How to make your own bridge

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Blue Eternity

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I made a bridge for Noelle's cage a few days ago. She really likes it and it was relatively easy. (I could do it, and I'm a weak young girl haha)

If you're young you may want to ask for help when using the drill and the pliers. safety first!

Excuse my terminology if it's wrong. :] enjoy!

things you'll need
Wood pieces
Washable non-toxic Marker
Thick wire
Eye Hooks
Drill
Wire cutters/Pliers
Sugar free Kool-Aid (optional, for coloring the wood)


where to get these things

Wood : I went to home depot and picked up some kiln-dried pine. Just get the thin pieces. Its around/less than 2 bucks for one long stick, and you can get around 12 five inch pieces from 1 of the long stick things. You'll need 1-2 sticks depending on how long you want the bridge to be. (If you're polite and friendly you might be able to get them to cut it for you for free. They say that the first 2 cuts are free, but I got about 20 cuts and I wasn't charged a thing).
marker : prolly around the house :]
thick wire : home depot has long thick wire. its pretty cheap too.
eye hooks : I got mine at home depot, a pack of 8. they look like circles with a screw on the end, on one continuous piece of wire (like this http://www.curtainsware.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/DSC01728.JPG)
Drill : if you're not lucky enough to have one at home, you can rent/buy them at most home supply stores.
wire cutters : I had mine around the house, but you can buy them at home depot or places like that
Sugar free Kool aid : I got mine at tops. I reccomend the red and purple and orange. its bright!

Lets get started!!

1. get the wood cut.
2. mark the wood pieces with your marker where you want to drill the two holes into them. a little over an inch from the ends of each piece.
3. drill all the holes! careful of your fingers and not to drill into whatever is under the wood if you don't want it drilled.
4. cut your wire about 4 inches longer than all your wood. (so you have like 2 inches overlay on each side. you'll have two pieces of wire, one for each end of the pieces.
5. string the wire through the holes. do BOTH sides one plank at a time (do not do all one side and then try to do all the other side... its annoying and difficult lol)
6. bend the end of the wire into loops on each side (you'll have 4 loops). make sure the wire is tight, you dont want chinnie feet getting stuck in any small slits! and file down/bend any sharp edges back into the wood to get rid of the possibility of your chinnies hurting themselves on the exposed sharp wire.
7. bend the hook and eye circle part open (with the pliers) so its big enough you can slip the loops from the wire on the bridge on.
8. put your eye hooks in the cage where you want to hang the bridge. (between two shelves!)
9. slip the bridge onto the opened eye hooks and close the hooks up with the pliers so its secure and cant fall out.
10. ENJOY! :]

post any questions you have here and i'll be happy to help! You can also make houses this way, just bend it into more of a half circle and set it in the cage. its multi-purpose!

:heart: grace + noelle
 
Fantastic! I've always wondered how to make these! Thank you so much!
 
I want some visual too!! It is a great project to start working on! But it takes alittle imagination to picture the procedure/end product.
Thanks ^^!!
 
Can you explain what you mean by "bend the end of the wire into loops on each side (you'll have 4 loops)"? I don't quite understand what I'm supposed to do here. I'm making a bridge tomorrow and I'm so excited! Thanks for this how-to! Very informative. :)
 
:)

I know this is an old post but could someone explain how to make this and Plz show a pic of what it is supposed to look like as it is quite diffucult to describe when I never saw one!! If anyone knows of a link to a picture of it plz post it!! thanks so much ~ I have been redecorating my chins cages and would love to make this!!
thanks again & have a great day!!
 
Amazing! I've been thinking about making one of these for a while now, and since I just got my girl a big new cage that still needs things in it, plus about 6 feet of left over wood from making her shelfs.. I'll be busy tmw :p

:)

I know this is an old post but could someone explain how to make this and Plz show a pic of what it is supposed to look like as it is quite diffucult to describe when I never saw one!! If anyone knows of a link to a picture of it plz post it!! thanks so much ~ I have been redecorating my chins cages and would love to make this!!
thanks again & have a great day!!

Hi Tish! If I do decide to make it tmw (or sometime this week) I'll post pictures of it completed! I can't make promises though, I've been quite busy making the ledges in her new cage and sawing wood when you have no muscles is hard and tiring.. the peices would probably turn out loop sided and bad, unless I can get my mom to ask her friend down the street to help me with his power saw!

I'll either PM you (if I can figure how how hehe) or just post the pictures here! :)
 
Hi Jess, I would love to see pictures too! I have been wanting to make one of these for a while. I just got two chins and I want them to have plenty of fun cage accessories :)
 
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