Nesting Houses

• You can make a simple handmade nesting house or a nesting shelf with minimum building skills and attract wild birds to your yard or garden. Cedar is a good choice for any outdoor building project as it contains oil that repels insects and snakes and holds up beautifully in all weather conditions. The simplest nesting house is basically a rectangular box with one easily removable side so you can clean it when the birds have flown the coop, so to speak. You can design your nesting house with an overhanging roof and a place to perch by cutting the top and bottom panels larger than the overall dimensions of the box so the edges will protrude. If your woodworking skills are a little more advanced, you can follow size guidelines and build a nesting house for specific species.
  
  Robins and doves enjoy a nesting shelf, as opposed to a house. For this project, you only need three panels: one longer panel for the back and two shorter panels attached perpendicular to the back panel, one for the shelf and one for the roof. You can add decorative sides if you like, but do not enclose the shelf completely.
  
  

Bird Feeders

• Handmade bird feeders are also simple wood crafts that just about anyone can do. Basic bird feeders include a wood back panel that is the height of the feeder and two panels equal in size to each other, one for the tray and one for the top cover. To make the lip for the tray panel, you'll need three strips of wood: one across the front and two for the sides. You can use 2-inch decorative trim from a home store or cut your own from scrap wood. Attach the top and the base perpendicular to the back panel with wood screws to form a squared "U" shape. Make the tray by attaching wood trim around the bottom panel with wood screws. Nail your feeder to a tree or hang it from a branch with fishing line or a small chain.
  
  

Serving Tray

• Another simple handmade wood craft that requires few building skills is a serving tray. You will only need a 1/2-inch-thick wood panel cut to size for the base of your tray and four pieces of decorative trim to fit around the perimeter. You can miter the corners if you like, but it's easier to have them butt against each other. Cut the side trim to fit the exact dimensions of the side of your panel, but cut the front and back trim pieces long enough to cover the length of your tray plus the thickness of the side trim. Run a bead of wood glue along the edge of the panel and attach the trim perpendicular to the panel and flush with the bottom edge. Finishing nails every 3 inches will hold the trim in place as the glue dries. Attach cabinet door handles to the sides of the tray for easier handling.