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Thread: Tumbling Composter

  1. #1
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    Tumbling Composter

    Can anyone recommend a composter. Kinda like the tumbling type.

    I saw the Miracle Gro composter at Menards for $89 but the reviews are not so good.

    compost.jpg
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
    - Rick Dale

  2. #2
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    How much material do you have to compost?

    One problem with a tumbling composter is it can't hold a lot.

    It might be easier to use one of a vertical composter design where the raw material is loaded through the top and removed from the bottom as it becomes composted.

    jtk
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  3. #3
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    I bought a blue barrel ($15) drilled about ten 1” holes in it for ventilation, cut a door into the side and put some hinges on it and a toggle thing to keep the door closed. The end of the barrel comes off for easy emptying. I dump in my compost and periodically roll it around a bit and even stand it on its end sometimes. Works like a charm. I made this barrel about 15 years ago and it still is solid. I dump it about twice a year.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Gail Ludwig View Post
    I bought a blue barrel ($15) drilled about ten 1” holes in it for ventilation, cut a door into the side and put some hinges on it and a toggle thing to keep the door closed. The end of the barrel comes off for easy emptying. I dump in my compost and periodically roll it around a bit and even stand it on its end sometimes. Works like a charm. I made this barrel about 15 years ago and it still is solid. I dump it about twice a year.

    I was thinking of doing that exact same thing. Happen to have a pic?
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
    - Rick Dale

  5. #5
    I have an envirocycle. It’s excellent. And expensive . I really need 2. 1 can cook while I fill the other. But the high price makes that tough to justify.

  6. #6
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    Wenatchee. Wa
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    If you are thinking of using the composter as a fill it one time and then let it percolate until done all might go well. If you want to add material as it is composting you will upset the cycle and sometimes have a stinking awful mess. Composting is a good bit of science that if applied correctly yields abundant soil amendment.Tumblers are great but not if you want to be continually adding material.

  7. #7
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    Mar 2015
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave Lehnert View Post
    I was thinking of doing that exact same thing. Happen to have a pic?
    B26C3E86-30D6-44C0-B808-E64D80AEEFFD.jpg
    This is my blue barrel. This one is over a decade old.....so they last!
    Last edited by Gail Ludwig; 05-30-2021 at 8:36 AM.

  8. #8
    Search "DIY Tumbling Composter," for ideas on how to build one. After reading this thread yesterday, spent some time watching videos. Interesting.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Houston, Texas
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    I got a 55- gallon plastic drum, that once had vinegar in it, from a friend, and built one for the wife. It's up high enough (on pressure treated 2x's) to be able to put the wheelbarrow under it to empty it, but not too high to be easily filled with kitchen scraps on a regular basis. In addition to the hinged door, I cut a piece of 3" thin-wall pvc pipe lengthwise into two pieces, and screwed them to the inside of the drum on opposing 'sides', to add to the tumbling activity within (as long as she rotates it in the correct direction). The axle is a piece of 3/4" galvanized pipe. The whole thing wasn't really too hard to do. I even made my own 3' centering 'jig' to find the exact center of each end of the drum, even though it has a seam running across the end.
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    Don't let it bring you down,
    It's only castles burning,
    Just find someone who's turning,
    And you will come around

    Neil Young (with a little bit of emphasis added by me)

    Board member, Gulf Coast Woodturners Association

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Walter Mooney View Post
    I got a 55- gallon plastic drum, that once had vinegar in it, from a friend, and built one for the wife. It's up high enough (on pressure treated 2x's) to be able to put the wheelbarrow under it to empty it, but not too high to be easily filled with kitchen scraps on a regular basis. In addition to the hinged door, I cut a piece of 3" thin-wall pvc pipe lengthwise into two pieces, and screwed them to the inside of the drum on opposing 'sides', to add to the tumbling activity within (as long as she rotates it in the correct direction). The axle is a piece of 3/4" galvanized pipe. The whole thing wasn't really too hard to do. I even made my own 3' centering 'jig' to find the exact center of each end of the drum, even though it has a seam running across the end.

    Thanks everyone for the ideas. think I will make one.
    "Remember back in the day, when things were made by hand, and people took pride in their work?"
    - Rick Dale

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