Compost sifter.

This is a compost sifter I built a couple of years ago when we were shifting large amounts of compost.  It will screen a large wheelbarrow loaded to the top in 4 minutes.  The pieces to large to fall thorough the screen are excluded from the compost and automatically dropped into a second wheelbarrow.  When done sifting,  just roll the finished compost to the garden and the unfinished chunks back to the pile.

In the video, it is set up to run a 1/2 inch screen.  I have since built an insert that fits snugly inside the expanded metal and removed the hardware cloth.  It is made from old bicycle rims and hardware cloth.  I mostly run it through the 3/4 inch expanded metal. If I will be making soil blocks or potting soil I use  the 1/4" screen insert.  

This is the only design I have seen that makes it easy to convert from mixer to sifter.

The first part is how it was built.  You can skip to the end of the video to see it in action.  Hope you enjoy.

Nicely done!  Could you build that without the 55 gallon drum bottom piece and if needed add extra wood and plywood?

Now I need a cement mixer......  I've seen bike powered versions but I like how you can tilt yours.  

Mike Jay wrote:Nicely done!  Could you build that without the 55 gallon drum bottom piece and if needed add extra wood and plywood?

Now I need a cement mixer......  I've seen bike powered versions but I like how you can tilt yours.  

You probably could somehow.  Metal drums can usually be found for free.  Check with your local oil company's.  We have one here called Warring Oil.  They have lots of used drums they give away.  

Actually,  now that I think about it, you could probably come up with something with bicycle rims and plywood.