Fine Compost shredder - does it exist or have I invented it?

[Alan_b]

I have taken to making my own leaf mould but what I end up with is still quite coarse with some leaves and the central spine of the leaf still intact even after two years.  So I am wondering if there is something I can use to chop it up more finely?  I have a shredder with a 'corskscrew' blade which is fine for small branches but this material would pass straight through that.  What I would like is something that chops more finely with a wide and low entry point that can be loaded by the spade full.  I suppose it might need to incorporate a sieve to ensure that anything too large for the cutters does not get in.  Does such a thing exist or have I just invented a new garden implement?   

[Palustris]

Would this sort of thing help?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Gardening/Rotary-Garden-Soil-Compost-Sieve-Riddle-400mm/B01D0AA2E0/ref=s9_simh_gw_g60_i2_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=WEWEV7K0SY8YG7YZJS41&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=16f14aeb-bd11-4e9e-8c26-9ca0139074ee&pf_rd_i=desktop

[Darren]

What you need is a big version of the Fritsch mills we use for preparing soil and veg samples for lab analysis. It won't be cheap though....

http://www.fritsch-international.com/sample-preparation/milling/cutting-mills/

[Alan_b]

Would this sort of thing help?

Thank you, Palustris; I had already discovered and ordered one of those between posing my question and reading your reply - so I will know in due course whether it helps.  But long narrow objects like the spine of a leaf will pass through a sieve so ideally I still need something that will chop them up.  The cutting mill suggested by Darren might do that job but I need a cheaper and more cheerful equivalent.

[Palustris]

Our daughter used one of those machines to which I linked. The compost she created was as good and fine as anything I have seen. Much of the start material was leaf mould like yours and it did seem to break up the ribs.

[Alan_b]

I purchased exactly the same rotary sieve suggested by Palustris (it has gone up in price since).  I put it to first use last weekend and it really did produce the most wonderful fine compost from starting material with lots of coarser bits.  I am very pleased with it.  After a while, I worked out that I could use two stout canes to position the sieve over a spare plastic dustbin, just above the top.  This caused the sieved material to fall into the bin and meant that I could fill the bin to capacity.  It doesn't require huge physical strength to turn the handle but the continued effort gets a little tiring so I would not want to fill more than one bin a day.       

[Palustris]

Very pleased it worked for you. Price of these things always seems to be rather flexible.
Better exercise than a treadmill!