"Spider" DIY Compost Sifter | Plum Fabulous! Foods

** UPDATE **
We recently added a new video of our latest version of the DIY Motorized Compost Sifter that has more simple and lighter sifter body frame a more conventional set of legs. This latest version is even more Plum Fabulous! Check it out @ • Video
Last year, we built this "spider" compost sifter and made a simple video showing it in action.
DIY "Spider" Compost Sifter in Action
• DIY "Spider" Compost S...
At the time, we were using the coarse screen (1/2" hardware cloth) and did not go into much detail. The video has been pretty popular and there were some questions. It occurred to us that we should do this follow-up video to show in more detail how it actually works.
We previously got mulch (wood chips) from the county recycling center and used the course screen for the first sifting. We put the sifted material in one compost bin and the leftover course material in a another. We have since added rabbit manure and turned the pile several times. Now that the compost is ready for use, we wanted to sift it a second time with the fine screen (1/4" hardware cloth).
In this video, we setup the spider, demonstrate its use, and sift a wheel barrel full of fine compost for use primarily in making compost tea. Wow, doesn't it work fabulously!
See it on our website at:
Constructing our DIY Motorized Compost Sifter
plumfabulousfoods.com/blog/co...
Be sure to watch the original video at:
• DIY "Spider" Compost S...
And, check out the many pics of our compost operation on the website at: plumfabulousfoods.com/compost...
Also, you can see our fabulous compost bins at: plumfabulousfoods.com/blog/co...
DIY Compost Bins Made From Recycled Pallets
plumfabulousfoods.com/blog/co...

[@crosby3108]

Guys that design is probably one of the best so far very modular

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

That is so kind of you! Thank you.

[@andyjones6361]

Working with sons that respect you is so wonderful. Nothing like it.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

Thank you! Raising children in the country has some of the best lessons.

[@thozamabuda3348]

Nice to see the older brother hands on, assisting and the younger one just observing. Cute😍 Vey nice demo.

[@hobbitreet]

I admire the eloquence of how control adjustments are within the as built design. Your children are fortunate to have a tutor as well as a parent. Kudos.

[@user-ir7ib9qu9s]

郭佳美

[@radiohadi]

I'm currently building a tumbling sifter but I now need to revise my plans. Big wheelie bin - genius!

[@maxinemoanatuwhangai6863]

I'm impressed. Not just by the compost sifter, but also by the sons. It would be difficult to set up and do the job alone.

[@yvonlaborde-lagrave5091]

Dear gardener, who is happy? you, of course!...old people like me (81y) it's not very difficult to move composting if you handle slowly;the chicken ( because worms)....and...the worms! Many thanks from France for your pleasant video which now takes place in my little garden.

[@dutchmanoutdoors7212]

The fact you raise your children around firearms and do your duty to carry, even when doing physical labor on your property… you got a new sub. Other than that, I like that sifter build. Very solid idea

[@Ebugster]

That was a fabulous demonstration!

[@vinagerie427]

Beautiful soil, fabulous team...Nice production of both. Rock yer skills, Boys! :D

[@SWGreenDesert]

The sifted soil looks beautiful

[@johnthomas8969]

That things pretty dope! I’ve been wanting to build a shaker table and couldn’t figure out how to do the “shake” without machining parts hahaha. Never thought to suspend it with trampoline springs and mount an intentionally off balanced motor to it! The variable speed is definitely worth it. Thanks for the video.

[@jimfitzgibbon5492]

What kind of motor is that that vibrates like that. Great video but you need to explain where that motor came from

[@derrick_builds]

Great looking project. Thanks for sharing.

[@warrwarrwarrwarr]

I like it. Room for improvements. One improvement I would make is to make it slightly more horizontal with a slight decline to the table. Also, compost is brown and black. Doesn’t matter. I’ve sorted compost and got black but then dried out to brown. No big deal.

[@vanessawoodward3410]

Fantastic video, been thinking the same, about making one, I think the compost is ready and beautiful, All I need now, is two lovely boys like yours to help me LOL, SERIOUSLY WELL DONE!!!!!!!X

[@GardenDocSC]

Fantastic project! I'd disregard the negative comments! Very cool design, great finished product, great fun time to spend with your boys. Most important thing I bet they learned is about how you have to "adjust on the fly"....important in all areas of life. Well done Dad!

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

Thank you. There are always those kind of people out there but it still shocks me when people are ugly when we are just trying to share an idea we had...

[@ambhornchonlaghijh939]

Very good teamwork.

[@therickpound]

Got there in the end, nice job.

[@Jahsurfer]

So much I like in this video!

