DIY Worm Sorter 2nd Test Harvesting Worm Castings/Vermicompost

So I have the DIY Worm Sifter up and working and showed how it works with some really dry castings from my bins that had Coco Coir and Hardwood Pellets. Now lets see how this DIY Worm Sorter does against a bin that is more moist and from a bin that was run on cardboard. I already did some worm sorting on this using the bait method to try and get out what I could before running it through the worm sifter.
With this I also made my first adjustments by turning up the speed of the reciprocating saw and adjusting the angle of the sorting table.
Amazon Materials Links:
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
10 Gallon Tote (8 Pack)
amzn.to/2BvO2qY (paid link)
Urban Worm Bag Version 2
amzn.to/32xwdnB (paid link)
Fiskar Soft Touch Garden Tool Set
amzn.to/31qGJeU (paid link)
Waterproof gloves
amzn.to/2BvUtdD (paid link)
if you are interested in buying one of these Vermibag products please use my referral link!
bit.ly/2AsZunI (paid link)
If you have a computer, cell phone, or tablet check out World Community Grid and donate your computing cycles to find cures for diseases (Cancer, AIDS, TB) or help with weather patterns for Africa. Click the link below to sign up and join the World Composting group.
join.worldcomm...?recruiterId=853765&teamId=11LDGH7P2D2
#bokashi #worldcomposting #vermiculture

[@WorldComposting]

More adjustments might be needed but the castings coming out from the screen are really nice and ready to use!

[@texaspatty4697]

That's great! It is quite an invention!

[@WorldComposting]

Thanks!

[@korbeau]

I think the speed looks ok, but perhaps with the higher speed, you want less steep of an angle, maybe raise the end up to allow a little more sorting time.

[@WorldComposting]

You are probably right it was shaking everything off a bit to quickly. I'll have to see if I can find a better way to control the trigger on also as I think the cable slowly releases.

[@A-V]

Perhaps if there were some baffles that would force the material to pass left and right over the screen while making its way down there's be more chances for the material to break up and pass through. I suppose the downside of that would be its tendency to (probably) capture a bunch of worms . I guess that's probably why they can have baffles in rotary screeners - because the worms will eventually drop off and get sent through the system. Anyhow - I'm always a fan of automation like this... so I look forward to future improvements and upgrades.

[@WorldComposting]

I debated on adding baffles but think I would need a longer screen at that point.

[@michaeldvorak8140]

As you built your machine to be similar to the commercial version from Oregon, I watched your vid several times in order to understand the problems that you were experiencing. When I began to engineer my own sorter in the image of the commercial design, I noticed a major difference between your a their machines an that is the motor that is the heart of it. Your motor pulls back and forth, while the commercial model uses a vibrating motor instead. All the material will then bounce and become more apt to fall through the proper screens. The small worms and cocoons fall through the 1/4” mesh and castings through the 1/8” mesh screen. The larger worms (reproducers) along with the larger debris falls over the edge.... that is only my theory as I am in the process of building the thing with left over lumber at home. Hope I works well. Hope that helps ya in the future. Till the next time... keep on worm in.

[@WorldComposting]

Hmm you might be right the videos they put out aren't that high quality so it is hard to tell. I might have to find a way to vibrate the system and see if that works!

[@michaeldvorak8140]

@@WorldComposting Yea, I’m trying a commercial 40w vibrating motor. We’ll see, might be too strong for my rig .

[@drewberrynews3875]

The only thing i noticed is the commercial one uses a 1/16" screen at the top and 1/8" screen at the bottom. Smaller screen would probably be better for allowing the smallest of castings to fall through while allowing the rest to slide to the bottom. And with this method vs vibration you might still have to run twice but what a great way to save on your initial investment buildin it yourself. Only other thing you might consider is the mosture content might be a bit high to shake it through. Dry it just a bit moe andsee what happens

[@creative227]

@@WorldComposting Perhaps a palm sander for more of a vibration action. I pour concrete into moulds for countertops and use a sander pressed to the mould to get air bubbles out.

[@maryeleek]

Perhaps consider placing a v shaped funnel with a small opening at the point of the v to contain the castings a bit longer on the fine hardware cloth to give it more time to sift before it progresses onto the larger hardware cloth? In fact, maybe also place one near the drop point on the large hardware cloth too. The slope of the incline should move the castings along.

[@WorldComposting]

I have thought about doing this and still might as I do have some extra wood I could use.

[@mrrockpicker]

Ash a gold prospector it looks like a feed box so you have your hands free to help sort and sift as it GOES down

[@tahirehsan2180]

2nd sifting speed seemed ok with it may be you need to reduce sloping angle a bit and increase the length of sieves to ensure that one sifting does the job.

[@WorldComposting]

I really need to 3D print something that can hold the trigger at just the right point. Unfortunately it has a hair trigger where it goes from not moving to about 800rpms with a mm of movement. Very hard to get it right.

[@ambersamusements5257]

Those sifted castings look amazing. The machine is nice. I’m trying to commission my teen to build me something similar. Maybe a rolling sifter.

[@WorldComposting]

My son helped me a bit when I needed to saw some boards so if you can get yours to build it that is a step ahead of me. I built a rolling one and have a video on it but went to large and I found the worms getting caught up in it rather than rolling through. I also really needed a motor to turn it so I would just be loading the material to sort.

[@KayKirkpatrick]

So appreciate the demo!

[@WorldComposting]

Glad you enjoyed it more videos to come as I fine tune the process! Thanks for watching!

