Plot hole: The whole episode is based on false facts. Cody was getting an A in woodwork and Zack was failing in all his classes the previous year at school (according to their report cards in Ep "Smarter and Smarter"). So Cody knows a lot more about woodwork than Zack and should be able to make a clock, never mind a birdhouse, and Zack should not be able to make a clock.