Compost Barrel

admin

I've got a ton of 55 gallon drums i picked up several years back and have never really done anything with.  i posted them on craigslist for $5 hoping to get rid of a few (which i did sell a couple).  One gal said she wanted 3 or 4 for compost barrels and asked if mine would be OK for that.  not knowing exactly what she was talking about, i gave her a qualified "I think so" and said i could help her cut the top off if she needed.  She explained what she had in mind, and after a quick internet search i figured out what she was talking about.here's my version:i welded all the hinges on and the pipe.  bolting would have been easier, i suppose, but i don't have an account with "boltingweb" so i figgured i had better man up and weld it.started off with 3/32" 7014, but ended up with 3/32" 6013.  After boogering up some welds, i started to get the hang of it.  lots of starts and stops, short welds.  not the best welding on the web, for sure, but i think i got enough penetration the barrel had water based concrete curing compound in it when new.  the pipe is the torsion spring axle from my old garage door.  the holes in the ends were started with a hand drill and opened up with a die grinder until the pipe fit.  the door was cut with my 4.5" grinder with a razor wheel, and all of the corners of the door were rounded off with the grinder. all the flashing from the grinder was removed on the inside and out with the grinder and then with a hand file.  I 45'd the corners to reduce the chances of having corners to snag your arms on.  The edges are pretty smooth, but i didnt try it with my bare hand.  Thinking i'm going to pick up a quart of John Deere green paint to pretty it up on the outside.  built it for the wife so we can use it as a fundraiser.  going to the local farmer's market to see if anyone might be interested in buying it.  just have to build a stand for it.  anyone have a rod suggest for 2x3 Pine?Last edited by Meborder; 09-11-2014 at 11:36 PM.
Reply:Originally Posted by Meborderbuilt it for the wife so we can use it as a fundraiser.
Reply:hummm ..... maybe i could make a BINGO version?  good idea!
Reply:With a barrel that big, your score cards would need to be measured in square yards to handle all the numbers.B 345,670! .No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:obviously not a huge amount of interest in this project, but i thought i'd post the final project anyway.i did a little reading on the ole interweb about compost tumblers and there were a few complaints.  one was that they were so heavy when full that you couldn't spin them, and 2 that the compost in the middle of the pile never really gets mixed up and will just sit there and rot in one big clump instead of getting broke up into clumps.so i got some 1" bearings and bearing carriers from the farm store and put the axle shaft on bearings, hopefully solving the problem with not being able to spin it when full.then on the inside i drilled the shaft and put some threaded rod through it in an attempt to make some mixing bars.  I don't know if they are heavy enough or not, but it's better than nothing, IMO.  i also only put two half stirring rods in the middle, that way if someone wanted to scoop out some with a shovel, there would be room.the stand is all 2x3 pine, put together with cheap carriage bolts.  the way it is built it will come apart in 3 sections for transport.  i built it tall enough to get a wheel barrow under it so that you could unload it directly into a wheel barrow, rather than dump it on the ground or a tarp, or have to scoop out with a shovel.the only down side was that the bearings spin so freely, the weight of the hinges would always spin the barrel such that the door is down in an awkward position.  so the solution there was to drill the shaft and insert a hitchpin that binds on the legs. it's the same hitch pin i used to keep the door closed.and john deere green makes ANYTHING look better!  LOLall in all i think it turned out pretty good for what it is.  i have to figure out what i have into it so i know what to ask.  not sure if it will sell or not.  not sure i'll make another one either, unless i get a ton of interest here locally.enjoy.
Reply:Probably the wrong time of year for most with a project like this. Most people start thinking of composting in the spring when they start thinking about the garden and planting.I think it's a great project. The one thing I wonder about is the size of your door in relation to the width of the wheel barrow. Having worked with guys filling wheel barrows with excavator buckets, I know how much a PITA it is when the bucket is wider than the wheel barrow and stuff spills down on the sides. With the wheel barrow "trapped" like it is by the frame, the only way to clear thigs is to try and shovel around the frame. If the door was a bit narrower, then spillage may not be as big an issue..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:yeah ... i thought of that too late   it was kind of a design-build type project.  the final vision wasn't complete when the first steps began a refinement for version 2.0
Reply:I think your concept is great, got me thinking, DSW has a good point so if I do I will probably adjust accordingly, however, good jobGeezerPower Mig 255C185 TIGBlue 175 MIGRanger 8 Kohler 20HP1974 5K Lincoln/Wisconsin Powered (Cherry)Victor/Harris O/AK 487 Spool Gun
Reply:Interesting, as mentioned before you're off season. for the door, make a door frame welded inside to match your barrow width.
Reply:Originally Posted by Meborderobviously not a huge amount of interest in this project, but i thought i'd post the final project anyway.i did a little reading on the ole interweb about compost tumblers and there were a few complaints.  one was that they were so heavy when full that you couldn't spin them, and 2 that the compost in the middle of the pile never really gets mixed up and will just sit there and rot in one big clump instead of getting broke up into clumps.......
