He Makes Birdhouses From Boots

He Makes Birdhouses From Boots AG WORLD Ag World The historic Perryvale General Store in rural Alberta is known for a unique product û bird houses made out of boots They re made by Bob Penner whose daughter Rhonda Pederson owns the store
    The 77-year old started making the birdhouses about 8 years ago giving many to family members and friends They were so popular he sold them in the store Unfortunately he recently had to stop making them due to health concerns
     People would give me their old boots and I d make one birdhouse for them and sell the other one Penner says
    To make the boot birdhouses he takes both ends off a tin can cutting a wedge out of both sides of one end so that it could be partially bent inwards and then pushes the can into the toe of the boot
     Putting a can inside holds the leather up and keeps the toe from collapsing he says It s a little tricky to do but it makes more room for the bird s nest I used a small nail on the back of the can to hold it in place
    The top section of the birdhouse is a wood insert with tapered sides and no bottom It slides down into the boot providing strength and rigidity to the boot walls The top edge of the boot is nailed to the wooden insert
Before installing the insert I cut the bird s entry hole in the wooden front with a large wood bit Then I simply used an Exacto knife to cut the leather to match the hole underneath and then put tacks around the edges of the hole to keep the leather from fraying
    Penner has made about 30 boot birdhouses and has sold some of them for $40 each It takes him about 8 hours to make one he points out
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Bob Penner Suite 326 15 Erin Ridge Rd St Albert Alta Canada T8N 0R3 ph 780 459-3494; jrthebad1@shaw ca

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