I decided to challenge myself by making a laser cut bird house with interlocking slots. The first step was to design the different panels in Beam Studio and came up with the measurements:

• I’m using 12” x 12” x 0.1" plywood
• Sides: 4” x 4” with 0.5” x 0.105” slots
  • Bottom slot of 1.75” x 0.105” on each end
• Front and Back: 4” x 4” square plus top triangle with a base of 4” and height of 2” with 0.5” x 0.105” slots
  • Bottom slot of 1.75” x 0.105” on each end
• Roof: 4.5” x 4.5” with 0.5” x 0.105” slots
• Bottom: 4” x 4” with 0.5” x 0.105” slots in the middle of each side
• Note: the width of the slot is dependent on the width of the wood

You can customize the front piece to have any size entryway you would like. I also put a circle so I could attach a wooden dowel to act as a perch for the bird house. If you are looking for a bigger bird house, you can customize the dimensions to your liking.

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Once I designed all the pieces, I sent the cut to the Flux HEXA laser cutter. When it finished cutting, I set out all of the pieces to make sure the alignment was okay.

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The next step was to hot glue the pieces for extra support. I started off just gluing three pieces to make sure it was oriented correctly. Then I added the two other sides to complete the box. I glued the two roof pieces together separate from the box to make sure it is set correctly.

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Before I glue the roof on to the box, I grabbed my wooden dowel and sawed it to the length I wanted. I carved the one end of the wooden dowel to be slightly smaller so it would fit in the designated spot. Once it fit, I added some glue to make sure it wouldn’t move and then glued the roof onto the box. Now you have a complete bird house!

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