DIY Compost Tumbler

Compost Tumbler

50-gallon barrel (used for firefighting foam)

Cedar and Pressure treated scraps collected from local construction scraps

Old fence post.

I am a cheap skate and get more pleasure out of building things with found materials. Construction sites are notorious for trashing wonderful scraps. Fences are going up all over the place and this means great Cedar scraps. Spent an afternoon outside building this. It took a while because Tater made me take breaks to chase field mice that have invaded the yard (another byproduct of the local construction). Our count on field mice is...Tater with 4. Mouse Trap with 1. Hunting field mice with Tater is so much more fun then the old fashioned mouse trap and it is much more exciting. 

Whiskey Rain Barrel

DIY Whiskey Rain Barrel

The Tools.

 Drill, wrench, 15/16" bit, 3/4" bit, 2 1/2" bit, hose spigot (3/4"), elbow (1/2"), sink drain filter, 

Whiskey Barrel

Set the Barrel on its side and drill a 3/4" hole for the overflow. Once the hole has been drilled and the sawdust removed, stick your nose close to the hole and take a nice deep breath. The smell of whiskey is like heaven. 

Screw in the elbow and leave it in a downward position. 

Spin the barrel around and drill a 15/16" hole. Screw in the hose spigot.

Place cinder blocks. It is best to level the ground as much as possible. The cinder blocks will help the water flow. 

Place the barrel on the cinder blocks to get an idea of how high you need to cut the gutter. I used a hacksaw to cut it.

Drill a 2 1/2" hole in the top of the barrel.

Place the filter in the hole. I used a very fine metal mesh to keep out the roof debris and the mosquitos. 

The test run. The water was all over the place so I used some of the left over gutter to extend it.

Perfect positioning for a slight drizzle to a hard rain. Yellow House is ready for another Texas drought.