[@lorip4051]

Thank you for sharing this!

[@brianbarnett1380]

Nice work

[@VicsYard]

Great job.

[@WulfGar]

I'm so grateful to see you openly carrying on your own land. You're providing a stable and strong example for your boys. We need far more of that these days.

[@bobwebber8521]

A good concept and fairly easy way to do a large quantity. Nice to see the boys helping Dad, not enough of that these days which had lead to some of the problems we have to face now days. Thanks.

[@jwdory]

Nice design!

[@FrancisRoyCA]

I would prefer a barrel because it enables hands-free operation and is quieter. Tip it to a 5-10% angle, and let it turn. Your hands are free to shovel, the fine falls into the wheel barrow, and the coarse out of the end. I currently use one that is hand-cranked; its disadvantage is that one must switch between shovelling and cranking. Love the idea of the variable motor switch. Another general problem with compost sifters is that we have to keep them high. I have to find a good work-around for that.

[@anniegaddis5240]

New Subscriber. This is the vid that caught my interest.

[@CEOAMARU]

Regardless of effectiveness the fact it looks a father & son's project looks fantastic 👍

[@ricks2907]

Great family havin fun in the dirt

[@ZacharyKentVT]

I built a similar device but I like the addition of the narrowing chute at the bottom.

[@hammbone1612]

Good being out with the boys

[@pastorscottmarsh8627]

Great idea

[@manit77]

Nice job. You could put a 2x4 across the sifter and space it about 2 inches above the wire. You can then dump more compost above the 2x4 and let it catch. That way it doesn't just slide down the slope so fast.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

I have found it useful to move the material around. The new sifter legs is a better design and the angle is not so steep.

[@radiohadi]

This film deserves an award. Artistic merit.

[@elizabethwatson71]

Loved the information, thank you. I got ‘sea sick’ from the camera wobble. As I was trying not to be ill, my daughter said I got ‘see sick’.

[@mrwilson4909]

i wonder what kind of motor or where it came from? i would like to get a motor like that.

[@emilkermendy4595]

I would like to make some specific questions: rpm, hp, is vibrator home made or you bought it?

[@mixingrecords]

Very cool.

[@robs9574]

Genius! Thanks for the great content, tagging along for the ride. Thank You

[@easyfund]

Vitality and blessings!

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

Thank you! There ARE nice people on KZbin!

[@mandaryniak]

amaizing soil!

[@harrybaules]

Welcome to Over-Engineering 101

[@bgjb-r1499]

I think the sifter may be just a touch too vertical. Drop it a bit and throttle back on the motor. However, with that said, the design of that sifter is darn near perfect. Nice job!

[@DaveIngle1]

Hello... good video. Can you share the vibration motor and variable speed controller information. Many motors I have found won't do variable. Thank You!

[@carpmon7016]

what size motor is that?

[@recraze]

Which type of motor did you use?

[@ThaylorHarmor]

Constructive Critizem: when speeding through video keep camera still (on tri-pod) if possible

[@electricjay7078]

Sweet! 👍🏻🤘🏻

[@nickguthrie9309]

I use a 1" screen laid horizontal over a wheel barrow and another barrow is snugged up beside the first. I put a couple of 'mature' non smelly compost shovels-full on the screen and use a gloved hand to 'massage' the compost through the screen. The oversized bits can be shoved onto the other barrow. The smaller the screen holes the more mycelia and worms etc get damaged. Takes about 15 minutes to get 5 cubic feet of soil

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

We used to do that too. This is not designed for 5 cubic feet. We sifted about 9 yards of material recently over a couple day period as we were preparing for spring planting.

[@tassofirenze3588]

Meraviglioso

[@shexdensmore]

Maybe if you put 1 or 2 1×1 rungs down I spaced evenly, that may slow the compost down enough to be more thoroughly sifted.

[@middle-agedmacdonald2965]

This looks like a fun build, but with that labor force, a long flat non mechanical sifter built out of 1/4" hardware cloth and a couple of 2" X 4"s would be more efficient/practical. No hassle of a power source, no hassle of angling the material, no hassle of set up and disassembly, and most certainly not as much fun. (I'm assuming with all that vibration, it's a never ending task of tightening up the screws holding that thing together.) I know, because I've sifted thousands of pounds of compost through my 8' X 2' unit by myself. Thanks for the video! KZbin recommended it to me. Always fun to see another way to do things, and I mean no offense.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

We had one of those flat devices. We didn't have enough children (or adults) to shake it long enough to sift what we had to sift. This sifter itself has loosened up a bit and rattles, but not falling apart yet. The original hinges broke, had to put larger ones. The new design (video coming) has a different (and much better base) and the new sifter will not have an interchangeable screen so there are many fewer parts. Thanks for the thoughtful comments. We don't delete critical comments unless its, "man that was stupid".

