I finally made me a good sifter. I got tired of the old wooden sifter, I found this scrap aluminum laying around the barn, not sure what it come off of. I may have to change out the expanded metal some day but that won't be much trouble and the frame should outlast me.It will hold more dirt than my old one so I shouldn't have to make but one trip if I have to rob some dirt away from the set.

sweet!!

What kinda dirt sifters do yall have? Does anyone use the sifter with the handle on the side shaped oval? Texas Tea Cup.

well my mom just used the big tiller the other day for her garden so i went adn scooped up that stuff and put it in a peanut butter jar for later

I think old Charlie Dobbins made his sifters out of cake pans with the bottoms cut out.

I use a standard sifter you can get from any dealer. Next year I may go to a grinder that way i can use the dirt around here.

Cool!!!

I just use an old wooden one. Nothin special.

Mine is made of hardwood, with mesh from an air filter for a bottom.

I had to cut out one corner to dump rocks and such out because the top lip is turned to the inside.

I use the the Texas Tea cup Heavymetal. Bought one at the Texas trappers convention last fall and boy am I glad I did! I now have one for me and one for my dad. I personally think that it leaves the old square sifters in the dust. Much easier to sift with, holds a very good amount of dirt easily, much easier on you hands and thumb when you're making a bunch of set in one day, and it is very tuff.

I have both the stainless and the aluminum ones. Both work very well, but I like the aluminum one because it's a little lighter.
I know these sifters are a little on the pricey side, but for ME they work much better then any of the square ones. The only thing that's bad about them is that they take a little more room in the bucket then some of dthe lower profile square types. I make it work though and for me it's worth the little more space.

LT

I made mine from an 8x8 cake pan (.45 cents from the Salvation Army store) and hardware cloth ($1.09 from local hardware store got enough to do 2 more). It was a good project for my daughter and I to work on together.

I make my own ---

Do It Yourself - Dirt Sifter

When caught in a pinch and needing a sifter and not wanting to purchase one through one of the trap supply houses. You can build your own.

All you need is an old 6 to 8 inch sauce pan. I usually get mine at garage sales, that part of the tip may keep you from sleeping with the puppies. Take a piece of 1/4 inch hail screen and place on the bottom of the pan. Mark every other hole until you have approximately two-third of the bottom of the pan marked. Then take a one-quarter inch drill bit and electric drill, drilling from the pattern you made, drill out each mark. Making sure to leave adequate space between each hole. I like to make the last 4 or 5 center holes a little larger, but that is a personal preference.

A colander pan works much better because the holes are already there, all you have to do is take a 1/4 inch drill bit and make them larger.

The reason I like this type of sifter is it gives your room for rocks and grass when making a set. The handle on the pan also makes it easier to use in tight spots.

You can also use a coffee can and a nail to make the holes, if in a pinch, if you can't find a sauce pan...