LumberJocks

2 x 4 Birdcage with bird

Project by GaryK posted 524 days ago 26498 views 3 times favorited 69 comments Add to Favorites Watch

A 2×4 BIRDCAGE WITH BIRD

I struggled for over a week on what to build out of a 2×4! I searched online what other people have
done, and didn’t get any inspiration. Then I was getting ready to fall asleep when it came to me. I
got up and wrote it down so that I wouldn’t forget it in the morning. This always seems like the time
I get my best ideas. I have never seen anything like it before so I knew that it was probably unique.
I figured that to have any chance at all in this contest I would have to make something very different.

I needed a 2×4 with a 20” section of straight grain for the bars of the cage and I found the perfect
2×4 at the first place I looked. A local lumber yard just 1/2 mile from my house. Here is the southern
yellow pine (SYP) 2×4 and only three knots which I could work around.
.

.
Here is the complete cutting plan.

You will probably have to click here to see the entire thing:
http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh224/grkemper/2x4/022x4Plan.jpg
.

.
The bars were the hardest and most boring part of this project. Cutting a 20 inch long piece of 2×4
into 119 long square strips on the band saw didn’t take that long but pulling each one of the through
a series of progressively smaller holes did. I learned this from my model boat making days. I took a
two feeler gauges and drilled a series of holes each about .005 smaller than the last. You start by
taking your square piece of wood and sharpen the end so that you can get it through the first
hole. Then you use a pair of pliers to pull it through the hole. This will shave a little of the wood
off. Then on the the next smaller hole and so one until you get to 1/8 inch bars. I am glad that I
started with about twice as many bars as I would use. The growth rings in the SYP were not perfectly
straight and didn’t make the job easy. I ended up with just 5 more of the 60 long bars I would need.
A lot broke and were messed up in too many ways to describe. But I did salvage enough good sections of
the scraps do the top of the cage.

Here is a bar in process:
.

.
Here is a closeup showing the burr created when the hole is drilled. That does all the cutting!
.

.
Here are some of the 12 segments that makeup the lower and upper ring:
.

.
Here you can see the band clamp holding the lower ring being glued.
.

.
I made a hardboard template to route the rings round. I later drilled the 60 holes in the ring to
use for drilling the holes for the bars. This allowed for both rings to have holes in exactly
the same place.

Here I routed the outside:
.

.
Here the inside:
.

.
And here the completed ring.
.

.
I tried to keep the bird theme in everthing. Like the bird toes and claws on the bottom
of the stand, as well a the birds heads and wing feathers on the top of the cage.

The bird sitting on the perch inside the cage was my first ever attempt to do a 3D carving.

The hardest part of the entire thing was to drill the holes on the 6 pieces making up the top.
They had to be drilled at compound angles and figureing them out took some head scratchin’.
They are held in place by the bars extending past the top ring and into a hole.

I made a dado around the inside of the bottom ring to install the floor flush. Even has working door.
The project is about 29” tall.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.


69 comments so far

View mot's profile

mot

4892 posts in 787 days


posted 524 days ago

That’s just AWESOME, Gary! Great idea and great build!

-- You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation. (Plato)

View john's profile

john

973 posts in 1132 days


posted 524 days ago

Nice work Gary!! ,that is cool

-- John in Belgrave http://www.extremebirdhouse.com ....http://community.webshots.com/user/cranbrook2

View rikkor's profile

rikkor

11345 posts in 625 days


posted 524 days ago

Man, that is wonderful! Heck, it is twoterful.

View gizmodyne's profile

gizmodyne

1633 posts in 841 days


posted 524 days ago

This came out great Gary. Very creative and detailed.

-- -John "Do I have to keep typing a smiley? Just assume it's a joke." www.flickr.com/photos/gizmodyne

View FrankA's profile

FrankA

137 posts in 530 days


posted 524 days ago

Great work!!!!! Very inovative. I’m amazed just what lives inside of a 2×4.

-- Frank Auge---Nichols NY----"My opinion is neither copyrighted nor trademarked, but it is price competitive."

View Praki's profile

Praki

120 posts in 747 days


posted 524 days ago

Very nice! Hard to believe it came out of that 2×4 SYP.

Gary, do you use any special software for planning your cuts? Or, is it just a CAD diagram?

-- Praki, Aspiring Woodworker

View TomFran's profile

TomFran

2465 posts in 745 days


posted 524 days ago

After seeing that Confederate ship you made, Gary, I’m not surprised at this. You are a man of detail! Great work!

Annnnnnnd…...........thanks for sharing some of you process “secrets” with us. It really helps people like me that have a lot to learn.

