DIY Network

Sand Sifters Sort sand swiftly with these sweet screens. From "B. Original" episode DBOR-412

Easy-build screens sort sand in a snap.

You don’t need to shell out big bucks to B. Original with sand: Just take a bucket to the yard, riverside or seashore and use these handy sifters to sort through your treasures.

Host Michele Beschen shows how to build this set of three sand sifters, perfect for separating rocks, pebbles, shells and other items from sand. You'll end up with sorted materials that are ready for use, and with a lot more personality than a simple sack of playground sand from the store.

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Sand Sifters

Materials:

1x2 wood 6 pieces 12" long 6 pieces 9" long screen trim with mitered corners 6 pieces 12" long 6 pieces 9" long

1/2" mesh hardware cloth, 9" x 12" 1/4" mesh hardware cloth, 9" x 12" aluminum window screen, 10" x `3" rigid straight edge wood glue hammer and nails or air nailer staple gun and 5/16" staples

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

Safety Alert: If you need to cut the hardware cloth to size, remember to wear heavy gloves and use tin snips. The cut ends can be extremely sharp.

• Lay out two 12" pieces of wood and two 9" pieces of wood to form a rectangle, with the 9" pieces of wood sitting inside the 12" pieces. Keep the wood edgewise, so that it's sitting on its shorter side.

• Use wood glue and nails to connect the wood at the corners, building a rectangular frame (figure A). Repeat the process for the rest of the wood, ending up with three identical wooden frames.

• Position the 1/2" mesh hardware cloth over one frame and attach it to the wood with staples all the way around. Repeat the process with the 1/4" mesh hardware cloth (figure B).

• Lay out the aluminum window screen. Using a rigid straight edge to help get a smooth fold, fold in the edge of the screen 1/2" on each side. This will reinforce the joint with the wooden frame and help prevent tearing. Staple the window screen in place over the remaining wooden frame.

• Staple screen trim over the edges of the hardware cloth and window screen where it attaches to the frames.

• To use the sifters, stack them according to size, with the finest screen on the bottom and the widest screen on top.

• Place the stacked frames over a large container. Any large container will work, as long as it's a little larger than the frames (figure C).

• Pour sand into the top frame. The sand should work its way down through the screens, leaving larger pebbles and stones on top. Shake the sifter gently to help the elements fall through the frames.

• When most of the sand has fallen through, separate the frames. Shake the frames as you separate them to help smaller material work its way downwards.

• You should end up with four sets of nicely sifted elements – from rocks to pebbles to fine sand. Now, you're ready to B. Original with sand you've sifted yourself!