An Easy DIY Project... PVC Birdhouse for Wrens

If having even a casual appreciation of birds, you will likely find a great deal of enjoyment having nesting Wrens nearby. Their unique song brings a special vibrance to any yard or garden, throughout the spring and summer.

So in the spirit of community, enjoying nature, and promoting the satisfaction of an easy do-it-yourself (DIY) project, we are freely sharing the drawings and details, developed by CAD Graphics using Onshape, for how to build a simple PVC Birdhouse for Wrens. The items needed can be found in most hardware stores and only require a few basic tools to create and assemble. 

You will likely find that this DIY birdhouse is easy to build, requires little-to-no maintenance, and is easy to clean and store for the following year!

The migration of the common House Wren of North America extends from the far south in winter, to the north in summer. Therefore, having a comfortable and secure nesting site prepared and hanging by spring, at a height of @ 7 or 8 feet off the ground, will help in drawing Wrens to stay throughout the warmer months. So enjoy this easy DIY project, and any Wrens that happen to choose your birdhouse as their home, as they or their offspring return year after year!   

New Free Fusion 360 Subscription Types

Autodesk recently announced their Fusion 360 Hobbyist/Startup subscription has been replaced with Fusion 360 for personal use and Fusion 360 for startups . While both new subscriptions remain free, the details for eligibility and qualification have been clarified and should be encouraging to any who might be looking to tap into a this well-established yet burgeoning product.

Of course, eligibility for Fusion 360 for personal use includes any individuals doing home-based non-commercial manufacturing and fabrication, but eligibility might be especially interesting to those who engage in a “Hobby Business”. The qualification details state if you are generating less than $1,000 USD in annual revenue, then you are exempt from the non-commercial requirement. In other words, if you are making less than $1,000 USD a year in your hobby business, then you are eligible to use Fusion 360 for personal use. And if your public-facing web content generates more than $1,000 USD in annual revenue, then Autodesk would love to explore partnership opportunities with you.

Eligibility for Fusion 360 for startups is a bit more predictable, but again with greater clarity of definition. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees, and generating (including parent entities) less than $100,000 UDS in total annual revenue are the basics for eligibility. However it also requires your business to have venture-backed, angel-backed, or bootstrap startup status.

In the six years since its release in November 2012, these interesting adjustments to the Fusion 360 business model foster genuine opportunities for many more to use the product. Both the Fusion 360 for personal use and Fusion 360 for startups are available for a 1-year term, and approval is required for renewal. Also, with the Fusion 360 commercial subscription at $495 / year still being a very reasonable option, the other major CAD platforms should be taking notice.