Custom Birdhouses
The Birdhouse~O~Matic creates customized 3D-printable birdhouses. They are designed to be easy to print, requiring only 3 pieces, and extremely easy to assemble with sliding dovetails and a simple snap latch. Disassembly is also simple, just by reaching in through the hole to release the snap latch so you can slide the roof off. The standard sizes are designed to accommodate a wide range of common birds, while also accommodating common sizes of 3D printers. Only the XX-Large size requires a large-format printer such as the Bambu Labs H2D. The Custom size will let you adjust all of the dimensions if desired.
Above you should see an interactive 3D display showing the generated birdhouse, with an adjacent parameters panel showing the parameters you can customize. If you don’t see the display, try clearing your browser’s cache for this website and reloading the page. If that doesn’t work, it’s possible that your browser is not compatible so a different browser may work better. This page is compatible with most modern browsers.
Viewer Modes
You can click the fullscreen button on the toolbar at the upper right of the 3D model viewer, to hide these instructions and maximize the model viewer and parameters. The buttons on the left of the toolbar will let you see cross-section and wireframe views of the model.
File Download
Once your birdhouse is configured as desired, press the Download button on the toolbar to open a dialog for downloading a geometry file. You can download either STL (best for 3D printing) or STEP (best for importing into CAD programs). The 3D viewer shows a lower-precision view of the geometry for faster updates, and generates a higher-precision rendering for saving a file.
Mounting
The default settings generate holes in the back that make it easy to attach with screws to a wall or wooden post.The default horizontal hole spacing will work for 40mm M6 U-bolts, which are commonly available. You can adjust the hole spacing for other kinds of posts or U-bolt mounting. It also has also holes near the top corners of the back side for hanging with a cord or wire, which is meant for hanging against a wall or post but not completely free-swinging.
3D Printing Tips
Filament
ASA filament is strongly preferred for UV resistance, and is essential if the birdhouse will be exposed to direct sunlight. PETG has some UV resistance but will not last as long outdoors and should be kept out of direct sun. Regardless of the filament, it’s best to place birdhouses out of direct sun when possible.
For printing in ASA, a heated enclosure is necessary to prevent excessive warping. It will still work if the model warps a little, and you can increase the Dovetail Gap setting (under Adjustments) in order to get a looser fit that will tolerate more distortion of the parts. But ideally the print chamber should be around 60C for ASA filament. I have had good results with a Bambu Labs P1S printer, which has a non-heated enclosure, by wrapping the printer in a thin blanket – making sure not to cover the electronics cooling vents on the back. I preheat the chamber by first homing the axes to raise the print bed up near the top, then manually setting the printbed temperature to 100C and leaving it for about an hour. I monitor the chamber temperature with a digital thermometer and I’m able to get it up around 50C that way, and it comes up to around 60C after it starts printing. I still get some warpage and lifting around the corners when printing, but it’s not enough to prevent the birdhouse from being assembled and is not really noticeable in service. My H2D printer works better, with its heated enclosure automatically kept at 60C when printing ASA.
Print Settings
Default print settings seem to work reasonably well for this model. I’ve had good results by reducing the infill to 10%, which saves material and should also make the walls a bit more insulated to help reduce temperature extremes inside.
Questions? Comments? Bugs? Requests?
Feel free to contact us if you like. Of course we won’t satisfy every request, but we promise to listen. If you want to share the exact settings you’re using, use the copy button at the bottom of the parameters panel to copy your parameters to your clipboard, then paste them into an email. Or if you prefer, you can use the save button to save them to a file that you can attach.