Vote for my Design on Ample Sample

Recycled Carpet Square Bird Feeder Design
copyright Jacqueline Stark 2010

I've entered my bird feeder design to Ample Sample's 2010 contest.

Register with the site so that you can give my design 5 stars!

Leave me a comment and I can send you the instructions on how to make your own.

Make Your Own Bird Feeder

Yep, you! Cause birds gotta eat!

Step by Step Bird Feeder Instructions

Bird Feeder Stencil

Let me know if you see any errors. I'm submitting these to Ample Sample's contest by the 26th.

Ample Sample III: Prototyping

Brown Bird Feeder
Detail

Finally made it to the wood shop to prototype my birdfeeder. First time using the band saw...gotta say I enjoyed the wood shop a lot more than I thought I would. Cannot wait to get back in there. I'm working on formatting my design to enter it into the contest @ Ample Sample. Check back for blue prints you can use and make one yourself!

Supplies:
-Plywood stencil (this is the variable of my prototyping experiments)
-18" carpet square
-Screw nut (size 10-24)
-Round head phillips screws (size 10-24 x 1.25")
-Utility knife
-Band saw
-Tape Measurer
-Pencil
-Protective goggles
-Industrial hole punch (optional, but makes it easier to insert screws and for circular cut outs, see Brown Bird Feeder)

18" Carpet Square
Thank your for the donation Joyce!

4" Plywood Stencil
one of many prototypes



Blue Bird Feeder
Made with 3" arc stencil

The blue bird feeder follows the original design. I found while the shape is closest to the original scale model I did with foam, the hole size is smaller than expected. This model is for small song birds. Sorry ravens and pelicans. The carpet is much less flexiable than the foam but despite its rigidity it is incrediably delicate. The glue/backing of the carpet will fall apart with moderate handling so I had to punch the holes for the screws further from the point than I planned. This is the primary reason for small holes. Other types of carpet my be more plyable/strong and prevent this from happening.

Brown Bird Feeder
Made with 3.5" arc stencil with circular holes

With the 2" arc (which refers to the height of the arc I made on the stencil) there is hardly any space for a bird beak! To improvise, I added circular holes to allow access. This combined method allows for better seed access, however, it's essential that this feeder is under an overhang to prevent this feeder from turning into a planter. Unless this is what you want.

Tan Bird Feeder
Made with 4" arc stencil

I made this one on a whim to just see what a huge hole would look like. It's not practical as a bird feeder but makes an interesting study of the other extreme.

Proposed Bird Feeder Placement
@CCA SF Campus

I'm proposing that these bird feeders are used outside of the SF CCA campus under the sign's protective overhang. I'm a little worried about the high afternoon winds turning these into bird seed fireworks. On second thought, for small hole models this may allow larger birds to get to the seeds. A mini Darwin's finches moment.

Let me know if you have any feedback before I submit my entry!

Ample Sample Pt II: The Bird Feeder

Using recycled carpet samples I designed this bird feeder to be hung outside of CCA's entry. I hope to further develop the model and fix a few design issues and then submit it to the ample sample contest. Any feedback would be appreciated!

I started with an 18" square (here at 1"=2" scale) and cut out curved sections from each of the four sides.
I then fastened the corners together using a screw and washer. The hanging line is piano wire.


As pictured above, bird seed would be in the center pocket and birds could perch on the corner openings and eat the seeds. These can be attatched to eachother to create a tiered effect as well.


Part of this assignment was learning how to draw scaled technical drawings. Here are two of mine.

Scaled Drawing: Section View

Scaled Drawing: Plan View

Problems:

-Heavy birds or loads of bird seed causes the floor of the feeder to sink and this closes the holes. Need to either make alternative holes, wider original ones, or create a support column.

-Large birds may tip seeds out of feeder. For small birds only.

-Need to test with actual carpet to determine optimal seed holding ability.

-No drainage. Must be installed under an over hang to prevent too much water. Otherwise it becomes a bird bath/planter.

Ample Sample

Our newest Space Studio class project is to use old carpet samples to design a functional piece for the CCA entryway, cafe, or gallery space. Check out some past entries on ample sample. It'll be hard to upstage some of these creative entries.

PS paintings and midterm assignments to be posted next week.