The wood and wire stationary 3-bin system is a very popular and well constructed bin for the homeowner to use.  If constructed properly with the right materials and when placed in the right location, you can have an efficient compost system that will not look out of place in your yard.  The 3-bin system is perfect for the homeowner who wishes to compost yard wastes and some food products.  However, this size of bin may be too much for some owners, in that case, you can simply follow the same directions and just build one or two boxes.  The advantage of having more than one bin is that one can have a bin for the pile being built (as ingredients are accumulated over a period of time) and another one (or more) for a pile already built that is in a more advanced stage of decomposition.  When you start using a system like this, build your pile in one of the bins. When this bin becomes full, 'turn the pile' by transferring it to the adjacent bin (a garden fork or similar tool will help). This will aerate the pile and hasten decomposition.  An alternative of having to manually turn your compost pile is to intrudes red worms and let them do the process for you.   In a three bin system, you might start by building a pile in the leftmost bin. The original pile is turned into the middle bin when it's time to begin building another pile, aerating it to accelerate the composting process. Another pile is then built in the leftmost bin. When that pile is completed, the old pile (which is now in the middle) is turned a final time into the rightmost bin for finishing, and the just built pile is turned into the middle bin, making the leftmost bin available for yet another pile. Finished compost will eventually be removed from the rightmost bin.

    Materials needed for construction

        Materials:
                - 2 18 ft. 2X4's (I suggest using untreated lumber, due to chemical treatments on treated lumber)
                - 4 12 ft. or 8 6 ft. 2X4's
                - 19 ft. and 2 6 ft. 2X4's
                - 1 16 ft cedar 2X6
                - 9 6 ft. cedar 1X6's
                - 22 ft. of 36" wide 1/2" hardware cloth
                - 12 1/2" carriage bolts 4" long
                - 12 washers and 12 nuts for bolts
                - 3 lb.. of 16d galvanized nails
                - 1/2 lb. 8d galvanized casement nails
                - 250 poultry wire staples
                - 1 12 ft. and 1 8 ft. sheet of 4 oz. clear corrugated fiberglass
                - 3 8 ft. lengths of wiggle molding
                - 40 gasket aluminum nails
                - 2 3" zinc-plated hinges for lid
                - 8 flat 4" corner braces with screws
                - 4 flat 3" T-braces with screws

    Directions for construction

            Build Dividers:
            Cut two 31 1/2" and two 36" pieces from each 12-foot 2X4. Butt end
            nail the four pieces into a 35" X 36" square. Repeat for other three
            sections. Cut four 37" long sections of hardware cloth, bend back
            edges 1". Stretch hardware cloth across each frame and staple
            screen tightly into place every 4" around edge.

            Set Up Dividers:
            Set up dividers parallel to one another 3 feet apart. Measure and
            mark centers for the two inside dividers. Cut four 9-foot pieces out of
            the two 18-foot 2X4 boards. Place two 9-foot base boards on top of
            dividers and measure the positions for the two inside dividers. Mark
            a center line for each divider on the 9-foot 2X4. With each divider line
            up the center lines and make the base board flush against the outer
            edge of the divider. Drill a 1/2" hole through each junction centered
            1" in from the inside edge. Secure base boards with carriage bolts,
            but do not tighten yet. Turn the unit right side up and repeat the
            process for the top 9-foot board. Using the carpenter's square or
            measuring between opposing corners, make sure the bin is square,
            and tighten all bolts securely. Fasten a 9-foot-long piece of hardware
            cloth securely to the back side of the bin with staples every 4"
            around the frame.

            Front Slats and Runners:
            Cut four 36"long 2X6's for front slat runners. rip cut two of these
            boards to 4 3/4" wide and nail them securely to the front of the
            outside dividers and baseboard, making them flush on top and
            outside edges. Save remainder of rip cut boards for use as back
            runners. Center the remaining full width boards on the front of the
            inside dividers flush with the top edge, and nail securely. To create
            back runners, cut the remaining 2X6 into a 34" long piece and then
            rip cut into four equal pieces, 1 1/4"X2". Nail back runner parallel to
            front runners on side of divider leaving a 1" gap for slats. Cut all the
            1X6 cedar boards into slats 31 1/4" long.

            Fiberglass Lid:
            Use the last 9-foot 2X4 for the back of the lid. Cut four 32 1/2" 2X2s
            and one 9-foot 2X2. Lay out into position on ground (see illustration
            above) and check for squareness. Screw in corner braces and
            T-braces on bottom side of the frame. Center lid frame brace side
            sown on bin structure and attach with hinges. Cut wiggle board to fit
            the front and back 9-foot sections of the lid frame. Pre drill wiggle
            board with 1/8" drill bit and nail with 8d casement nails. Cut
            fiberglass to fit flush with front and back edges. Overlay pieces at
            least one channel wide. Pre drill fiberglass and wiggle board for each
            nail hole. Nail on top of every third hump with gasket nails.

    The above information on materials used and how the construct the 3-bin compost system was provided by Stu Cambell's
book "Let It Rot".

    There are a number of different compost bins available to you on the market, and many that can be constructed personally, it just depends what style you like and can afford.  I prefer the 3-bin system above, that is why I included specific details on how to contruct it.

    Below are some pictures of some of the different bins and tools that are available on the market.

   
 Compost Chopper and Poker

Speedibin ( A metal bin that is small and designed for small scale composting)

    Biobox Bin ( Another single unit enclosed metal bin for small scale use)
 

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