The most difficult construction task for this project was the aviary front. The front is the finished panel that you will see when you look at the aviary from the outside. The doors are hinged to this piece.

The front was built from select pieces of 1" thick red-oak, purchased from a local lumber company. The pieces were cut to size based on the design I had created earlier (some alterations to the design were made, allowing for a taller baseboard and top board).

Because this piece would be the most highly visible, it needed to be pieced together seamlessly, without screws, nails or other hardware being visible. To connect the boards without the use of such hardware, Tom drilled holes into each board where they would meet and fastened them together by inserting dowel rods and wood glue. In order for this approach to work, the holes would have to be drilled straight, or the dowel rods will not insert properly. A nifty little tool called a Dowel Jig can ensure the holes are drilled correctly, by clamping to the board and guiding the drill. See the diagrams below for an illustrated step-by-step guide (remember, click on any image to view an enlargement):

	1. First, holes were drilled where two boards would be joined. A Dowel Jig ensured the holes were drilled straight.
	2. Next, wood glue was inserted into the holes and placed on the ends of the dowels. Then, the dowels were inserted into the holes and hammered into place.
	3. Finally, the dowels were aligned with the holes in the adjoining piece and the adjoining piece was hammered in until the boards met.
	4. The finished seam.

The front was built mostly in our garage. To begin, Tom created three pieces in the shape of a "T". These pieces would be used in the place where the doors would meet in each third of the aviary. Next, he began connecting pieces to the baseboard, making sure the boards were spaced the correct distance apart. This became tricky, because each piece needed to be connected via dowel rods to both the piece next to it and the baseboard below it. Careful alignment was crucial here. See the step-by-step guide below for details:

	1. First, three T-shaped beams were created.
	2. Next, all pieces were layed out in the garage so that the appropriate positioning could be gaged.
	3. Then the pieces were joined together using the joining method described above.
	4. It was a little tricky to get both the dowels connecting the piece to the bottom and the dowels connecting the piece to its neighbor to align properly.
	5. However, with patience, it could be done.
	6. The top piece of wood could not be attached at this time or the structure would not fit in through our door.

Next, the front was stained (we used Minwax Red Oak to match our living room banister and moldings) and when the stain was dry, it was coated with a Polyurethane finish. Once the finish had dried, it was ready to be installed.

It took three of us (Tom, me, and my brother) to get the front (very heavy front) through the door and aligned with the aviary frame. Once we had it where we wanted it, Tom aligned the top piece (unfortunately, the top piece was not yet stained due to timing issues) and hammered it down into place. The entire front was then screwed into place along all four sides (top, bottom, left, and right). Tom drilled shallow holes slightly larger than the head of the screws so that the screw head would be flush with the aviary front. This was done so that the screw heads would not stick out and interfere with trim that would later be installed over them.

To reinforce some of the joints, Tom installed T-plates on the inside. Finally, the top piece was stained and finished, and the front was done, except for the trim, which would be added at a later time. See the step-by-step guide below.

	1. Tom stains the front with MinWax Red Oak and later adds a Polyurethane finish.
	2. After the front is in position, Tom attaches the top board.
	3. Tom attaches the front to the frame with screws all around the top, bottom and both sides.
	4. Some joints are reinforced with T-plates.
	5. Finally, the top board is stained and finished. It's starting to look like an aviary.

Supplies