Oak Cage Comments

The second flight cage I built was made for the weaned babies to be located in our living room in front of the fireplace. We wanted something attractive. After looking through some cage catalogues, I formulated a design concept in my head, put it to paper, purchased some 3/4" thick oak board and started cutting. I have learned over the years that these little guys cannot eat through oak, not even our Amazon. I still had a bunch of aluminum hardware cloth left over from my first project that I applied to this cage. With a radial saw, I cut a groove into the framework for insertion of the hardware cloth. I also cut strips of oak to insert into the groove to wedge the hardware cloth in place and minimize the gap into which food and other debris could become trapped. I made a removable (ie., pull out) tray and a screen at the base of the cage. Also, the top is removable. Since this structure is somewhat heavy, having a removable top and a removable bottom tray and screen makes for easier cleaning. All the wood on this project was given several coats of polyurethane for rot protection and easier cleaning. We have not really had it in use too long, but the little guys love it. Also, it will just fit into our minivan should we want to take our birds on the road to an exhibition or fair. This is a project for the more experienced woodworker.

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