I saw an article on the Internet and thought I'd try out this guy's method of madness. He suggested sinking a 6 inch diameter PVC pipe in the ground and mounting the feeder atop the pipe. The 6" pipe, being smooth and too big around for the critters to hold on to, provides protection from the pesky Squirrels.
I set off to Home Depot, in search of materials to build my project. They did not carry the six inch PVC, but could order it for me. They did carry 4' diameter PVC in 8 foot lengths. They also had some sort of triple walled 4" pipe much like the PVC but not as rigid, for a fraction of the price. I opted for the cheaper version.
I dug a hole about 18" deep and sunk my pipe in the ground. I believe I sawed off a foot or two, so that I could reach the top without a stool. Using 3/4" outdoor plywood, I cut a 24"diameter circle for the feeding platform. The pipe did tend to flex some so I dropped a landscape timber in the pipe to provide more rigidity. I painted the round platform Bright Gloss Orange, and used a Lag bolt to secure the platform to the top of the landscape timber. I left it a bit loose, allowing the platform to swivel. I mounted the top of a Shepherd's Hook on the platform to hold two hanging round feeders and a Suet cage. I mounted two pins sticking up from the opposite side of the platform to mount a larger feeder with a spring loaded perch which drops down, cutting off the seed source, if a large bird lands on the perch.
There's plenty for all.
I was anxious to see how the Squirels would do with the new arrangement, and soon after, I was watching when a Squirrel attempted climbing the pole but to no avail. He kept backing up for a running start and scramble maybe halfway up the pole, only to slide back down. Too funny!
The project was cheap.
$ 7.00 for the pipe
2.97 for the Landscape Timber
15.00 for the Plywood with leftover.
2.00 Hardware
$ 26.97 total
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