[@middle-agedmacdonald2965]

@@PlumFabulousFoods Sounds good, I'll look for your new video. Thanks for putting out there what the good, and not so good about it is/was. All I know for sure is that I have a flat screen made with 2 full length 2x4's with some braces in between with 1/4" hardware cloth in the middle of. I lay it perfectly horizontal, dump a garbage can full of soil/compost over the entire length, and then use my hands to sift it through. It's simple. It's efficient, and I've sifted at least ten yards of awesome growing medium through it in the last year. It's still in perfect condition, and it will likely last years before I need to replace the hardware cloth. Shaking it would be out of the question, just doing the "wax on, wax off" type of movement with the hands is all that's needed. In my opinion, the most simple way is the most genius way. The most complicated is the most fun, and most interesting. It takes all kinds, and I enjoy your machine. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

[@RekhaWaghmare-yd9zh]

धन्यवाद ताई

[@charlescoker7752]

If you would have rounded off the sharp edge on the wood. The electric cord would not have been damaged

[@ralphh4131]

beautiful. nothing sexier than a nice pile of dark brown earth smelling moist compost

[@ahxoua]

It looks really neat. Where did you get the vibrator motor from?

[@anniegaddis5240]

I want to know too!

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

See this: www.plumfabulousfoods.com/blog/compost/diy-compost-sifter-dubbed-spider but note that we have a new sifter design using the same motor.

[@anniegaddis5240]

@@PlumFabulousFoods Thanks!

[@MrBigblueford]

Good concept on a small sifter, if you wanna see a large homemade sifter which incorporates a corn elevator into the process i have one posted on my site, I did the video about 2 weeks ago. I mainly process topsoil thst has been mixed with compost for my business. Its one of many ways I have become self reliant with my company but the process can be adapted for anyone usage once u see the construction method used for the process. If I were to build a second one their would be several modifications i would do to it thou.

[@sdspivey]

You should have the coarse screen permanent, then just add finer screen assembly on top.

[@ZacharyKentVT]

This is a good solution. I might add that to my setup.

[@moisinio11]

It's AMAZING to see the whole family get involved. CONGRATS!!

[@casamia6655]

Did you guys ever coat your wood with anything for weather proofing?

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

No, but the sifter is garage kept unless we are using it and we cover it with a tarp if we leave it out and expect rain

[@floydgraves3997]

Where did you get the vibrating motor and the variable speed switch? Thank you

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

That information is on the website linked in the video description.

[@rickvb2709]

You can get the vibrating motor on ebay for $80.00 and free shipping.

[@paddyboom122]

you can use just about any motor,put a off set on shaft and adjust till your happy..I used a wiper moter from old car because i had one .i wanted a 12v system that made it completly portable..three years still running! bought a light switch with varible to adjust speed about 6$

[@garthwunsch]

Dr. Elaine Ingham says proper compost will be the colour of 70% Dark Chocolate. If you ever get the chance to have a look at your compost under a microscope, check for bacteria and fungi and other soil microbial life.

[@williamc.fetterjr9036]

Id shovel all of it in t o the garden. No need to sift. Its all organic.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

Since we are using recycled material form the County, unfortunately, there are bits of trash in the compost. Plus, there are many large object that need more time to break down. Plus, we don't have one large homogeneous compost pile. We are often mixing stuff together.

[@KeithOlson]

It's an interesting idea, but I'd go with the barrel design. (Mesh attached to bicycle rims riding on upside-down casters, often including paddles on the inside. The main advantage is that the tumbling motion breaks up clods.)

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

I thought about that but in the end, I figured a flat design with a shaker would be easier than a round design with wheels and pullies.

[@KeithOlson]

Fair enough.

[@Nandito753]

Good dad knowlege transmition!!

[@drwagner14]

one wonders why one needs such fine compost, beautiful tho it is.

[@davfree9732]

Finer compost means more surface area and less dead space that roots need to expend energy to penetrate. Fine compost is thus good for seedlings as the roots can move between soil particulate and gain the benefit of the minerals and organic matter on the surface. If the seedling had to extend its roots into penetrating a clump of soil, growth would be slowed. Basically, part of the answer comes down to mechanics, and how plants take up nutrients from the soil. Mechanically it’s easier for them to grow in lighter souls than heavy. And then once they are established, move them onto heavier, less fine soils.