-- Tom, Surfside Beach, SC - Romans 8:28

View Russel's profile

Russel

1757 posts in 690 days


posted 524 days ago

Absolutely amazing. Fantastic work. There are other superlatives, but I just can’t think of them now. And all from a 2×4.

-- When you give someone a chance it may well be their last.

View Scott Bryan's profile

Scott Bryan

16261 posts in 573 days


posted 524 days ago

Great job, Gary. The detail is just unbelievable. In the short time that I have been involved with this site the innovative ideas and quality of workmanship (workpersonship would be more politically correct) has continued to amaze me. Never, in my wildest dreams, would I have envisioned something like this dormant inside a simple 2×4.

Thanks for sharing. Projects like this really make my day.

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

View YorkshireStewart's profile

YorkshireStewart

753 posts in 652 days


posted 524 days ago

Your censored cutting plan certainly gave us no clues to that one Gary! What immense patience you must have. Thanks for the ‘how it was done’ pics – that dowel jig looks efficient judging by the shavings coming off it.

You know you’re a Lumberjock when you think of wacky wooden birdcages as you drop off to sleep!

-- Res severa verum gaudium - True pleasure is a serious business. http://www.folksy.com/shops/TreeGems

View CedarFreakCarl's profile

CedarFreakCarl

526 posts in 804 days


posted 524 days ago

Pretty nice!

-- Carl Rast, Pelion, SC

View DAN's profile

DAN

5390 posts in 734 days


posted 524 days ago

terrific execution … great design and methods

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

View mrtrim's profile

mrtrim

1702 posts in 631 days


posted 524 days ago

another one for the lumberjock masters series ! just plain awsome gary .

View TonyWard's profile

TonyWard

275 posts in 1079 days


posted 524 days ago

Gary

That is tremendous, very impressive, makes me re-think what can be done with small pieces of timber.

Well done that man!

Good Health
Tony Ward

-- Bandsaw Box Plans

View rpmurphy509's profile

rpmurphy509

291 posts in 605 days


posted 524 days ago

Extremely well executed. My hat is off to you.

I’d buy that from a store or workshop in a snap.

-- Still learning everything

View Zuki's profile

Zuki

1179 posts in 828 days


posted 524 days ago

Holy cow ! A birdcage out of a 2×4. I can’t believe it.

-- The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them

View brunob's profile

brunob

1422 posts in 920 days


posted 524 days ago

Fantastic Gary.

-- Bruce from Central New York

View Max's profile

Max

11235 posts in 1024 days


posted 524 days ago

Gary,

This is just a fantastic project, what a great idea…......

-- Max "Desperado", Salt Lake City, UT

View ben's profile

ben

158 posts in 621 days


posted 524 days ago

Utterly creative combined with fantastic work! Brilliant!

-b

View Bob Babcock's profile

Bob Babcock

1808 posts in 837 days


posted 524 days ago

Very cool….great idea and execution

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

View Bob #2's profile

Bob #2

2663 posts in 772 days


posted 524 days ago

Gary, you’re the Man! That is just fantastic! I looked at the wad of dowels and thought impossible. You solution is inspiring . I also like how you were able to mill the segmented rings. That’s real “outside the box” kind of thinking.

Great stuff.

Bob

-- A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9429 posts in 739 days


posted 524 days ago

Thank you all for your comments. I take my inspiration from all you guys and gals.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Les Hastings's profile

Les Hastings

866 posts in 524 days


posted 524 days ago

That’s using your head!! Great idea,,,,,,,,,Nice work!!

-- Les, Wichita, Ks. (I'd rather be covered in saw dust!)

View Don's profile

Don

2588 posts in 928 days


posted 524 days ago

Incredible, Gary. This one has my vote for sure!

-- CanuckDon "I just love small wooden boxes!" http://www.canterburybaptist.org/

View RobG's profile

RobG

71 posts in 573 days


posted 524 days ago

WOW!!

-- Woodworking is Life. Anything before or after is just waiting.--S. McQueen sort of

View toyguy's profile

toyguy

612 posts in 588 days


posted 524 days ago

A tip of the Hat to you Garry. Nice build, and I love the dowl making idea.

-- Brian's Table Top Toys http://home.mountaincable.net/~bgraham/

View Karson's profile

Karson

21154 posts in 1151 days


posted 524 days ago

Gary Nice birdcage. A great job.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View lazyfiremaninTN's profile

lazyfiremaninTN

527 posts in 704 days


posted 524 days ago

Amazing !

-- Adrian ..... The 11th Commandment...."Thou Shalt Not Buy A Wobble Dado"

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9429 posts in 739 days


posted 523 days ago

Praki – The only software I use is AutoCAD. I use that just to lay things out, and check my lumber usage.

