Mason Jar Hummingbird Feeder

Invite lots of hummingbirds with this simple, beautiful DIY hummingbird feeder.

Supplies

Supplies:

Regular mouth mason jar

1 Quart chicken waterer

7-8 inch piece of plastic or other hard/flat material

Small screw eyes(hole being approximately 1/8 inch)

1/8 in diameter brazing rod

Tools:

Saw (I used a table saw)

Drill and drill bits

3" hole cutter

Sandpaper

Scrap boards

Superglue

Screws

Pencil/Marker

Ruler

A small nail

Art supplies for decorating

Creating a Jig for the Table Saw

You need to create a plate to fit over the chicken waterer. You will want this to be a circle, so you need a way to cut your square plastic into a circle. Using two pieces of scrap wood, create a jig for the table saw by glueing and screwing a long thin piece of wood to a larger flat piece. The long thin piece may be in the way so cut the excess off.

Using the Jig to Saw a Circle

You want the plastic to be able to rotate on the jig, so drill a hole in the middle and nail it on with a thin brad, allowing it to stay in place and spin at the same time. Nail the plastic on the jig so that the edge is just above the saw blade. Slowly raise the blade and rotate the plastic to create a circle with about a half inch larger radius than the base of the chicken waterer. Be careful you aren't hit with any pieces of the plastic that come flying off. (Wear goggles.)

Cutting Out the Inner Hole

Use a 3" hole cutter to drill a hole that is the right size to fit around the neck of the chicken waterer. Lightly sand the cut edges to smooth them.

Creating Holes for the Birds to Drink From

Drill holes 1 1/8" to 1 3/4" from the outside edge of the plastic circle to create 1/8" holes for the birds to drink from. You will want to decorate the holes to look like small flowers with the hole being in the center. Alternatively, I drilled a slightly larger hole and added some replacement flowers.

Adding the Perch for the Birds

Drill three more holes about 1/8" from the outside edge of the plastic. Doing this will allow you to insert three eye-hooks to hold the 1/8" brazing rod which you should bend into a circle.

Assembling and Decorating the Final Product

Slip the plastic cover over the chicken waterer and screw on the mason jar. You are now officially finished. Grab some paint or markers and draw an Instructables robot on the jar, or don't. My dad and I liked this project so much we made a 3 gallon one for when we have a lot of hummingbirds or will be away from our house for a while.