[@ricktruman1416]

@@davfree9732 thank you this is the kind of information I love to learn about.

[@teejay622]

I see a foot pedal speed controller in your future. Plus, as has already been said, your angle is far too steep. Not hating - this is an excellent idea and you guys did a great job. Thanks for sharing.

[@cynthiamoon372]

I’ll bet the coarse material bucket could have been run through again to capture more fines.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

Yes, and we have done that. But, we don't like doing it twice. We learned later on that you could actually just set the sifter on a wheel barrow and set the more on very low speed and it still worked well. You need slower to catch the fine stuff. We use it slower and flatter mostly now. But, the speed needs to be adjustable because of the different materials we sift.

[@IowaKim]

I thought that too as I have no children to help with speed control. LOL

[@user-lw3mt9tc5n]

👍👍👍from Kazakhstan

[@bingster-223]

I'd take a couple wheelbarrows full of that stuff lol. Although to be honest I'm more impressed with the youngsters, they are going to be some good food growers, with lots of hand me down knowledge.

[@WATCHINGTHEWATCHERS]

I use an old grill wire air vent cover as a sifter. I like the idea of an electric sifter but it honesty does not look faster then what I do.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

The time savings is realized when doing more than a small amount. We can sift about a yard per hour with this machine. It is a bit of a hassle to setup, but if doing more than a few buckets, it is worth it.

[@zero2senpai578]

Love

[@jimnewt8338]

Have ever considered using a foot control?

[@deanarogers9848]

Your Video Came up as a Suggestion when looking for a way to sift my worm castings when they are ready in a few weeks, just got my worms 3 days ago. Of all the ones I have seen I really like yours the best. As a Women I can see that this would be an easy enough build that I can do if my husband is out of town when I am needing it done, So many ways to use this along with options. I think for mine I am going to figure out a "skirt" type item that hangs down from the sifter over the wheel barrel or Trash Can ect what ever it is I use to I do not loose any of my compost that falls off to the sides of the Catch All Container. It will be fixed to it can be unattached. Maybe an old tarp and sew or hot glue gun some Velcro to the ends and Velcro to the edges under neath. It is just a thought I have for now. Love the idea of the different speeds, I just have a hard time seeing worms being bounced around the Trommel's and other powered sifters that and just ran to high. And the fact I can put them up on my own if I need to. I am hoping you have a video on how you made this. I am headed to your Channel to check out the other Videos. And Subscribed.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

The new design (video coming) has a conventional base that you could easily hang skirting on. On windy days, you NEED it! I am also doing away with the interchangeable screen. That is going to reduce the amount of hardware required and simply the build quite a bit. We have decided to use the 1/4 screen. In the beginning, we were sifting twice! Once with large screen early, and again with fine screen before going into the garden. That was way too much trouble. We were thinking maybe 3/8 screen might be better, but we are sticking to 1/4. Thanks for subscribing.

[@mitchmonkey9063]

Brown is better than black, you get brown for more woody stuff

[@davidhefner5668]

Why not make a frame for the 1/4" size and set it on top the 1/2".

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

You probably could, but that seems more complex to me. It is not obvious in the video but it is really easy to swap out the screens. It looked difficult because we set the sifter up before swapping out the screens. If you swap the screens first, it only takes a few seconds. I am having a hard time imagining how I would construct a 1/4" screen to fit on top of the 1/2" screen. There is the fence to think about. How would it fit over/under the fence? How well would it work with two screens? Would stuff get stuck between them? It would be heavier... There are a few reasons I can think of quickly, probably others if I thought about it for a while and tried to devise something. The bottom line is that the way I have it, it is very simple. Sure, it is two separate frames, but the frames holding the screens were very easy to construct. Just two 2x2's with screen wrapped and screwed down. By the way, smaller screen needs washers to hold down the screen. We only put washers on the larger screen, because the holes were larger, but the screws are pulling through the smaller screen over time. Eventually, I will have to add washers to the fine screen as well.

[@thecrownedjester]

Look into building a trommel to sift your compost. It would be much less effort as you wouldn’t have to lift the buckets over your head repeatedly. You just wouldn’t be able to store it flat like your current setup.

[@deltalima1340]

By the time they got it set up ida had the pile sifted by hand using a manual sifter

[@ronyerke9250]

👍 🤠

[@Raphaelo325]

Nice design. Question: Why isn't anyone wearing hearing protection? eye protection?

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

Don't need eye protection but we have started wearing ear protection. Motor is definitely loud.

[@marindjendjinovic7663]

With all the machinery, one would think buckets load themselves ;) How long does it take for a wheelbarrow of sifted soil? Has there been a noticeable improvement in soil performance, compared to non-sifted?

