DIY Spinning Composter

Drum and Skate Composter

• 1
  Two sawhorses bolted together on the bottom make an excellent spinner foundation.Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Build a foundation upon which the spinning compost bin will rest. A typical foundation will resemble one long saw horse, or two set side by side and connected at the bottom of the foundation.
  
  
• 2). Attach two 2 inches by 4 inches by 30 inches studs to the bottom of the saw horses. This will increase the stability, and enable you to rotate the drum safely without fear of the drum falling over or collapsing.
  
  
• 3). Cut a 3/4-inch hole in the exact center of the top and bottom of the drum ends. Insert the stainless steel rod through these holes. Slide the PVC collars down each side of the pole until they touch the drum. Screw the collars to the drum lids as tightly as possible. Lift drum assembly and set it with each end of the pole inserted into the eye hole supports. This will allow the barrel to turn along with the pole.
  
  
• 4). Cut a door into one side of the barrel using a torch or power saw. The door should be wide enough for a shovel full of compost to be tossed into the compost bin. Attach a set of hinges to the rear of the door to make opening it easier. Attach a lock on the front side of the door so that the compost doesn't spill when the drum is rotated. If the drum is food grade plastic, screws will work. If it is stainless steel, you may want to use rivets or weld the hinges and lock on.
  
  

Hot Water Tank Composter

• 1
  Make sure the discarded hot water heater you get was electric, not gas.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Locate a discarded hot water tank. These can be found in scrapyards and junk piles as well as in abandoned about to be demolished homes. A hot water tank compost bin will be capable of holding more compost than the smaller models of spinners. Make sure the tank you are using was an electric one - you will be cutting a door in it with a torch and you don't want any natural gas residue.
  
  
• 2). Cut the door into the tank with a torch or power saw. Weld a set of heavy duty hinges onto the top of the door and to the surface of the tank. Weld a latch onto the front of the door so that the door stays on during the spinning.
  
  
• 3). Cut a 3/4-inch hole into the top and bottom of the tank. Insert the axis or pole straight through and slide the PVC collars on either side. Secure the PVC collars with rivets that can be welded on the inside of the tank.
  
  
• 4). Insert the axis or pole onto the eye holes you built for the foundation saw horses. You can add a spinner handle on either side of the pole to aid in spinning.