Also how big to make the segments for the round parts.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Sawdust2's profile

Sawdust2

1070 posts in 838 days


posted 523 days ago

I wondered what I could make out of a 2×4 for the contest.
After seeing this I won’t even try.

One question – Would it be easier, better, quicker, possible, etc. to put the strip on a drill and run it thru the
holes, sort of like making dowels?

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

View Chris 's profile

Chris

1415 posts in 742 days


posted 523 days ago

Another very unique 2×4 project….. Wow!

-- Chris

View Paul's profile

Paul

597 posts in 843 days


posted 523 days ago

How did you know that a bird cage was the second idea I had after an african drum?

just kidding

wonderful idea, design and execution!

-- Paul, Texas

View shaun's profile

shaun

361 posts in 656 days


posted 523 days ago

Oh man Gary! I was just getting ready to sign out and almost missed it. This one goes way beyond creative. Never in a millions years would I have ever looked at a 2×4 and seen a bird cage.

-- I've cut that board three times and it's still too short!

View furnitologist's profile

furnitologist

181 posts in 764 days


posted 523 days ago

Hey Gary….........that is really cool. You need a seperate category – 2×4 sculpture.
At first I saw the bird pole then the bird-heads on the cage, but tweetie purched inside was off-the-hook.

Really enjoyable to view…......Neil

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9429 posts in 739 days


posted 523 days ago

Bob #2 – To cut the segments I used a birds mouth bit. You can see how they are used here:

http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/story.jsp?storyid=/templatedata/wood/story/data/1138238761687.xml

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View RobS's profile

RobS

1191 posts in 1057 days


posted 523 days ago

Wow, That’s one “tweet” cage. Amazing work Gary!

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX

View Douglas Bordner's profile

Douglas Bordner

3314 posts in 814 days


posted 523 days ago

This challenge has been amazing to watch. The sheer creativity has been amazing. And this project is a winner in my book. Excellent work, as always, Gary.

-- "Bordnerizing" perfectly good lumber for over a decade.

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

13433 posts in 911 days


posted 523 days ago

dang!!!!! awesome

-- "Functional WoodArt" by Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

View Jeff's profile

Jeff

988 posts in 844 days


posted 523 days ago

Amazing creativity Gary. Thanks for the details on how you did it.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

View Dick, & Barb Cain's profile

Dick, & Barb Cain

6380 posts in 1050 days


posted 523 days ago

WOW!! I like it.

A person could never think of something like this while awake.

That’s quite an accomplishment, & very crafty.

From a fellow “Dreamerjock”, Congratulations.

-- -** You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream ****************** Dick, & Barb Cain, Hibbing, MN. http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/gallery/member.php?uid=3627&protype=1

View Grumpy's profile

Grumpy

12048 posts in 602 days


posted 523 days ago

Tremendous job Gary. I likethe way you made those rods, I will keep that in the memory bank.
PS. I hope thats not a woodpecker in the cage.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9429 posts in 739 days


posted 523 days ago

Grumpy – I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s not a woodpecker. It’s a generic non-woodpecker bird.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View motthunter's profile

motthunter

2075 posts in 550 days


posted 523 days ago

this was amazing work. what great creativity. I thought about making a bird cage as a gift once… but I was afraid to get in trouble for giving the bird!.. Just kidding. Projects like this inspire me to set the bar even higher in my own work.

-- making sawdust....

View Miket's profile

Miket

265 posts in 523 days


posted 523 days ago

This one is just awsome. What did you use to make those bird head parts on the top?

-- It's better to have people think you're stupid rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

View roman's profile

roman

894 posts in 644 days


posted 523 days ago

if that was indeed a 2×4?.............

the word “awesome”, I hear that word everyday and if one looks the definition up, one might not use it as often but that said.

AWESOME!!!!

Nice work GaryK

-- http://www.furnituremann.ca/

View SPalm's profile

SPalm

833 posts in 633 days


posted 523 days ago

Sweet. Man, that is some real execution. I am impressed. I love it.

-- Stevethepeeve -- I'm no rocket surgeon

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9429 posts in 739 days


posted 523 days ago

I forgot to show the bird. This was my first attempt to carve in the round.

Band saw, belt sander, carbide rasp in the drill press, chisels and a dremel tool.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Thos. Angle's profile

Thos. Angle

3949 posts in 713 days


posted 522 days ago

I can’t believe I almost missed this! If that don’t take the cake, I don’t know what will. Good heavens, how do you think of these things? It’s just excellent, Gary.

-- Thos. Angle

View oscar roth's profile

oscar roth

19 posts in 526 days


posted 522 days ago

That is one highly impressive piece of artwork. Great job.

