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I started construction of my large cage for my Yellow Crowned Bishop Weavers today. It took me the entire day to build the front. To be fair, I could have been more methodical and built each frame first before moving onto the other parts but I need instant gratification so I just did what I felt like.

I stuck to my plan for the most part. That means less waste.
[plan pics to come]

The dimensions of the cage are 60” x 30” 36” (LxWxH). Originally I was going with 36” width but that would be a little too wide unless I was building an aviary.

So here we go:

The tools:
Table saw
Cordless drill
Corded drill
Dremel (with metal cutting disc)
Staple gun
Screw drivers
Clamping squares
Tin snips
Carpenter’s glue

I saved a little bit of money by buying wide 1”x10”x6’ planks that I ripped with the table saw into strips of 2”, rather than buying them already in 2” widths. I saved about $15 this way.


I started by assembling the front frame. I screwed together two (2) 2”x46” strips horizontally across the top and bottom of two (2) vertical 2”x44” strips. After drilled the pilot holes, I added carpenter’s glue before screwing.


I kept the strips square by using clamping squares. I while ago I bought these for some unknown reason and I have to tell you they have been invaluable for many DIY projects I’ve done; and I’m not even that handy!


And this is the outside of the frame.


I then attached a third horizontal 2”x44” strip 6 inches from the bottom strip to frame the space for the pull-out tray. This was also 36” from the top strip to form the frame for the cage area. I cut two small 6” pieces of lumber to act as spacers. This ensured I kept my spacing consistent. I still verified the space with a measuring tape before screwing and gluing to be sure.


I then added two (2) strips of 1”x46”, horizontally to the middle of the cage frame. These are the support for the doors. They were installed 11” down from the top strip and 11” up from the middle strip. I cut two spacers to maintain consistent spacing.


I then added two (2) 2”x8” strips between the door supports to form spacers for three doors.

And here is the completed inside frame.

Once this was all put together, I stapled ¾” wire mesh to the frame. I chose to put the mesh on now because I wanted all the squares on the panel to line up with the squares on the doors. This will make more sense when I describe building the doors. I stapled the mesh across the entire frame, even the parts I would be cutting out (except for the tray area). One of the key reasons I chose a 36” cage height is that the mesh comes in 36” widths.


I stapled the mesh using 9/16” round staples. This let me move the mesh around to make sure it was even. After stapling each area and making sure the mesh was straight, I used a hammer to punch the staples down and hold the mesh.

I then built the doors.
I measured the length between each door space. Nothing is exact so I had two door spaces that were 17-3/4” and one space that was 18”. No problem. I cut a pair of 1”x18” strips and two pairs of 1”x17-3/4” strips for the top and bottom door frames. Again, since nothing is exact, the height of the door spaces was 8-1/4” so I cut three pairs of 1”x8” strips for the side door frames. Since the door frames were easier to keep straight, I didn’t use the corner clamps. Instead, I just lined them up and added a staple.


Then I added a dot of glue to the door frames before screwing.


I cut a long piece of piano hinge using my Dremel with a metal cutting disc. I cut two (2) 17-3/4” lengths and one (1) 18” length for the three doors. I screwed these to the tops of each door.



Now, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, I stapled mesh across the entire frame before adding the doors because I wanted the mesh to line up. Well, now I add the doors to the frame and screwed on the piano hinges to the frame. Then I stapled each door to the mesh and cut the mesh around the doors. This means everything is lined up!


First door


Second door


Third door


That is all I could do this weekend. I’ll update as I progress.

Thanks for looking!

mike

Awesome Job! I wish you were closer to me! I'd have you building a flight for my patio! lol

Nice professional job, looking forward to the finished pics. R

Looking good!

looking good!

Thanks for all the comments!

I've added the plan pics so you can check to see if I really followed them ;)

Front


Sides

mike
Great job, Mike! I especially LOVE that you lined up the mesh so that it was consistent on the doors . I am so OCD, so things like that make me especially happy . Cant wait to see the finished product...

After doing some more reading, I think my mesh size is too big (3/4" x 3/4"). It looked small enough in the store and on the panel but people seem to recommend 1/2" x 1/2". I think I might have to replace it.

Ginene ROFL! OCD, Not these finchaholics! LOL

@mike oh bummer, it is looking great! nice work!

mike
UGH!!! That stinks...but better to be safe than sorry.

ROFL! OCD, Not these finchaholics! LOL

LOL!!! What can I say, Jennie...I have a large array of self diagnoses...OCD is by far my favorite . Probably because its the one that keeps me functioning .

so when can you come to my house to build one for me? just kidding. I can't wait to see the end results. looks great so far. -tammy

Tammy
Be honest Tammy...you're not kidding . Besides, if Mike flies in from Canada to build one for you, he can stop by my house and build one for me too! I bet there's BIG money to be made in building custom flights and aviaries. Unfortunately, I do not have Big Money, so Mike would do better with another client . Lol! God, what I would do for a guy wearing a full tool belt, and knows how to use it! Oh well...a woman can dream