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John Looser doesn't make houses for big birds, he makes really big bird houses. The largest "condominium birdhouse" so far has been 9 feet across and had 70 bird apartments. Yup, that's 70 pairs, mind you, of birds and their babies. And because of the way he mounts the houses, they look like they've actually been carved out of or built on top of trees. That's quite a monstrous nest. John sets a post 4 feet into the ground, then mounts the birdhouse 8-9 feet in the air with the help of a neighbor kid and a farm tractor. Once on the post, the houses are braced with real branches so that they actually look like a tree. He doesn't use any live trees though, all his wood is reclaimed. He will even custom mount one on an old tree, cut down in your yard.
So you are probably wondering - do the birds move into a house so big? "As soon as I walk away from the house, they start to fly into the birdholes." says John. "It's my popularity with the birds that gets me up in the morning." John Looser was in a car accident 2 years ago and the resulting injury has led to fibromyalgia. "The pain of fibromyalgia has no boundaries. People describe the pain as deep muscular aching, throbbing, shooting, and stabbing. Intense burning may also be present. Quite often, the pain and stiffness are worse in the morning and you may hurt more in muscle groups that are used repetitively."
John's self medication is building birdhouses. He began woodworking around the age of 14. His dad was a carpenter and John learned about building from him. He built houses, decks and additions before his accident. After his accident left him debilitated, John retired from residential construction. He found that another way to express his passion was to build bird houses. Their small size compared to a house makes it manageable for John to continue his love of building. "Building birdhouses helps keep my mind busy so that I don't notice my pain so much," says John. "As long as I can stay busy, I don't feel like my muscles are going to seize up and stop moving." Fibromyalgia has also led to sleeplessness. John gets up early, 6am and works 8 to 10 hours days, every day. Working is his therapy.
Three years ago was when he made his first birdhouse - a small one. He has expanded upon the size since then because "I live in the middle of nowhere, Ontario. I make them big so people will notice them." explains John. I am trying to set the World-Record and I think that I already have. John lives, with 14 birdhouses on his property, at RR3 Brussels in Ontario, Canada. If you are ever in the neighborhood, look for the property with the large birdhouses. It's about 45 minutes from Waterloo, close to Lake Huron.
All his birdhouses are made from reclaimed wood. John traded a large birdhouse for a neighbor's barnwood. He now has enough wood for the next 10 years of building birdhouses - unless he gets ridiculously busy, which he wouldn't complain about! His birdhouse prices start at for a small, 10-inch single-family home and go up to 00 for a 70-unit complex. The nice feature is that the insides are made with plywood and they are removable for easy cleaning. You can even purchase the building plans at his website, ExtremeBirdhouse.com
John's choice has always been to build things differently. His birdhouses include balconies and towers, Victorian styling and bay windows. He loves to watch the birds literally 'flock' to his houses after they are finished. His houses fill mostly with sparrows, swallows and purple martins. He's been working to perfect houses specifically built for Purple Martins by cutting a certain sized half-moon hole for them. This shape and sized-hole discourages other birds and is especially attractive to the Purple Martins, who happen to be quite a popular bird for homeowners to have around. Purple Martins eat many types of flying insects (except for mosquitoes).
John Looser's work has been recognized by the Art Council of Ontario and in April 2008 he will be include in the Art on the Road show.
Here is a list of his Top Ten Tools:
1. DeWalt Miter Saw: His favorite, most useful tool used. He makes thousands of cuts with this.
2. Skil Table Saw: He uses a small one to be able to reach logs for ripping.
3. Porter Cable finish nailer: Used for putting the houses together with a Pro-Air Devilbiss air compressor.
4. Paslode framing nailer: Used more for base with 2x10'.
5. Delta Thickness Planer: He uses this to run old 70-year wood through the planer to give it a newer look.
6. DeWalt cordless tools: sawzall, skillsaw
7. Black and Decker router: Used for making columns and posts, and for rounding off trim.
8. King joiner: Straightens the curves out of boards.
9. Mastercraft drill press: He uses this to make all the dormers, and to drill out holes.
10. DeWalt Skillsaw: Used for cutting barn boards into sections before using, cutting out nail pieces, and to cut steel for roofs.
