Two-Sided Hopper Feeder

Compared with the one-sided hopper, the carpentry involved in building the two-sided hopper is a bit more complicated. However, it allows the mob to feed from both sides — certainly an advantage from the birds’ point of view.

MATERIALS

Lumber

1"×12" (6’ length)

Supplies

⅛" acrylic (two 6" squares)

Eight 4d nails

Twenty 1½" screws or 6d nails

Wood glue

15-gauge galvanized wire (3’ length)

Continuous hinge (11" length cut into two 5½" lengths) with screws to go with it

Tools

Tape measure

Pencil

Carpenter’s square

Circular saw

Hammer

Screwdriver

Hacksaw

Power drill

⅜" twist drill bit

Driver bit to match screws

Pliers

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TWO-SIDED HOPPER FEEDER. This feeder provides access from two directions – a feature that will have birds flocking to it in no time.

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Cutting the lumber. Refer to the cutting diagram to cut all pieces according to the following key:

Image stops (cut 2)

Image sides (cut 2)

Image spacer bar

Image floor

Image front and back closure strips (cut 2)

Image side closure strips (cut 2)

Image roof (cut 2)

Cut grooves in the sides Image as shown.

Cutting diagram

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Constructing the feeder. Attach the stops Image to the bottom of the grooved sides Image, then connect the sides with the spacer bar Image. Center the assembly on the floor Image, and fasten it both from the top and the underside of the floor. Attach the closure strips Image & Image to the edges of the floor, and slip the acrylic squares down into the side slots.

Mount the hinge to the edges of the roof pieces Image to join them together. Place the hinged roof atop the sides, and nail one side of it in place.

For a hanger, drill down through the ridge of the roof between the hinges and through the spacer bar Image. Insert one end of the wire, and bend it into a hook below the spacer bar to keep it in place. Bend the top of the wire into a hook for hanging. (See fig. 2.)

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FIG. 1

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FIG. 2