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

No tractor yet... Mostly the children load the buckets, many hands make light work. With help filling buckets, maybe 10 minutes to fill our large wheel barrow with our material. The moisture content and nature of the compost matters. We sift to pick out large pieces and foreign matter. Using recycled materials means some trash unfortunately. The fine stuff goes in the garden and the beg stuff goes back in the pile. The kitchen and garden scrap pile had chicken and fish bones, rocks and other stuff. We have a new frame and motor now, and a new video to come soon.

[@brianclark17]

The angle is severely too high! All you need is a few degrees angle from the back to just move the material along!

[@elliottwaller6499]

If you have local tree trimming companies I'd offer then to dump their chips at your place that way you can get them free and the company saves time not having to haul them to a dump or their own place kinda a win, win. Just a thought.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

We do that all the time but they are very unreliable in our experience. You can stop and ask, but if they don't follow you right away, they generally won't come.

[@Testing329]

Viva Christo Rey

[@Timberns]

10-15 degrees less incline and it’ll be perfect… I know things

[@TheSamba37]

A trommel sifter would've been so much simpler and way more efficient. If being able to swap out screening sizes is the concern, just make the trommel with the biggest screen size and have inserts for smaller screenings.

[@tegannottelling]

Great machine but maybe invest in some ear plugs for the kids at least

[@waynetaylor420]

You don't want black compost. That is a sign of anaerobic conditions. Not desirable for healthy compost. The bugs and any seed in the compost can be dealt with by heating the pile. Ad water to around 35 percent moisture and let the microbes build the heat. Turn the compost at seven to ten days and check the moisture level, add water if needed. It will become more like a chocolate milk color rather than black. I am not a know it all but I offer this only as a suggestion. Wayne shineyshovelacres md.

[@hazardpatch2129]

OTT!

[@zerepmas8770]

🖒🖒🖒

[@timmax4817]

Yea you got it too steep an angle Too much unsifted falls down Now if you made a rotating sifting barrel, then that would be...GREAT

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

More recently, we have lowered the angle and the material spends more time on the screen. It works much better but takes a bit longer of course. I felt like the round trommels (I think that is what they are called) would be more difficult to build. This one was originally designed to be setup over a compost bin or a wheel barrel. Setting up over a bin turned out to be a bit difficult though because it wasn't quite tall enough and the bins were a bit too wide. You could still do that, but we typically don't. I think this design gives us flexibility. My next trick will be to design one large enough to dump compost on it with a tractor.

[@catmandont100]

Needs triangle cross bracing....one per A-frame.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

That set up legs worked...but...barely. New design uses more a conventional base, works much, MUCH better.

[@catmandont100]

@@PlumFabulousFoods :....Very good initial design. My Grandfather had a 2 sieve A-frame. Not the Fastest thing on earth, but light weight and reliable.

[@carlharmon97]

Slop is way to high but great job

[@robertevans8024]

Gave you a thumbs up but I really think you have the screen on too much of an angle. Too steep. Beautiful stuff.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

Yeah, we typically use it at a lower angle now. Of course it is adjustable. That is the whole point of the design. Lowering the angle gives us much more time to sift the good stuff and pick out the trash.

[@robdavidson8296]

So u figured out full speed yes.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

We learn as we go...

[@vplph]

thought it was a compost trebuchet...

[@robertjohansson5814]

Nice soil byt I hope those kids hearing is still ok.

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

We learned to wear ear plugs.

[@tomhancock541]

i dont see the point' i've been gardening for 60 yrs. that could have gone in the garden the way it was. he did look like he was having fun though

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

It is actually quite simple. There is stuff in the compost that we want to take out, stuff that can't be seen without sifting through it. It gives us an opportunity to mix various compost materials and it takes out all the big stuff that is in the compost. The garden is full of fine, lose particles, with few to no large objects, sticks, etc. Lots of people have said it doesn't need to be sifted. Not everything is ready for the garden right away. The bigger stuff needs more time.

[@tomhancock541]

kiss.......keep it simple

[@PlumFabulousFoods]

New design more simple...

[@morganhemingway5262]

If i may suggest 4 items... If you and coffer grounds, it would in turn help with: * some insect control * adding items to help with decomposition * help with whatever worms you might have in there... Make your tray longer ( id so 1-2' longer) To give the materail more time to sift. However, make snother gate so whatever material can sway into wheel barrel. Make an inset screen tray so you dont have change your screens... And for gosh sake...you and your hardworking boys go eat some cheeseburgers...get some meat on all ya'll bones....