The Wee Workshop: Useless scrap (?) becomes cedar condos

After spotting trash cedar on a nearby boulevard that was destined for a landfill site, I quickly stopped, scooped it up, and had a project in mind before the trunk of my car closed on my new-found treasure.

My Scottish nature spoke to me as well: You'll make a fortune, Gorrrdie!

My impulsive side spoke up: Make a one of a kind 12-plex for swallows.

My practical side won out by the time I arrived home.

The project: J.R. Davidson birdhouses, circa 1946

I have the tools and hardware I need for many small projects in my wee shop (i.e., table saw, chop saw, sander, drill, Dremel tool, nails and screws) and the scrap was soon turned into several small blocks of wood that would become the sides of sturdy, modern-looking bird condos.


Twelve pieces (1” x 2” x 5”), a roof (approx. 8” x 8”) and floor (approx. 4” x 4”) are needed per condo, so it doesn’t take much scrap to make shelter for a family of small birds.


I have to be careful where I place the 3” screws that hold the layers together; I wouldn’t want to hit one while drilling the 1” doorway.


I’m careful to hang onto small bits of wood to use as trim.


Even bits of driftwood from the north shore of Lake Erie seem at home as a perch.


Double-boiled linseed oil, with a half-teaspoon of maple stain added, makes a suitable, long-lasting finish.

Think before you throw out the trash.

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The original J.R.’s were made of teak blocks, with an aluminum roof. They’d last for 100 years.

Mine will last for 50 and be here on earth long after I’m gone.

“One man’s trash...”

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