[@drewberrynews3875]

Great vid thanks for sharing your work. This is exactly what i was looking for!

[@kevas4ub510]

Hang in there but consider a nice sized and sloped feed plate. The plate is stationary would hold nearly half one of your bins. Gives a chance to break up some of the clumps. Best regards.

[@WorldComposting]

I have thought about adding something like that but the big issue is I would need more weight to counterbalance the feed plate as it would be hanging off the back of the sorter.

[@Knight8365]

Possibly a rolling cylindrical sifter would have worked better. While tumbling around the sticky lumps would get bumped about and broken up more. Also the change from the small grid to the large grid may need a small step downward. In your demo I could see some parts being pushed back up the change from small to large. Great machine tho.

[@WorldComposting]

The second screen is below the first screen and while there isn't much of a drop I would think it would still keep things from moving back up.

[@brianclark17]

As far as adjusting the table, look up "adjustable control arm links" for trucks

[@demetrashelton1688]

You're making progress on your fine tuning.

[@WorldComposting]

Thanks for watching!

[@rickthelian2215]

You need a squeegee to push up soil in first zone

[@vbcoachbretz]

What about turning the motor on the side to get a left to right motion. Of course you’d need to redo the base to reflect the new motion

[@WorldComposting]

I would need to reinforce or add a larger piece to the side but I could try that. I recently saw someone attach it to the top in the middle with a board going across which might help as well.

[@leobaltz2057]

Keep the original lower slope but use the higher speed

[@WorldComposting]

Trying to work on that. Hard to control a sawsall to run slower. Tried using a concrete mixing motor and it somewhat worked but the material was moving in circles instead of down the chute. I recently saw someone attach the mixer in a different way and I might try that out. Been busy so not as much time to test things out as in the past.

[@glennlewman4186]

it appears vibrating may be better

[@MrZesty-zu4xj]

How long do you stop feeding the tub before harvesting?

[@WorldComposting]

Around 3-4 weeks before the sorting I had stopped feeding. Most of the bedding was gone by this point so I turned it and was only added a small amount of food.

[@PlantObsessed]

I was looking at the perf metal. Do they ha EA smaller perf?

[@WorldComposting]

When I purchased they had multiple sizes and thicknesses available. They also had holes as small as 1/16 of an inch. I debated on going much smaller or even one big piece with 1/4 inch holes but decided to use to pieces with one being a landing area where it could flatten out a bit instead of falling through from the weight of dropping on the tray.

[@ZebtronInc]

Is everything that falls through the 1/2 inch screen also going into the tub at the end?

[@WorldComposting]

anything falling through the screen is being sorted into the container below the screens. Only what falls off the end goes into the tub at the end. Also the screen is 1/4 inch. Thanks for watching!

[@ZebtronInc]

@@WorldComposting ok. That makes more sense. That's for getting back to me.

[@rickthelian2215]

Are you using ping fine holes for worm castings top half bigger holes bottom half

[@WorldComposting]

Yes I have 1/8 inch holes up top and 1/4 inch on the lower section. I did this as if I wanted to later I could separate them out with two different bins. But in the end I feel it isn't necessary.

[@texaspatty4697]

I'm thinking the worms that go through this shaking process will not survive. It's still worth doing, but not to salvage straggler worms.

[@WorldComposting]

I sorted out a few and and put them in another bin and they had dug in by the time I went back. I'm not going to spend a lot of time trying to find them but a couple minutes to grab the large worms seem worth it.

[@larrymoss4296]

Try to add a bumper block

[@siddtoeknee9601]

Kewl

[@WorldComposting]

Thanks for Watching!

[@etcomandog]

Where do you purchase the round hole screen?

[@WorldComposting]

I purchased the screen off eBay but that seller isn't listed anymore.

[@chrisschultz5990]

I’m not sure that I’m understanding the full concept. It appears that the 1/4 inch sifted material and the unsifted material both discharge into the same bin. If so, why bother with the 1/4 inch screen?

[@WorldComposting]

There are two reasons why I did this. First I needed a location I could place the material to be sorted where the pressure wouldn't force things through and I was worried that as I put material onto 1/4 holes some might be forced through from weight. Also if I found that I needed more finely sorted castings I could always change the machine to separate the castings instead of sorting them into one container.

[@Superflow25]

Why the two screens?

[@WorldComposting]

One has smaller holes than the other. If in the future I wanted to sort based on casting size I could. Not necessary by any means.

[@Superflow25]

@@WorldComposting So does the first screen for castings and the second for cocoons?

[@WorldComposting]

@@Superflow25 The first screen in theory would allow cocoons to pass over and they would fall through the second screen. The hole sizes are 1/8 and 1/4 inch. I have the castings all going to the same area. Part of the reason I did this is the first screen would allow the material to spread out before getting to the larger holes. In theory this could have been a solid piece of metal.

[@rubetube4727]

Vibration.

[@WorldComposting]

I actually purchased a vibration motor but I had other issues where the castings would move in a circle instead of just going down to the end. Biggest issue I have with this system is the noise and the fact everyone is home where as I typically had times when everyone was out so I could work with this more often.

[@rubetube4727]

Well don't give up. We're waiting for you to profect the Solar Whisper Werm Caster 2000.

[@WorldComposting]

I won't stop working on it. I have made a couple upgrades just haven't put it on film.

[@larrymoss4296]

Maybe put your large holes first that way it gets the bigger material out of the way