Log Cabins of Western Cedar 5.

Red Red Roofs.

Fresh red roof, red perch, red picket fence, red base, red chimney. Stately and rare, in my book.

I think the four log cabins won't stay on the shelf very long, so plans are in the works (and workshop) for another half dozen.

The only difference is the hardware. (I like wing nuts best!)

Toughest part of the job - the picket fence! All those pointy bits are hard to sand smooth.

More to follow in the near future.

Please link to Log Cabins of Western Cedar 4.

Photos GH

Log Cabins of Western Cedar 4.

Two out of Four - Fini!

Two cabins with varnished roofs show off well on a back deck table. Picket fences will keep cats at bay, right?

 Distinctive colours of wood are revealed by the varnish

Brass hardware makes the perch stand out a bit 

I do like wing nuts!

The last two cabins (photo below), with red roofs, are waiting for paint to dry on their own fences. Should be ready just in time for 5PM Happy Hour today.

Last photos to follow.

Please link to Log Cabins of Western Cedar 3.

Photos GH

Log Cabins of Western Cedar 3.

Rustic Roofs.

The rustic western cedar that makes up some birdhouse models is worth a close look, and the roof panels on two cabins reveal lovely colours - especially when varnished. (One more coat to go on, this p.m.)

Trim is still required on four cabins, i.e., roof ridges, roof edge trim, perches, and windows. And how about a picket fence for good measure?

More photos to follow.

Please link to Log Cabins of Western Cedar 2.

Photos GH

Swap Box Scene 4.

Show Me the Door.

For a minute there, I thought the swap box had chicken pox.

Lots of progress yesterday:

 Remember this picture from Day 1? Everything fits.

 I hide the screws.... eventually.

Drip edge is drying, inside the door. What door?

The door, with plexiglass, is underway.

More to follow.

Please link to Swap Box Scene 3.

Photos GH

Log Cabins of Western Cedar 2.

Premium Red.

Western red cedar log cabins, with a hearty dash or red paint, equals stately and rare. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Cabins require roof ridges, picket fences, perches and more. More red.

 Setting the table with red.

And two more are underway.

More to follow.

Please link to Log Cabins of Western Cedar.

Photos GH

Log Cabins of Western Cedar.

Stately and Rare.

My stock of old cedar looks good in many projects but seems most at home in birdhouses.

I am assembling and painting (stately red) a small batch for GOTG2* and hope to have them all decked out by the end of next week.

Included in my efforts will be more progress related to assembling and painting (bright primary colours) a swap box destined for the nation's capital.

Second coats are drying. Front door is up next!

More notes related to progress will follow.

*Gathering on the Green II, Sunday, Aug. 20, 11 - 4 p.m.

Please link to Swap Box Scene 3 as well as Log Cabins (from rescued leftovers)

Photos GH

Swap Box Scene 3.

Early Days.

[Photo: Lots happening in the workshop]

I have enough material stacked up to keep me busy in the shop for the next few weeks. Birdhouses, swap boxes, one LFL (little free library) and a cedar bird feeder.

 First up.... swap box number 1

 First coats of paint brighten up the room

 Face of the swap box, in four pieces, will be painted red this p.m.

While paint dries I will assemble a log cabin or two. Great cedar!!

Once into late-August and September I will concentrate on the last of the LFLs for 2017.

Then, I'll think about sweeping up the place!

Please link to Swap Box Scene 2.

Photos GH

Swap Box Scene 2.

Ready for the Sanding Table.

Though the finished white pine for three swap boxes looks like it is as smooth as can be, the edges require sanding after passing through a table and chop saw.

And, just to make life interesting when I soon set up the sander, I cut stock yesterday for four "stately and rare" log cabins from my healthy supply of old western cedar. Again, the shop smells like the deep woods.

 Busy times, w three swap boxes, four cabins and a LFL* (back corner)

The plans are a little bit fussy.

I call the cabins "stately" because a fair amount of red paint will be involved later in the game, in order to provide an attractive contrast to the dark, rich grains at play in the logs. And "rare", because cabins are a complicated and time-consuming business, so I don't make a batch of them very often.

More to follow.

*LFL = Little Free Library

Please link to Swap Box Scene 1.

Photos GH

Swap Box Scene 1.

One Pile of Pine.

Not only does finished white pine stack up nicely, it is as smooth as can be, and takes two coats of paint nicely.

However, before I get out my paint brushes, there are several tasks to perform, starting with measuring, cutting, sanding and assembling several items that make up a swap box, including a five-sided box, front face, a door with plexiglass, signage.... and more.

Progress to date:

Front door coming up!

Once the front face and door are assembled, the project will start looking more like an actual swap box.

A finished model - Please link to Swap Box Project 3

Photos GH

Busy, Dusty Times 4.

Wanted: Six Wrens (or Chickadees).

Yesterday I finished adding perches to six small houses, along with fish-eye screws and fishing line so they could each hang from a tree branch.

"They're 2-minute birdhouses," I say to clients. "Once you're home, it can be hanging in your yard in two minutes."

Some people are very impressed with my witty observations. : ) Okay, 'few' people are.

Whatever the case, thanks to the lovely western cedar that makes up most of these models (the back is rescued plywood), my shop still smells like the great outdoors, BC-style.

More photos from the workshop:

More to follow.

Please link to Busy, Dusty Times 1.

Photos GH

Busy, Dusty Times 3.

Fresher, No Pressure.

[Photo: New paint matches the bright hop vines in background!]

I am working on some small birdhouses, nice and easy, and while the paint cans were handy recently I added fresh coats to a yellow and green model that - in my opinion - needed a bit of a face lift.

The bird likes it!

I added a bench and wee birdhouse out front as well, to catch your eye. As people look over my birdhouses (at sales, bazaars, etc.), some ask if they can put birdseed on the bench and I reply in the affirmative.

That being said, I suggest that folks try setting up a bird feeder. Once birds locate it, they will return again and again, and soon folks will know which types of birds live in or near their neighbourhood.

Below: This is currently my last log cabin in stock, and I recently felt it needed a picket fence. I think I'll build another few cabins - and add the same features - in preparation for Gathering on the Green II (GOTG2), August 20.

More cabins to follow.

Please link to Busy, Dusty Times 2.

Photos GH

Custom Project - "Play Ball!"

[Photo: Cheerful four-plex is in a sweet spot in Labatt Park]

A well-travelled baseball-themed birdhouse now sits atop a sturdy pole beside a historic clubhouse in one of the finest ballparks in North America.

Fresh paint shows off well in heavily-treed surroundings overlooking the park's concession stand, home of the world's finest hotdogs, says this well-fed birdhouse builder.

 Cheerful face of the two-bedroom unit looks into the trees

High security. Heavy screws attach unit to sturdy pole.

Units are now for rent, especially to local songbirds.

Swallows catch some sun outside the ball park! ("Go inside, guys!")

Two more makes a ball team.

Please link to Birdhouse Repair: Labatt Park Custom Model 7

Photos GH