How To Make A Coarse Mesh Sieve From Scratch

A coarse mesh sieve can be a useful tool post SHTF. There are many jobs a sieve can do such as removing rocks from a garden, canning vegetables, draining water from noodles or sorting gravel according to size, etc. etc.

Making a sieve with large holes (coarse mesh) is relatively easy compared to making a fine mesh sieve. And actually it is also possible to make a fine sieve using this method; it will just be a slower sieve that doesn't let through much material very quickly.

Making a coarse material sieve can be as simple as finding or making a sheet of solid plastic or finding a sheet of metal. To turn either of these into a coarse sieve you simply drill holes through the material numerous times to make the sieve holes. Drill them to the size you need for the task at hand. Just keep in mind you can always make the holes bigger, but you can't easily make them smaller again.

Tips to consider:
1. If using metal and you do not have a drill, you can punch holes through the metal using a hammer and a nail. Remember to always punch the holes from the top down. This allows the material to be sifted an easier route through the sieve. Punching through from the bottom upward will raise the bottom of the sieve upwards and also create jagged edges that will restrict flow through the sieve. Think about raised hills with holes on top versus a funnel with the hole at the bottom of the depression.

2. Don't put the holes too close together where the sieve could break. The thicker the strands between holes the stronger they sieve will be. Of course the closer the holes the more holes you will have and the faster the sieve will work. It is a trade-off you will have to deal with and decide on, faster vs stronger.

3. There are many premade materials such as a laundry basket that might serve your purpose without any modification.

It really can be that simple.