soil screener

[Gary McCarthy]

Over the winter months I screened my first bags of soil using the typical small hand held screens. It took me exactly one 40 lb bag to realize that was definitely NOT the way to go. So my second spring project was to make my own larger soil screener. I took advantage of the nice weather here in the northeast today to get that done. I thought it turned out pretty well. It measures 18" x 30" with 1/4", 1/8", 1/16" screens.

 

[Dav4]

Using hand held screens to sift soil builds character!!

...but I like yours better.

 

[PiñonJ]

Over the winter months I screened my first bags of soil using the typical small hand held screens. It took me exactly one 40 lb bag to realize that was definitely NOT the way to go. So my second spring project was to make my own larger soil screener. I took advantage of the nice weather here in the northeast today to get that done. I thought it turned out pretty well. It measures 18" x 30" with 1/4", 1/8", 1/16" screens.
View attachment 188624View attachment 188625

When I built mine, I used hardware cloth for the 1/4" and window screen for the 1/16" and called it a day (in my dry climate, I don't need to remove the 1/16"). Where did you get the 1/8"? Ordering from a wire mesh company is pretty pricey, since they require a minimum purchase and they deal in much larger quantities.

 

[BonsaiMatt]

Nice job! Might want to add a few drawer handles to each tray for easy lifting and shaking...
I'm also interested in your source for 1/8 screen.

 

[Gary McCarthy]

Where did you get the 1/8"? Ordering from a wire mesh company is pretty pricey, since they require a minimum purchase and they deal in much larger quantities.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071W6D3Z2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Gary McCarthy]

Using hand held screens to sift soil builds character!!

I have more than enough character already

 

[sorce]

Any character I build ends up cussing me out!

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

Over the winter months I screened my first bags of soil using the typical small hand held screens. It took me exactly one 40 lb bag to realize that was definitely NOT the way to go. So my second spring project was to make my own larger soil screener. I took advantage of the nice weather here in the northeast today to get that done. I thought it turned out pretty well. It measures 18" x 30" with 1/4", 1/8", 1/16" screens.
View attachment 188624View attachment 188625

That's awesome!

 

[Wilson]

Excellent work! I should definitely get one built.

 

[theone420]

I liked yours so I built one as well.
Used handles on the top screen to help shake it($1.22 ea. On clearance at HD)
Smaller box on top I already had is 3/8
Next is a tad larger than 1/4
The next is about 3/16
And then screen mesh for the bottom approx 1/16

 

[Gary McCarthy]

I liked yours so I built one as well.
Used handles on the top screen to help shake it($1.22 ea. On clearance at HD)
Smaller box on top I already had is 3/8
Next is a tad larger than 1/4
The next is about 3/16
And then screen mesh for the bottom approx 1/16
View attachment 193849View attachment 193850View attachment 193851View attachment 193852

NICE!!!

 

[theone420]

NICE!!!

yeah and for less than $40 and i have a ton of screen left I was thinking of selling a kit with plans and the screen (maybe even pre-cut/drilled wood) on the face book auction site so people can build there own with.

 

[Gary McCarthy]

For those of you that have a similar type sifter to what I built, what did you use for your 1/16" screen? I used window screen and I'm not finding it very sturdy. Is there a thicker type of wire screening that will hold up better when there's the weight of the soil on top of it?

Thanks.

 

[arreaux]

For those of you that have a similar type sifter to what I built, what did you use for your 1/16" screen? I used window screen and I'm not finding it very sturdy. Is there a thicker type of wire screening that will hold up better when there's the weight of the soil on top of it?

Thanks.

Might try putting a layer of the heavier mesh under the 1/16 mesh to help hold it up under the soil weight.?

 

[mwbonsai]

For those of you that have a similar type sifter to what I built, what did you use for your 1/16" screen? I used window screen and I'm not finding it very sturdy. Is there a thicker type of wire screening that will hold up better when there's the weight of the soil on top of it?

Hi Gary,

Thanks for the inspiration -- I just built a soil sifter modeled off of this post and others. I ordered my 1/16 galvanized steel wire cloth screen here:

McMaster-Carr

McMaster-Carr is the complete source for your plant with over 595,000 products. 98% of products ordered ship from stock and deliver same or next day.

www.mcmaster.com

Specifically, I ordered the 12 Mesh, which has an opening size very close to 1/16: https://www.mcmaster.com/9220T88

I built my box interiors to 18x24" due to the mesh sizes available above. I had looked at bwire.com and brown-campbell.com which carry a similar mesh, but it was going to be significantly more to get a custom cut of 18x30". The 1/16" mesh is fairly rigid, but I still used a crossbar on my 18x24 sifter for that and the 1/8" layer so that it will help support weight with a lot of soil. The 1/4" layer was so rigid it didn't need a crossbar, but I should have probably just ordered standard hardware cloth for that, as the larger sizes of wire mesh are somewhat difficult to work with (needed some strong wire cutters on the 3 mesh).

A few other modifications I made to your design were using some latches I found on Amazon to keep the layers connected and a hanging bike rack I found at Home Depot to act as the handles. I didn't plan ahead and the wheels ended up bumping into the handles, so anyone else who uses this idea should double-check that (I was able to cut some notches in the 2x4s at the bottom). Measuring out the latch positions to be the same on each box will allow you to remove the middle layer if desired. Putting the small hooks on the top box will help the latches lay down when disconnected, and be out of the way for smoother storage and connections. Using 3/4" self-drilling screws to attach the latches helped a lot. I ordered the 3" caster wheels from Amazon -- they have a lot of different options.

I also chose to encase the wire inside of the boxes as the stuff I ordered could cut really easily. I used some 1x2" wood. I don't like the loss of sifting area, but I do like not having huge metal cuts on my fingers (wear gloves when working with that wire mesh!). I'll probably add additional rails to the bottom of the 1/16" box to fully encase the wire mesh and avoid injury. The 7" height of each sifter is only because I had a lot of extra wood in that size laying around -- I wish they were each a couple inches shorter.

 

[Gary McCarthy]

NICE!!!

 

[Vance Wood]

Beautiful bit of craftsmanship. Makes me want to make one.

 

[eryk2kartman]

Sweet, all of them are really nice,
I was planning to build something similar based on Mirai one i know i know but in fairness this kinda a build is great idea.
However in Ireland i found extremaly difficult to locate mesh screen, maybe some knows where i can get it online ?

 

[RJG2]

They all just need a scrap motor with an off center weight attached!

 

[leatherback]

However in Ireland i found extremaly difficult to locate mesh screen, maybe some knows where i can get it online ?

Amazon.co.uk : metal mesh sheet

TIMESETL 3pcs Stainless Steel Woven Wire Mesh Rodent Proof Metal Mesh Sheet 1.94mm Hole Great For Airbricks - A4 (210 x 300mm) : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

TIMESETL 3pcs Stainless Steel Woven Wire Mesh Rodent Proof Metal Mesh Sheet 1.94mm Hole Great For Airbricks - A4 (210 x 300mm) : Amazon.co.uk: DIY & Tools

www.amazon.co.uk

Suregreen Galvanised Welded Wire Mesh Panels | 19 Gauge | 2 Pack | 0.91m x 0.60m | 6mm Holes : Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry & Science

Great prices on your favourite Gardening brands, and free delivery on eligible orders.

www.amazon.co.uk