How to Make a Wine Cork Bird Feeder
DIY Wine Bottle Cork Bird Feeder Tutorial (With Photos)
Follow this step-by-step tutorial to make an adorable, functional bird feeder out of wine corks from your kitchen drawers or local wine-making store. This stylish bird feeder can be hung outside or inside, and bird visitors to your home and garden are sure to love it!
Materials Needed
- 145 corks
- Hot-melt glue gun
- 3–10 inch glue sticks
- Coping saw
How to Assemble the Wine Cork Bird Feeder
The bird feeder’s base is 9 1/2 x 8 inches.
Step 1: Build the Base of the Bird Feeder
You need 40 corks to build the base of the bird feeder. It is easiest to build this bird feeder on a board the same size as the bottom. The board will also support the feeder when it is full of birdseed.
Make rows like the pattern shown, and use your glue gun to seal the cracks and glue the 40 corks together. I used two rows of 10 corks for the sides and two rows of four for the ends. Fill in the hole with two corks up and two corks across so the birdseed will hold fast onto the feeder when it is windy.
Step 2: Assemble the Railing
You will need 18 corks to assemble the railing. The railing holds the birdseed in and allows the birds to land on the feeder.
- Cut all the corks on the base edge in half and only halfway down into the cork. Then, take the coping saw and cut all the pieces out. This will leave you with an outside edge like an L shape, so the cork railing will fit into this groove snugly. The railing will hold better without cracks, so the birdseed won’t blow away. See the picture.
- Your railing is five corks glued end to end for the sides and four corks glued end to end for the front and back. If these rows of corks don’t fit into each other on the ends, simply cut them with the saw until they do and glue them into the groove you have sawed.
- Glue two corks together and repeat to make six upright posts to support the cork roof. Glue them snugly into the bottom, and glue them to the railing to make them more sturdy to support the cork roof.
DIY Wine Cork Bird Feeder Photo Tutorial
How to Assemble the Roof
You will need 75 corks to assemble the cork roof.
- Glue 10 corks together side to side. Repeat five times to make three rows of corks. Then glue three of these rows together to form one side of the roof and repeat for the other side. See the picture.
- The peak of the roof is five corks glued end to end. Repeat two more times to make the other roof supports.
- Take one of the five cork rows and glue it to one side of the roof at a 45-degree angle. Then do the same for the other side. This will give you a peaked roof. See the picture.
- The five cork roof supports you made get glued near the bottom of each roof panel. See the picture.
- Take your glue gun and put a heavy bead of glue on the top of each roof post support at the base of your bird feeder. Gently lower the roof to these six posts and hold it there until the glue dries.
Tip
You can reinforce all joints with stronger glue, which is what I did so that it’s weather-worthy. Enjoy your new bird feeder!
Birds Will Love This Cork Bird Feeder
Finally, turn the entire bird feeder over and add extra glue to the supports and under the roof overhang. This will make it strong enough for the birds to land and enjoy feeding. Place it in your yard on top of a flat wood surface to fully support the bottom full of seed, and enjoy your new bird friends.
More Fun DIY Cork Projects
- Tutorial: Make a Wine Cork Birdhouse
This wine cork birdhouse can be used indoors or outdoors. This birdhouse adds decoration on an apartment balcony or in a tree at your cottage. Your kids will have a blast with this easy wine cork craft! - How to Make a Recycled Wine Cork Plant Container
DIY garden plant container makes a great spice garden for your kitchen or used in a child’s room to grow a sweet potato vine. The uses for this cork DIY plant container are endless. Fun, it’s an easy craft! - DIY Christmas Crafts: How to Make a Cork Craft Reindeer
Do you have piles of wine corks that savor memories of good cheer from the Christmas fun? So much so that you just can’t part with them? Then this project is for you. Make some Christmas reindeer out of your wine corks and put them out for the holida