DIY Bird Feeder - Adorable

courtesy of Erins Creative Energy

What you need: 

• Drill and standard drill bit 

• Plastic (melamine) Bowl and Plate 
• Large carriage bolt (10"x 5/8") or Eye bolt in a similar size

• Three washers that will fit your bolt
• Three nuts that will fit your bolt
• Glue
• If you use a carriage bolt, you will also need some nylon cord

The trickiest part of making the bird feeder is drilling your holes.  Plastic has a tendancy to crack, chip and break.  In order to avoid that, take a block of scrap wood and place it directly under where you are drilling. 

Even with the block of wood, because the bowl and plate isn't perfectly flat, you might have a bit of chipping, but that shouldn't be a problem.  You are just trying to avoid cracking the plate or having a large blow out.

Place a washer on your bolt and then bring your bolt up through the bottom part of your bowl.  It will be very wobbly, so you will need to sandwich the washers around the bowl with glue.  The order goes, washer, glue, bowl, glue, washer.

Then you will take a nut and thread it a few inches down.  Your plate will sit directly on top of this nut.

Place your plate on the nut, then thread another nut so that the plate sits between the two.  Hand tighten them so your plate doesn't move, but not so hard that you crack the plate.

Then place another washer and another nut on your bolt.  This step is only necessary if you used a carriage bolt.  If you found a large eye bolt, your assembly will be in reverse. 

Use the nylon cord to tie a knot around the carriage bolt if using one.