You can reach John via his website at: www.extremebirdhouse.com
If you're a new woodworker then the chances are good that you've heard the term "biscuit joint" but had visions of grandma baking up a piping hot tray of buttermilk biscuits. You're on the right track if you're thinking "a method for joining two pieces of wood," because that's precisely what a biscuit joint is. Not only that, it's one of the simplest methods of true joinery and a great place for beginning woodworkers to get started with learning the basics.
1) What Is A Biscuit?
A biscuit is a thin, ovular piece of compressed wood - typically birch. They are remarkably strong because they're constructed with a diagonal grain pattern, meaning they're tough along the length and the width. Biscuits are also designed to be porous. Biscuits come in three sizes: the #0, which is 5/8" x 1-3/4"; the #10, which is 3/4" x 2-1/8"; the #20, which is 1" x 2-3/8".
2) How Does The Biscuit Work?
Biscuits are the connecting pieces between the two pieces of wood you're seeking to join - think of them as the dowels in a dowel joint. But in a biscuit joint you're cutting holes in your pieces that are more like trenches, made to accept the biscuit as a toaster accepts a piece of bread. Once you glue your biscuit in it absorbs the water in the glue and expands, making your joints rock solid.
3) What Are The Best Applications For The Biscuit Joint?
There are woodworkers who use biscuit joints whenever possible. Your professionals and extreme hobbyists tend to use them primarily when joining panels, corners, miters, face frames and T-joints. If you're just getting started then be sure to pick a very simple application - try just an edge-to-edge joint and see how it goes for you before you launch into any new projects.
4) Why The Biscuit Joint?
Many woodworkers swear by biscuit joints because they are so much faster than traditional methods for joining wood. Further, it's one of the best joining methods for new woodworkers seeking to go beyond the standard butt joint, or who are tired of their glued joints always breaking on their projects.
5) What are the Required Tools and Accessories?
Biscuit joining requires you to purchase biscuits plus either a biscuit joiner (they're also called plate joiners) or an appropriate add-on for your router. Typically the biscuit joiner itself is going to give you an easier out-of-the-box experience with less fussing with set up. It will be more expensive though and if you're on a tight budget then look for something that will work with your router. Also you will need a good supply of the wood glue of your choice.
6) Biscuit Joining Tips
Here are a number of tips to help you on your way as you begin using biscuit joints in your projects.
a) Cut each slot 1/32 of an inch deeper than half of the width of your biscuit on both boards. This ensures a clean and even fit for your biscuit.
b) Cut a practice slot in scrap wood before cutting into your working piece. Test your biscuit in the practice slot so that you're sure that your cuts are accurate.
c) Assemble your biscuit joints in a dry run before you glue up. This will help you see if you're missing anything or are misaligned in any way on your project. And you definitely want to know this before you've got the glue out.
d) Biscuit joiners are notoriously bad on dust collection. Empty the dust bag frequently and make sure that you're wearing your face mask and have your dust collection filtration system working over time while cutting the biscuit slots.
e) If you're having trouble picking which size biscuit to use on your project, pick the biggest that fits. When joining you want as much biscuit in your project as possible to ensure a strong joint.
f) If your stock is one inch thick or more you should use two biscuits. This is a general rule of thumb that doesn't apply in all circumstances.
g) If you mess up cutting your slot just add a biscuit, glue it and then trim it to the edge of your board. Then just recut the board in the right place.
h) Your joiner blade can collect just as much gunk as your saw blades. Keep your WD-40 handy for cleaning the blade off and always replace the blade if it starts to burn your wood.
7) What Are You Waiting For? Get In The Shop And Start Joining!
Now you know the basics of biscuit joinery and have an arsenal of tips to help you along on your next project. It's time for you to research and choose your biscuit joiner and start getting what no article in the world can give you - biscuit joining experience. Good luck, have fun, and most of all... BE SAFE!
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