Top soil screen ideas?

[dragoneggs]

One man's trash is another's treasure. I scavenged a roll of chain link fencing from the recycle station and thinking I could use a piece of it to make a screen. I have a bunch of nice decomposing soil with lots of sticks and a few rocks in it left over from the clearing debris. I have burned most everything but the remainder is pretty rich soil. I am thinking of welding up a frame and attach the fence material to it. Want it to be portable maybe with folding legs tall enough to allow for a decent sized pile underneath and a way to dump the stuff that doesn't sift through.

Anyone have some ideas or designs they have made for such a contraption?

 

[Handloader109]

There are several designs here, do a search. Here is another link to another
Homemade soil screener/sifter

 

[bcp]

If you decide to use this, make a frame like a gate, but stronger. Put in lots of cross supports, as chain link fabric will stretch and sag a lot if you are dumping in bucket loads at a time.

I've thought about using bar-and-rod style safety walkway material if I ever find any cheap.



Bruce

 

[dragoneggs]

Thanks Handloader... I've got some thinking to do after watching a few youtube vids. I wasn't thinking of making it so 'fancy' but I can see a vibratory motor set up would be very sweet.

Bruce, I think my chainlink fence idea is not going to work too good because even with a slope I think too much debris is going to get hung up. I might just have to make a drag with a piece of it instead. I like your walkway material suggestion. I don't come across that and gather it won't be a bargain but who knows. I also like the idea of having two stages and both being appropriately sloped to shed material.

 

[Arc weld]

Screen material would probably work a lot better. Lots of golf courses made their own soil screens but most were a rotating drum on an angle so the dirt would fall out the bottom and the debris would come out the end. A screen set up on coil springs with a vibrating shaft would also work.

 

[dragoneggs]

You guys are going to get me in hot water with the wife... (not the hot tub). I was thinking of a simple static sloped thingy. Now I am looking at vibratory shakers, drums, multi-stage contraptions. I love it! :cool2:

 

[Arc weld]

It WILL involve welding! It would give you an excuse to have a visit with Shield Arc who I'm sure would be on board to help you build it. You might even get a chance to try out his new Vantage 400 or any of his dozens of other machines. Darn I wish I lived closer.

 

[MossRoad]

Screen material would probably work a lot better. Lots of golf courses made their own soil screens but most were a rotating drum on an angle so the dirt would fall out the bottom and the debris would come out the end. A screen set up on coil springs with a vibrating shaft would also work.

Its called a trommel.

How to Build a Motorized Trommel—And Why on Earth You Would Want To