Best wood for bird feeder
What is good for outdoor garden furniture is indeed good for bird feeders, so you can expect cedar wood to achieve remarkable results.
Best wood for bird feeders, or indeed bird houses is cedar without a doubt; its easy to work with, while cut into thinner strips for a more desirable finish. Cedar has a natural insect repellent yet can withstand drastic climate conditions, thus the bird feeder can be used all year round, but to preserve the feeder is a must.
While general use cedar is going to provide you that natural, yet gentle aromatic smell with its insect repellent application, you can for sure treat or paint cedar with remarkable results.
In fact you can also stain a cedar made bird feeder for the grain to continue to show, but as the feeder holds food for birds, it must be non toxic with no ever lasting fumes or odor.
Cedar wood can be cut and ripped down to bird feeder size strips to build your planned feeder, with a platform style or hanging hopper bird feeder guaranteed to be made in reliable yet beautifully finished cedar.
To buy cedar at your local hardware store is an option, but so to is a local timber merchant. All of which would provide planks of cedar with a smooth planed surface that is ready to use.
For a more rustic, natural bird feeder you can indeed chop up a pallet or two laying around the yard, in which its likely to be made in red oak.
Oak is an option for you to make a bird feeder in, but I would recommend cedar every time, for the reasons outlined below.
Cedar best wood for feeders
Much the same as using cedar wood for bird houses, cedar for bird feeders still applies as its use for exterior applications is second to none.
Cedar is a wood that is developed for outdoor uses; including for use as decking, railings, flower baskets and garden furniture.
Why that is because cedar doesn't decay like other, more fragile exterior wood.
Cedar can withstand cold, damp conditions all the way to humid climates. Fantastic then because your made in cedar bird feeder is going to take some punishment with wear and tear, and so to an ever changing bird feeder interior climate.
Regardless, expect a quality supplier to offer you planks of cedar that will resist bacterial and fungal growth - of which is a certain possibility as the wood is always within contact with bird food... unfortunately quite often allowed to rot and decay.
Other than that, cedar is not the kind of wood to warp or bend in change of weather, thanks to pockets of air in the grain that can counter drastic changes in temperature.
Best wood for bird feeders of any kind, providing its cleaned out, maintained and preserved once in a while, is cedar at all times.
Need to treat Cedar
To make a bird feeder in the platform feeder type or indeed a seed or peanut feeder that must hang - an untreated cedar wood feeder can be used.
In doing so understand with use of an oil treatment, preserve or even a paint finish, can and will see your bird feeder weather over time.
Now that is not a bad thing as the feeder becomes weathered it can blend in nicely to your current weathered outdoor decor, so if you don't keep things in brand new condition, preserving the cedar is not necessary.
However, to keep the cedar bird feeder in optimum condition you will need to use an exterior grade preserve.
This preserve will be sold as outdoor or garden furniture preserve that is designed to be brushed deep into the cedar grain, of which the cedar will take it on beautifully.
paint finish pallet options can be considered too at least help the bird feeder blend in with the decor of your yard, but more so the bird feeder won't stand out in an unsightly way.
Treating a bird feeder made in cedar would need to be preserved on the outside, but only treat the interior that is up against the bird food if you can be sure the preserve in use is non toxic - and doesn't rub off under ever changing climate conditions.
Red Oak is an option
General use oak is the wood to go for with all outdoor projects, so you'll be in good hands when building your oak bird feeder if you decide to not go for cedar.
And while general use red oak is going to provide you that natural, yet hard wearing exterior application, its a second option if the supply of cedar is short, even though I must say I prefer cedar myself.
Not a problem to continue to use general use red oak in plank form though, as the red oak finish can be achieved with a coat of tinted preserve.
Its not a noticeable red finish, so a color preserve or treatment must still be considered.
With red oak, that change of color is going to give you that much needed bird seeking color, that is sure to grab the attention of passing birds. Its therefore possible to get color in your bird feeder, without the complication of choosing the correct paint or preserve.
Idea for you to consider when choosing red oak over cedar, is that red oak is built for pallets and similar items, thus it may be possible to build a more rustic bird feeder.
To summarize
Best wood for bird feeders to be made in is cedar all the way, its constructed in such a way that it can indeed be used for all outdoor bird products, including bird houses.
It comes in plank form so you'll be building the feeder depending on the width its bought in, or indeed if you decide to rip the cedar into narrower strips to create a more desirable finish.
Cedar wood can withstand all climates, wherever you may be in the world, with changes of climate throughout the year having little effect on the cedar made wooden bird feeder.
It must be strongly considered to treat the cedar bird feeder in preserve or a paint with wood treatment including, to at least avoid the natural weathering effect that is inevitable with outdoor wooden decor.
Indeed outdoor garden furniture is mostly built in cedar, so you can simply use all paint, preserves and applications needed to keep them in ship-shape condition.
As the cedar made bird feeder will be in contact with bird food, you'll always have to make sure the preserve or paint is both non toxic with no fumes or strong odor.
Other than cedar the next option, but not necessary the best wood for bird feeders is red oak, its often more rustic but does hold well for outdoor use.
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