Three (low-cost) Composters
(Page 2 of 5)
March/April 1979
By the Mother Earth News staff
If the barrel you've chosen has been. used to hold petroleum products or other substances that could destroy the value of the finished compost, this would be the time to take the drum outdoors and build a blazing fire inside it. The heat will effectively remove any residue that's left in the container.
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Next, take the "door" you've just cut out of the drum and fasten—with either pop rivets or bolts—a 1" strip of thin flat stock or sheet metal to the interior side of its bottom edge (the side opposite the curved part of the hatch). Then attach two more cut-to-length strips of metal to the outside surface of the door, one at either side. To hold the door securely in place, mount a window-sash lock on its rounded edge, and fasten the "catch" part of the lock to the lip at the edge of the barrel.
Now you're ready to make the wooden frame that the barrel rests upon. First, saw the 2" X 4" legs and supports to the dimensions shown in the drawings, cut the indicated angles on the legs and cross braces, and rout out the four half-lap joints as illustrated. Make these joints secure with carriage bolts, and then go on to fasten the lower and upper horizontal supports to the frame's legs and shoulders with lag bolts. To provide a sturdy base and prevent the stand from "rocking", attach the two 1" X 4" cross braces to the legs as indicated.
The rest is easy: Disassemble a set of steel-wheeled roller skates—leaving four separate pairs of wheels—and then mount each pair on the upper horizontal supports so that the drum's two "ribs" can act as tracks and run exactly between the wheels in each pair of skates. (Be sure to position the wheels toward the inside edges of the boards so there is about an inch between the drum and each upper horizontal support ... this will leave enough clearance for the handles, which can be installed in three or four evenly spaced positions around the center circumference of the barrel.)
Finally, drill a couple of 3/4" holes in each end of your drum for air circulation, paint the stand and barrel the color of your choice (remember, a dark color will absorb the sun's heat, which will aid in the composting process), and set the drum in place on the roller-skate wheels. That's all there is to it ... just fill 'er up, and compost away!
CLOVERLEAF TUMBLER
If you need a large-capacity compost maker, whip together this hefty tumbler made from two 55-gallon drums (yes, this is a variation of the design that Joe and Helen Horfmann of Silex, Missouri told us about in MOTHER NO. 48, page 8).
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