Modular Bird Nesting box
Print Profile(11)
Description
UPDATE
Added an additional top piece with an entry hole of 35 mm - enjoy!
----
Custom designed birdhouse in a classic functional design customizable to house different types of garden birds.
One of the first things I started looking for when getting a 3D printer, was a nesting box for birds. I was looking for something classic, that would accommodate the smaller garden variety of birds (e.g. great tit, blue tit, crested tit, coal tit, marsh tit, willow tit etc.). Researching the subject (by no means exhaustive) showed various designs and available open-source – everything from very classic designs to more quirky and innovative models. The functional elements I was looking for was:
- a simple classic design
- easy to print with as few pieces as possible.
- easy assembly without using glue or other adhesives.
- waterproof by design (many models include joints that leave cracks for easy water access)
- drain holes in the bottom (water will occasionally get trapped inside)
- simple, robust and easy to level mounting solution
- easy to unmount and clean the nest when vacated for the season.
- various options for the entry hole size
My conclusion was that for me none of the models I was able to find was able to meet all of the listed criteria - therefore I decided to try and design a model that would accommodate those functional feature elements.
The design I have come up with, is by no means, very original but I have kept it as simple as possible.
The modular birdhouse comes in 3 easily assembled pieces – a top, bottom and mounting piece.
Top piece
The modular design comes with a selection of different entry hole sizes currently ranging from 25 – 35 mm depending which birds you want to attract – for now 5 print profiles for the 5 different top pieces have been included – all will fit the selected bottom piece. The 5 sizes are 25 mm, 28 mm, 30 mm, 32 mm and 35 mm – print only one top piece for the hole size you need.
Printing
Prints with slim tree supports that easily brake away – it should be possible to print without but for stability I have included print profiles with support. I suggest printing in PETG for strength and durability. Print profile includes multi-color support for AMS.
Time laps of the print from a Bambu lab P1S
Bottom piece
The bottom piece currently comes in 3 sizes in lengths of 155 mm, 165 mm and 175 mm – all with 5 bottom drain holes. Inside measurements are100x100 mm and the total height of the birdhouse depends on which bottom piece used. All bottom pieces will fit any of the top pieces.
Printing
Prints with slim tree supports that easily brake away - I suggest printing in PETG for strength and durability. Included profile for the bottom piece is single color but customize to multi-color in your preferred slicer program.
Time laps of the print from a Bambu lab P1S
Mounting piece
The mounting solution is based on a well-proven dove tail design, easy to mount the bracket in level and then the nesting box just slide on and locks itself in place. The top piece can then slide over the bottom part and gravity will hold it in place. The design with overlapping walls between the top and bottom part, prevents water from easily leaking inside the nest box and in case it happens it will be able to drain from the bottom through the holes in the bottom piece.
Printing
Print upright with brims and snug support for a cleaner result for the screw holes. Two print files have been included one with a 0.3 mm clearance and one with a 0.2 mm clearance for a tighter fit – it depends on the printer calibration which will get you the best fit a suggestion could be to start with 0.2 clearance.
Time laps of the print from a Bambu lab P1S
----------------
I will be adding more sizes so stay tuned and please share any comments and feedback on the design for future improvements!
Enjoy and happy printing!!
License
