A couple of years ago I got tired of making a mess with separating media and didn't feel like paying $70 for the large media seperators I have seen and decided to make my own.

I had the plywood, pvc pipe and storage bin already and picked up the hinges, latches, expanded mesh and flashing from Lowes for about $20.  The only tools used were a jig saw and cordless drill.

First thing is just deciding how big of a separator you want.  Since I already had the bin, I was constrained by its dimensions.  Mine ended up with 8 1/2" diameter x 14" wide (internal) and it will easily hold
over 1300 pieces of 223.  I also had to experiment with how deep to set the separator into the storage bin so as to not sling the tumbling media out and I ended up with the separator basically flush with the
top.  You will also need several inches clear underneath the separator because the media will pile up directly underneath the separator.  I also biased the cut towards the front which allows you to be able to
use the front edge of the bin to set the tumbler on as you pour the brass in.

As far as the actual construction, I just cut the two circles out of plywood and cut hole in the center for the pvc pipe.  I then cut a rectangle of the expanded mesh (the edges of this stuff are like razor wire
when cut) that would wrap about 60% of the way around the end plates.  I used some of the flashing to fold over one edge and then cut a piece of plywood to support the front of the mesh (without this,
the mesh tended to flex and allow brass to fall out while spinning).  

For the lid, I basicly did the same thing and have about inch of overlap on the hinged side and the wood supports clamp against each other with the latch and prevent any brass from getting out.  I also added
a small wood block about half way on the lid which keeps the separator from spinning as you are pouring the brass in.  

I then put the pvc pipe through the center and put one wood screw on each end to secure it and finally, I added a wood handle to spin it with.  

Overall, I am very pleased with how it turned out and the only drawback is the dust, but that dies down after a few uses (I use walnut lizard litter) with a little bit of polish added and some dryer sheets.

You know a cheap plastic colander from the local Dollar store works as well.

Well, there's "works" and "works well".  I use a colander-type thing too, the one that came with the tumbling kit from Cabela's, and while it separates the media from the brass, there's still a lot of hands-on work to dump all the media out of the cases that don't end up upside-down in the colander.  I'm sure these rotary units do a much better job of getting the media out of the cases.

They do, and this is a very nice homemade example.

AMEN!  I went ahead and spent about $35 and got a separator from Berry MFG  It makes me wonder why I waited so long to get one.  With the lid closed, you can spin the basket really hard and get almost every bit of media out of it.  The only thing that might be left would be bits of media in flash holes-which has nothing to do with how well your separator works.

I posted the link in the gateway thread.

The latches do work well and allow the separator to close with little effort  by cinching the lid down and preventing brass from falling out. I wasn't even sure what type I was going to use and then I found these at Lowes on clearance for something like $.99.

Brilliant design if I may point out that type of screen may dull the shoulders or mouth of your cases after a few times....keep us updated on if you find signs of wear or not .

I have not had issues with the cases being damaged with 50k+ of pieces of brass so far.  They are only in separator for 30 seconds or so and being turned by hand, there really isn't that much friction or force being exerted on the cases.

I take it the cylinder is too high to put the top on?  You could get another tub to put on top to keep from filling the room with dust.  I use the RCBS factory job, and thought I'd try it without the top.......once.!

Anyway, nice job...appears to do the job!

Very nice! I want to build one now, and retire my minnow trap..

The separator probably only sticks up about 3/4" above flush and I could probably lower the slot and make it flush and just put the original lid on it, but the dust isnt too bad now.  I actually get the most dust as I am pooring it in from the tumbler.

Well don't lower the slots on my account.  More important is to keep the cylinder high enough that the separated media remains below the cylinder when the last particle leaves the cylinder.