-- Oscar in Missouri

View Patrick Jaromin's profile

Patrick Jaromin

273 posts in 583 days


posted 522 days ago

Really neat look into a very interesting and intricate project that I wouldn’t have had a clue how to tackle. Thanks for a great lesson…I’m sure it’ll come in handy some day. Good luck!

-- Patrick, Chicago, IL http://www.TenonAndSpline.com/blog

View Billp's profile

Billp

233 posts in 950 days


posted 522 days ago

Every time I see a 2×4 I am going to think of your bird cage. Very creative

-- Billp

View snowdog's profile

snowdog

768 posts in 733 days


posted 522 days ago

Wow is right, a 2×4 imagine that :).. literally

-- "so much to learn and so little time"..

View scottb's profile

scottb

3338 posts in 1078 days


posted 522 days ago

The bar has been raised. Great work, so creative.

-- I am always doing what I cannot do yet, in order to learn how to do it. - Pablo Picasso -- http://blanchardcreative.etsy.com -- http://snbcreative.wordpress.com/

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9429 posts in 739 days


posted 522 days ago

Miket – I used a scroll saw to cut the 6 parts on the top of the cage. Thanks for your comment.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View RobS's profile

RobS

1191 posts in 1057 days


posted 522 days ago

That bird is incredi-bill, ha bill, get it? ! I know, it’s bad.. Nice work on all the details.

-- Rob (A) Waxahachie,TX

View Miket's profile

Miket

265 posts in 523 days


posted 520 days ago

Thanks for answering my question Gary. I was curious about that.

Again it’s a great job.

-- It's better to have people think you're stupid rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

View GaryCN's profile

GaryCN

156 posts in 685 days


posted 516 days ago

Very Nice, can we see a closeup of the door

-- Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9429 posts in 739 days


posted 516 days ago

GaryCN – Here you go.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Karson's profile

Karson

21154 posts in 1151 days


posted 511 days ago

Gary Congratulation on the outstanding bird cage. Definitely thinking outside the box. A great creation.

Congratulations on the win.

I hand the winning ribbon over to you.

-- Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9429 posts in 739 days


posted 511 days ago

Thanks Karson. I still remember your summer project! A well deserved win.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Lee A. Jesberger's profile

Lee A. Jesberger

3494 posts in 730 days


posted 511 days ago

Gary;

Very creative, no wonder the idea took a week to come with.

Gary, your workmanship is inspiring to us all.

The photos are very helpful as to the processes you are using.

Great job.

Lee

-- by Lee A. Jesberger http://www.prowoodworkingtips.com http://www.ezee-feed.com

View DAN's profile

DAN

5390 posts in 734 days


posted 511 days ago

a well deserved win .. your workmanship and execution is inspiring

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

View herbr's profile

herbr

135 posts in 819 days


posted 508 days ago

Great job and workmanship!

-- Spread love with our work

View Sawhorse's profile

Sawhorse

278 posts in 1191 days


posted 485 days ago

Beautiful craftmanship, as usual Gary….nice work

-- Sawhorse - Sulphur Springs, TX - www.sawhorseworkshop.com

View BarnOwl's profile

BarnOwl

1 post in 484 days


posted 484 days ago

WOW! Out of 1-2×4. Amazing! I can only imagine what you could do with two 2×4’s. It really shows that having the right tools makes all the difference in the world. Just Beautiful!

View HallTree's profile

HallTree

2043 posts in 518 days


posted 484 days ago

I like it. Where is it going to go.

-- Ron in Osseo, Minnesota

View GaryK's profile

GaryK

9429 posts in 739 days


posted 484 days ago

To the highest bidder. :-)

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

View Bill Butler's profile

Bill Butler

74 posts in 514 days


posted 484 days ago

Ingenious design and execution.

I will definitely make note the the technique for creating the cylinders.

You recently commented on a member’s quest on how to make doors for a quarter round bookcase. You should refer him to this work, as seeing is believing.

Bill.

View Gary Fixler's profile

Gary Fixler

420 posts in 132 days


posted 130 days ago

AH HA! Allow me to post in here 1 year after your last comment. NOW I remember why I knew the name LumberJocks before signing up a few days ago. I was made aware through other sites of this most excellent project back when it was current. That’s why your name has been so familiar to me for days, too, and not just because it’s also my name. That K was so familiar. I’ve been very intrigued for years with the concept of making something entirely out of a single entity, like chairs and tables made entirely from a single sheet of plywood. Great stuff here.

And that’s not all of the parallels. I think I’m inadvertently following your life over here. Same name. I live in So. Cal., desperate to move to somewhere with space so I can build a big shop. 1000sq. ft. would blow my mind. My small garage is so cramped. And now I’m even collecting wood samples. I promise, I’m not copying off of you on purpose, though perhaps I’ll start. You make some amazing things.

-- Gary, Los Angeles, video game animator

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