Demonstration

Review: Dan Smith Demo – Sunday 18th October 2026

Hanging Bird Feeder

  • You need three bowl blanks: 1”x8”,1”x6”, 1”x4”. Ash or oak. Planed both sides helps with the gluing, but the flattening can be sorted on the lathe. You also need a Kilner style jar with a lid for which the centre is removable. 
  • Round the 1″x4″ held between centres.
  • Use the indexing to locate six hole centres and drill using a Forstner bit.
  • Use a gouge to remove material from the face to expose the holes.
  • Add a tenon on the headstock side of the piece. Hold in a chuck. Complete the opening up of the holes. Add a shallow chucking mortice. 
  • Reverse the piece and hold in a chuck. Make sure the face is completely flat because it will help the gluing later. Create a recess for the lid. Mark the diameter of the lid. Use a parting tool to create a recess. Test fit as you would a box lid. Don’t go the whole way through. Mark the centre. 
  • Next mount the 1″x6″ held between centres. Round, clean the faces. Create a tenon. Mount in a chuck. Partly round the piece on the chuck side; this will be finished later.
  • Make sure the face is flat for the gluing. Create a gully for the seed to fall into, but being careful to leave the a area for fitting the first piece. 
  • Glue the first piece onto the second piece. Assemble using the tail centre to centre the piece. Set overnight. For the demo, Dan used super glue but wood glue is better. Sand.
  • Hollow out. Open up the core so that the holes are fully open. Create a recess with a shoulder for the lid to fit onto.
  • Drill three equally spaced holes into the face for the chord. Avoid putting the holes where the seed holes are as the chord will get in the way.
  • Reverse the piece and hold in the chuck. Finish the bottom.
  • Next turn the 1″x8″ which has a waste block glued on. Hold between centres. Round. Turn the glue block to a tenon. Drill three equally spaced holes about 3cm from the rim. The face will become the underside of the lid. Turn an undercut slope from the rim towards the centre. Create a recess for the bottom of the jar to slot into. Remove the core to leave just a nub. Remove the tailstock and turn away the nub. Sand.
  • Reverse the piece and hold using the recess. Turn away the glue block. Shape the lid. Sand. Glue in the lid. Finish in oil.

Dan also demonstrated a box with food safe insert and a sheep.