Making screen box for rock collection

Screen box is an important tool for rock hounds to separate rocks from small particles, such as sand or mud.  During screening, the small particles fall through the screen while the larger particles stayed in the box. When collecting rocks from creeks (creeking), you can use dig up sediments and place it in the screenbox and allow the stream to flush away the dirt.  The rocks that are larger than the size of the mesh will retain in the box.  You can also use it during digging.  The difference is that you are using the gravity rather than the water flow to pull away the small particles.  The picture below is a twelve screen box with 1/2 inch mesh that can be simply made with four pieces of wood, a hardware cloth (metal screen) and a few nails.

Figure 1. 12 inches screen box with 1/2 inch screen size.  If desirable, you can use 1/4 inch hardware cloth to make 1/4 inch mesh screen.

How to make it?

1. Cut the wood strip board to four equal legth board to form the frame of the screen box with a metre saw or using a metre box if you are using a hand saw.

2. Nail the four corner of the board to form the box frame.

3. Cut the hardware cloth to the size slightly larger then the box.  Option A: If you would like to nail the edge with the hardware cloth, leave edge with sticking end, bend it ninety degree and nail them into the board.  Option B: Use a staple gun to nail the hardware cloth to the frame.

Option A, Nail to hardware cloth to the frame.

Option B Nail the hardware cloth to the frame with staple gun

Put the screen box to the test!