Reply:Pin2hot, what you describe is how I tumble scuba cylinders for cleaning. It's also how the hydro shop does their big 300 cf cylinders ( where I got some of my design from).The question will be if the drive system can overcome the weight of the drum. I've seen wheels/casters used to make similar designs to mine with various results. Pneumatic tires then to sag and get mushy under weight. That tends to increase the drag and makes things harder to roll. Longer rollers with more surface area work better for drive rollers as the increased surface area helps transfer the torque with less chance of slippage. The idler rollers just have to support the weight, and can be whatever size as long as they support the load and don't tend to deform your barrel.Some guys I know use boat rollers they force fit down an over sized shaft. In some cases they then drill and pin the rollers to make them fixed, making sure the pins are well below the surface for wear if they are using the full round rollers. The bow tie shaped ones you can just bolt or pin the center. These are easy to source vs other things I've seen done.One issue I have seen regularly with this design is that if everything isn't parallel and straight, the cylinder "walks". On mine, I have two pieces of wood on each end that the cylinders can rub on. I have to watch when doing alum ones, but since they are only on for 1 hour, there's no damage done. on the steels that can roll for days if they are bad, I'll actually wear a dish in the wood on occasion. I see this as a major issue with a plastic drum. You may need a wheel on the end to combat the tendency to walk. Because the wheel rolls, it hopefully will cut down on wear. Of course in my application the "drum" rolls constantly, were with a composter, it probably only needs to be turned occasionally.Most of the drive systems I've seen for large heavy cylinders are usually chain driven, or gear reduction motors. Mine is a gear reduction motor and it's a fairly low RPM one. Too much speed and the cleaning material is forced out to the side from centrifugal force and doesn't slide and tumble. Fins also help force things to drop, like with a cement mixer..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWwhat you describe is how I tumble scuba cylinders for cleaning. . . .
Reply:If you want later, let me know and I can dig out picts of my  tumbler. I cast my own rollers since I has access to the urethane rubber and the other materials tended to mark up the cylinders and leave black marks, an issue if I was doing things for a friend who runs a shop. For your application that shouldn't be a problem..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:DSW,  Thanks again.  I'll keep this in mind.Tim
Reply:I like it.... actually.... I really like it. Especially the height you positioned it at which allows plenty of clearance for a wheelbarrow. One concern.... which is most likely unwarranted.... what was in your drum before it was re-purposed? --The mixing bars were a great idea. Lengths of scrap angle iron welded... or bolted.... to the interior might prove to be helpful with churning your contents also. I made a wood support for a compost tumbler several years ago. I didn't know how to weld at all back then.... another volunteer at the community garden worked on the drum. We learned that the addition of 1/4" holes helped tremendously with aeration.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:EQ, '' the barrel had water based concrete curing compound in it when new.'' Hard to see.Just for info, I went to Farm and Fleet for a couple 1'' ID pillow block bearings. They were crazy high. The price was separate for bearing and pillow block. Tried Amazon and got the same China stuff for half of what farm and fleet wanted. It was one piece so I didn't have to press the bearing in.
Reply:Next time I stop in at the community garden.... I'll take a photo of our tumbler composter... it's not as nice as Meborder's though. I don't recall how any of the barrel was fabricated other than having to add holes to the barrel ends to increase aeration.... pillow block bearings may have been used.... maybe not. If they're as expensive as what you say, odds are they weren't used since everyone's a volunteer. This may sound odd but... I was more focused on the base so any kids running around unsupervised were less likely to get hurt.MM 211Smith Tru Lite O/A set, Thanks Bob!Lincoln AC-225--But you must not change one thing, one pebble, one grain of sand, until you know what good and evil will follow on that act. The world is in balance, in Equilibrium- Ursula K. Le Guin
Reply:FWIW, i used "Tru-Pitch" PN SA201-16 for the bearing ($6.49ea and PN PP205 for the carrier ($2.49ea)  The bearing is a pre lubed sealed bearing. they said DAIDO Corp. on the back.  They were more money than i wanted, but i didn't have a bunch of time to shop around.   They do work nice, the barrel spins very freely.I added up all the recipts and i was at about $35 for the whole thing.Thanks for the positive comments.We'll see what the reaction from the farmer's market folks is here in a couple hours.... might keep this as a prototype and take orders, or make up a parts and cut list and sell plans for a few bucks. help pay the hay bill for the sanctuary, ya know.http://borderlandrescue.blogspot.com/https://www.facebook.com/pages/Borde...23186931079406Last edited by Meborder; 09-14-2014 at 10:08 AM.
Reply:This is great! After we get moved, I'll have to make a few for the wife's garden.
Reply:Bearings might be overkill, I would bore a hole in the wood frame, maybe add a crank handle to turn.  The one I built is a removable top and the pivot goes through the side.  You might want to consider adding holes for ventilation.  Composting is an aerobic function meaning the bacteria needs air.