stain your cabin. However, I recommend only applying a finish to the exterior, leaving the interior raw for birds that may choose to nest there.

Additionally, I suggest using water-based products over oil-based ones, which give off unpleasant fumes that might affect the bird’s health.

Looking at the back of a DIY log cabin birdhouse

How Do You Clean Out the Birdhouse?

According to All About Birds, cleaning out birdhouses at the end of the season isn’t essential. However, to make cleaning easy, I made the cabin’s bottom detachable so you remove any debris or nesting material left inside.

Step 1. Make the Logs

I had some strips leftover from ripping some boards to width; however, they were just a bit wider than I needed. So I used my table saw a push block to rip them to the correct width.

Related: 21 Table Saw Safety Rules (& Mistakes to Avoid)

Using a table saw to rip wood to width to use as logs for log cabin birdhouse

Step 2. Make the Walls

Cut one piece of wood to length for the bottom.

Cut six short logs and six long ones. I used a piece of sandpaper to knock off the sharp edges, giving them a more log cabin-like appearance.

Using sandpaper to knock off a board's sharp edges, giving it a more log cabin-like appearance.

IMPORTANT: Don’t apply glue to the bottom. You’ll need to remove it as it will be detachable, allowing you to clean out the birdhouse at the end of the season.

I applied glue to the ends of the short logs and positioned the long logs using my Kreg Multi-Mark.

Positioning a long log using a Kreg Multi-Mark

Then I attached them using brad nails.

Brad nails can sometimes curve rather than go straight if they hit an obstruction like a knot, so you want to make sure your hands are far enough away if that should happen. So I would have done something different here: clamp the pieces to my workbench before nailing them.

Related: Brad Nailer vs Pin Nailer (Differences & Which to Use)

Attaching a log cabin birdhouse's logs using a brad nailer

Cut four short logs and six long ones. Again, use sandpaper to knock off the sharp edges.

Apply glue to the first layer and position the logs.

TIP: I applied the glue toward the inside of the cabin, reducing the risk of it squeezing onto the outside of the logs.

Apply glue to the first layer of logs

Then I attached them using brad nails.

Attaching the second layer of logs using a brad nailer

Now that I’ve established the walls are square, I removed the bottom so it doesn’t get trapped within the walls.

Removing the log cabin birdhouse's detachable bottom

Repeat this wall-building process for three more layers.

NOTE: You’ll have two long logs remaining that you will use in the next step.

Step 3. Attach the Gables

Cut two pieces of wood to length for the gables. I made them longer than necessary so you can keep your hand a safe distance from the miter saw blade when cutting them to length.

On one piece, use the diagram in the printed plan to mark the location for the entrance hole.

Using a pencil to mark the location of entrance hole for a log cabin birdhouse

Use an awl to make a starting point for the drill bit.

Related: What is an Awl (+ How to Use It)

Using an awl to make a starting point for a drill bit

Next, I clamped the piece with a sacrificial board to my workbench. The board will reduce the chance of the bit tearing out the back of the hole as it exits the workpiece.

Next, I drilled the entrance hole using a Forstner bit.

Related: 14 Types of Wood Drill Bits (Which to Use & Why)

Using a drill and Forstner bit to make an entrance hole

I cut an angle on the short end.

Using a miter saw to cut an angle on one side of a birdhouse's gable

Then I flipped the board towards me and made the second angled cut. Repeat for the back gable.

Using a miter saw to cut the second angle on the other side of a birdhouse's gable

Use the diagram in the printed plan to mark the notches that fit around the top layer’s logs. I used my Kreg Multi-Mark to help lay out the notches.

Using a pencil to mark the location for a notch in the gable

I cut the notches with my scroll saw.

Cutting the gable's notches with a scroll saw

Apply glue to the remaining logs and the gables and position them on the wall. Then attach them using brad nails.

Attaching the gable using a brad nailer

Step 4. Install the Cabin’s Detachable Bottom

The bottom needs clearance so it can be inserted and removed from the cabin. I used my table saw to rip the bottom to width and my miter saw to cut it to length.

Use the diagram in the printed plan to mark the location for pocket holes.

Using a pencil to mark the location for pocket holes