A compost screen is an effective tool for the gardener who wants to sift their compost to remove any foreign matter that may be in it. The system of the sieve is reminiscent of the typical kitchen utensil and is used in the same way. This is exactly what makes it easy to build the utensil yourself and avoid high acquisition costs. All you need is detailed instructions.
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materials and tools
Before you can start building the compost screen, you need to gather the necessary materials and tools. This allows the project to run smoothly, saving time and freeing up space for other gardening tasks. In itself, a compost sieve is a simple construction that still has to be robust. For this reason, wood is used here, which makes processing much easier, but does not negatively affect durability. The following list will help you to construct a 1,500 mm x 750 mm pass-through screen:
- 1 x roll of aviary wire with a mesh size of 19 mm x 19 mm
- 4 x wooden slats measuring 3,000 mm x 28 mm x 48 mm
- 2 x hinges measuring 101mm x 32mm
- 1 x chain about 150 cm long with 3 mm chain link strength
- enough cramps
- 8 cm long nails
- 42 x 4cm long self-tapping screws
- self-tapping screws to match the hinges and slat thickness
- alternatively screws and wood drills
- Workbench or pad to work on
- cordless screwdriver
- Jigsaw or handsaw
- Hammer
- Bolt cutters or side cutters
- wood file
- shopmessage
- folding rule or measuring tape
- pencil
- gloves
With the chains you have to make sure that they are short-linked and also galvanized in order to withstand the stresses of use. It ensures that you can set up the sieve without it tipping over immediately if you open it too far. You can choose the type of wood you want to use. If the compost sieve is stored outdoors, you should build it yourself from high-quality and weather-resistant wood. Do the same for the screws. Of course, the material mentioned is only a suggestion in relation to the size of the sieve. You can adjust these accordingly.
Build a pass-through sieve yourself: instructions
As soon as you have the material and tools available, you can build the pass-through sieve yourself. It is not necessary to get a second person to help you, but a little help, especially with larger variants, doesn’t hurt. The following instructions go into the necessary steps to realize the project and help you to build an effective pass-through sieve yourself:
- Begin by cutting the timbers for the frame. To do this, use three of the four wooden slats measuring 3,000 mm x 28 mm x 48 mm and cut them in half. Mark the slats directly in the middle using a ruler and split with the saw. Make sure the cut edges are as clean as possible. If necessary, you can smooth these out with a bit of sandpaper if you have some left over. You would then need six pieces of wood measuring 1,500 mm x 28 mm x 48 mm.
- The last of the slats, measuring 3,000mm x 28mm x 48mm, is cut into four sections, which equals 750mm x 28mm x 48mm. These act as the wide side of the frame.
- Now place the frame measuring 1,500 mm x 750 mm. To do this, use two sections with a length of 1,500 mm and two with a length of 750 mm. Join the frame using the nails and hammer one into the wood at each corner to secure the corners. Repeat this process until you have two identical frames available. These work as security against high loads if a lot of soil gets onto the through-hole sieve.
- Position the aviary wire on one of the two frames. Make sure that some of the wire protrudes generously so that it can then be fastened over the staples. The wire should form a continuous surface so the compost screen can sift through the soil. Once the wire is secured, cut the wire from the spool using wire cutters or bolt cutters.
- As a next step, place the second frame on top of the other frame without wire and connect them with the long screws. You will need about eight screws for the wide sides and 13 screws for the long sides.
- You still have two sections with a length of 1,500 mm available. Screw a hinge to one of the ends of each section as these will act as support after assembly. Then fix the hinges on the upper ends of the frame and the compost sieve is ready.
- Last but not least, you need to fix the chain to build the pass-through screen yourself. Divide the chain into two equal parts with the bolt cutters and fix them like a ladder in the middle of the screen. As a result, the utensil stands even more precisely and makes work much easier.
Building a pass-through sieve yourself is not difficult and the different size variants are particularly recommended for the gardener.
Conclusion
The self-construction of a throw-through sieve is not difficult and quite cheap. Since a compost sieve in particular only has a small mesh size and does not have to sift overly heavy soil, you can keep costs and workload low. The effectiveness of the homemade sieve comes in handy when you have a lot of compost to sieve.
