EWSWA - Wood & Wire Composter

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EWSWA: Resources: Free Stuff => Instructions for Wood & Wire Composter


	This unit is useful for composting moderate amounts of yard waste with minimal labour. It can be moved easily to turn a pile or to harvest finished compost and build a new pile. Simply undo the latches, pull the sides apart, and move it to a new location. Fork the uncomposted materials from the top of the old pile into the empty bin, where there is now room to add fresh materials. Then remove the finished compost from the bottom of the first pile.

	Wood & Wire Composter

	Materials Required: 1, 12ft. 2by4 3, 12ft, Fir 2by4 12ft. of 36in. wide ½ in. hardware cloth 100, 1-½ in. galvanized No.8 wood screws 4, 3in. galvanized butt door hinges 150 poultry wire staples or power stapler 1, 10 oz. tube exterior wood adhesive 4 large hook and eye gate latches Non-toxic wood preservative (optional) Tools Required: Handsaw & chisel, or radial arm saw with dado blade, or circular saw, or table saw. Hammer Screwdriver Tinsnip Caulking gun Pencil Small carpenter's square Estimated Cost: About $80 Note: It is recommended that you do not use pressure-treated or chemically-treated wood. Prior to construction, treat wood with a non-toxic wood preservative.

			Cut each 12-Foot, 2by4 into four 3-Ft. long sections.

			Cut a ¾ in. deep and 3-½ in. wide section out of each end for a total of 32 lap cuts. If using a handsaw and chisel, cut ¾ in. down at the 3-½ in. line. Then cut a ½ in. deep groove into the end of the board. Place a thick wood chisel in the end grove and split the wood with a hammer to the 3-½ in. cut.



			If using a radial arm saw, circular or table saw, set the blade to ¾ in. depth and make multiple passes until the whole section is removed. Make four 3-ft. square frames from the lap-jointed 2by4s. Put enought construction adhesive to fill the gaps when the lap joints are screwed together. Fasten each joint with four screws.

			Cut the hardware cloth with tinsnips into four 3-ft. sqare sections. Bend the edges of the cloth back over 1-in. for strength. Lay one onto each of the four frames. Centre and tack each corner with a poultry wire staple. Try to tension the cloth so it will not sag when filled with compost.

			Connect each pair of frames together with two hinges.

			Then put the hook and eye gate latches on the other ends so that the sections can latch together.

			Your wood & wire portable composter is now ready to use.

	For information on what to put into your composter visit our Backyard Composting page on this website.		Next: 3Rs Main Page

	HOME \| Waste Diversion \| Waste Disposal \| Resources \| Contact Us \| The Board All Rights Reserved by: EWSWA.org Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority 360 Fairview Ave. West, Suite 211, Essex, ON. Canada N8M 3G4 Tel. (519) 776-6441 ext. 229 Fax. (519) 776-6370 E-mail: Ask@ewswa.org
	Last Revised: May 19, 2005

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