Just as we humans enjoy a good bite to eat at our favorite
summer roadside diner, so can the bushy-tailed travelers in
your neck of the woods--if your family opens up one of these
easy-to-build squirrel cafés. It's a great craft for
beginning woodworkers. Once you've constructed it, just stock
up on dried corn on the cob (sold at most garden centers), and
you're in business.
| Prep Time: About 2 to 3 hours | |
| What you need: | |
| 3-foot-long 1- by 3-inch (actual measurement is 3/4- by 2
1/2-inch) pine board
5-foot-long 1- by 4-inch (actual measurement is 3/4- by 3 1/2-inch) pine board 1 pound 5d galvanized box nails One 12d galvanized box nail Indoor/outdoor latex paints, polyurethane, and paintbrushes Ruler and pencil Handsaw Drill with 5/64 twist bit Hammer Dried ear of corn | |
| Seasons: Year round | |
| Materials: saw, wood | |
| Instructions: | |
| 1. | Help your child measure, mark, and label the two boards as shown and then cut out the pieces with a handsaw. As you assemble the café, we recommend predrilling holes before your child nails the pieces together |
| 2. |  Begin with the chairs. For each one, stand a leg (A) on end
and center a seat (B) on top of it so that the two pieces
resemble a T and the backs are flush. Nail through B into A. Now
attach the chair back (C) by centering it along the back of the
A/B assembly with the bottom of A and C flush. Nail through C
into the A/B assembly.
|
| 3. |  Next, make the table. Stand the table leg (D) on end and
center the floor (F) on top of it. Nail through F into D, making
sure the nail goes into the solid part of the leg. Now nail the
12d nail through the center of the tabletop (E). This will be
used to attach the corn to the table once the café's built.
Then flip over E (the spike will be pointing up out of the wood)
and nail it, positioned diagonally, to the top of D. |
| 4. |  To assemble the café, turn the chairs upside down and
facing each other so that they are resting on the very tops of
the seat backs. Have your child turn the floor/table assembly
upside down and set it on top of the chair bottoms so that the
ends of the floor are flush with the backs of the chairs. Nail
the floor to the chair bottoms. |
| 5. | Measure and mark 8 inches up from the bottom of the back
wall (G). Align the bottom of the café floor with this mark
and nail through G into the edge of the adjacent chair and the
floor. Center the angle brace (H) under the floor and against G.
Nail H to the floor and to G. For added stability, drive another
nail through the back of G into the end of H.
|
| 6. |  Finally, drill two nail holes in G, one 1/2 inch down from
the top and another 1/2 inch up from the bottom, to use for
nailing up the feeder.
|
| 7. | To spruce up your café before putting it up, use
indoor/outdoor latex paint to add a tablecloth and seat covers.
For extra durability, once the paint is thoroughly dry, brush on
a top coat of polyurethane. Finally, attach the corn by carefully
pushing the bottom of the ear onto the nail protruding from the
tabletop.
|
© FamilyFun. All rights reserved.
