Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hiya folks

I am planning on cutting some 220lts drums end to end for GBs.

What I was interested in are the ways that folks have cut their drums [as in the tools used]

The drums are the type with the full screw off lids, so I will have to make ends for them [any ideas?]

Cheers

A raking jigsaw with a double toothed plastics blade works well.
Before cutting in half (I assume lengthways) make a small incision so that you can reinsert the blade once the lid is screwed back on. Screw lid back on and cut in half then silicone (sikaflex) the half lid in place and allow to dry. This should leave you with two equal halves.
Alternatively you may get a better seal if you do the incision then glue the lid in place and allow to dry before completing the cut. Then apply a second seal of goop to the thread/wall join.

The best [and 99% of ap people use ] is a diamond tipped tyle saw blade in a small angle grinder

finer the better, less nasty dust to be wary of. I normally use a metal cutoff disk, they work well, but diamond causes less dust in face.

A diamond tipped saw blade in an angle grinder revving at 10,000rpm has gotta melt the plastic?? I've used just about every cutting tool on plastics (chainsaw included) but never a tile blade in an angle grinder - must give it a go.

Thanks for the clues guys, I really want these to work so that I can start getting another system online. I have 4 drums so by my reckoning that should mean an extra 880lts of GBs.

On a side note, what capacity sumtank would serve this much GB area, i.e. 880lts of new beds and possibly another 100lt GB for Mushroom plants, the current sump is 1500lts.

It will give the best cut guaranteed
i would post a photo of the setup but to many beers to wander around in the dark

Cheers and half ya luck

If you cut them in half horizontally, so you get two round tubs, how do you seal the end that has the lid so it stays waterproof?

read post #2

I think I'd cut them in half around the middle (the way OBO does his grow beds) I would worry about the barrel bowing and such and the screw on end not staying in place well if cut the long way. Barrels cut around the middle to make two round beds have the advantage of supporting themselves and not needing additional supports as well as being somewhat easier to balance flow rates for auto-siphons. That said, I have barrels cut both ways.

I've always just cut my barrels with a circular saw, worked just fine for me. We have a metal/plastic cutting blade which might help though but those blue barrels are pretty easy to work with.

Minor melting is good, it keeps the dust down.
gives a nice clean cauterised cut

Nope... no melted plastic...


Nice smooth neat cut...

Ta muchly.

Yup just like that excepting not everybody's cuts are quite as neat as that... I'm told it helps if you draw a line rather than guessing