A Pigeon House
By Robert Baker
Pigeon houses need not be eyesores, as is often the case, but may be made to harmonize with the surroundings, adding beauty to a dull spot, and even making the grounds of a home more attractive. The house described will accommodate 20 pigeons, and additional stories of the same type may be added to provide for more. Nearly all of the wood necessary may be obtained from boxes, and the other materials are also readily available at small cost. The construction is such that a boy handy with ordinary carpentry tools may undertake it successfully.
The house is constructed in general on principles used in buildings, having a framed gable roof, rough-boarded and shingled. The interior arrangement is original, being based on the Indian swastika or good-luck sign. While the construction is simple, it must be carried out systematically. The process outlined also follows in general the typical methods in building construction.
The foundation need not be considered, since the house rests upon a post, and the construction thus begins with the lower story. The floor and the ceiling are similar in construction, as shown in [Fig. 1]. In framing them into the lower story, as may be observed in [Fig. 8], the cleats are placed below on the floor and above in the ceiling. The construction is identical, however. The cleats are fastened to the boards with screws, although nails, clinched carefully, may be used. The 4-in. hole at the center should be made accurately, so as to fit the shoulder portion at the top of the post, shown in [Fig. 2]. The latter may be cut of a length to suit; about 9 ft. will be found convenient. The notches in the top of the post are to fit the ridge pole and center rafters of the roof frame, as shown in [Fig. 10]. They should not be made until the house is ready for the roof boards.
The pieces for the compartments, as arranged on the floor in [Fig. 3], are made next. [Figs. 4 and 5] show the detailed sizes of these pieces, of which four each must be made. The sizes shown must be followed exactly, as they are designed to give the proper space for entrances and to fit around the 4-in. square hole, through which the post is to fit. The pieces marked A, B, and C, in Figs. 4 and 5, correspond to those similarly marked in Fig. 3.
The pieces are nailed together to form the swastika in the following manner:
Mark the pieces A, B, and C, as shown. Measure 4 in. from one end of each piece marked A, and square a pencil line across, 4 in. from the end. Arrange the pieces in pairs. Place one end of one piece against the side of the other piece in the pair, so that the pencil line is even with the end, permitting the 4-in. portion to project. Nail both pairs in this position. Then fit the two parts together to form a 4-in. square in the center, as shown in [Fig. 3].
Fit the pieces C to the pieces B at an angle, as shown in [Fig. 3], trimming off the projecting corners where the pieces are joined. Nail them together, and they are ready to be fixed to the end of the pieces A, already nailed. By nailing the joined pieces B and C to the end of the pieces A, as shown in Fig. 3, the swastika is completed. Fix it into place, with the center hole exactly over the square hole in the floor, by means of nails or screws driven through the floor.
Two small strips must now be nailed to the floor at each side of the swastika. They should be exactly 4¹⁄₂ in. long, and are to hold the slides, [Fig. 9], which shut off the various compartments. The slides are shown hanging by chains in the headpiece of this article, and are shown in place in [Fig. 8].