7th, Scythe13's under £5 projects

[Scythe13]

Hi everyone

Okay, keeping with the issue of dealing with poop, this is a really fun one to do, and does require some 'extra curricular' activity. I'm going to assume you own a hammer and philips screwdriver. If not, you can buy a screwdriver for a few pounds, and substitute a rock for a hammer, but remember, mind those fingers kids!!!

This project is meant for those with a reasonable sized garden. You could do it indoors, but you'll probably lose friends, and loved ones.

Okay, time for the breakdown:

1x Veneer Panel Pin pack, £2.64 (Screwfix)
2x Light Duty Tee Hinge (2 in a pack, totalling 4 hinges) £1.10 total (screwfix)
1x Cornetto (Just one Cornetto....ahem) £1.25 (my local shop)

Well done Scythe13, what are we going to do, hammer nails into a Cornetto and then hinge it together? Well no, that would ruin the ice cream...you mug!

This is what we're going to do.

We are going to build a beast of a compost bin! Told you we were dealing with poop!

Step 1.
Get ready for the extra curricular part. Skip-Dive, or just keep your eyes open, or make a new friend at a warehouse, and attain a load of pallets! YEAH, this is getting exciting.

Step 2.
Attain 2 bricks. These are the most underestimated pallet deconstruction tools available.

Step 3.
Break down the pallet by turning the pallet upside down, and placing a brick either side of the panel you want to remove.

Step 4.
With your heal closest to where the panel is nailed to the top strut, stamp down hard. This one off shock action (in my experience) managed to cleanly 'unnail' the slat from the rest of the panel.

Step 5.
Continue the process all the way round until you are left with an empty frame and a pile of pallet slats.

Step 6.
Stand 2 pallets up, slats facing away from each other, about a pallet's length apart. See where we're going with this? Now mark out an area that size where you want your supersized compost bin to go.

Step 7.
Repeat the process of panel removal on another 5 pallets. These will be your outside walls.

Step 8.
Get 2 of the frames and line up a load of panels so there is no distance between them. It should look like a totally slatted pallet. Please note, if you already have some like this, there is no point removing the panels.

Step 9.
Okay now hammer the panels into place, using those nails you purchased. You now have your 2 outer side walls.

Step 10.
Lovingly kick the poop out of those stupid wooden blocks on your 3 remaining panel frames. Keep these blocks, and be careful when kicking them off. You can use tools if you feel it wise, but I just got my toe caps on and kicked away (more fun, but not recommended because of health and safety).

Step 11.
Use those blocks in your 'outside walls' as a frame for you to place your next set of frames on. Hammer them in place with nails.

Step 12.
Place 2 wooden blockless frames on the floor and add panels until they resemble a solid sheet of wooden panelling. You now have your back wall and your roof.

Step 13.
Place one of your new panel sheets onto the back of your 'walls' and nail it into position.

Step 14.
Get 1 panel that you've already removed, and use that as the supporting strut across the top of the front walls. This will be where your front hinge will attach your door, but also where your roof will close onto. Hope that helps clarify where it needs to be. Nail it in place.

Step 15.
Attach roof panel to the back wall via the hinges. Use of those wooden blocks as bases for the hinges is helpful, but you can just attach it directly to the back panel.

Step 16.
Create your front door in the same way that you made the back panel and roof.

Step 17.
Attach the front door panel to your front supporting strut (see Step 14) via the hinges.

Step 18.
Dig into that Cornetto! You've earned it.

You now have a beast of a composting bin! You can compost loads of stuff, but first off, I'd recommend emptying those ice cream tubs of composting matter into the big bin, then placing one of those tubs by the kitchen sink. That way, when you finish cooking something, leftovers or cooking odds and ends (egg shells, etc) can go into the tub, and then emptied at will.

Enjoy!