The door was about 24-30'' long by about 15-18'' high, looking at it with the barrel on its side. To center mount one axle I took 2x4 cut to fit on the outside ends of the barrel, drilled a hole that the 3/4'' pipe would slip through in the center of the 2x4 and the barrel, then bolted the 2x4 (on flat) to the barrel end with two 3/8 ( I think) bolts on each side of the center hole. Then slide the axle in, get it where you want it, then drill and bolt the axle and 2x4 together. So when the axle spins its fastened to the 2x4 which is fastened to the barrel and the barrel spins, simple enough. The frame is just crude 2x4 frame wide enough for the barrel to fit between the upright legs, and high enough for my wheelbarrow to fit under. My axle bearings, if you can call 'um that are a 1.25'' x 3'' pipe nipple setting on top each side of the frame legs, held in place with two hole conduit straps, the 3/4'' pipe slides right through with room to spare, which is a good thing as this where the friction comes from, I cut holes in the ends top and bottom so the brew can breath, I covered them with some hardware cloth. The only thing I should have done differantly was either have the door size closer to the size of the wheelbarrow or built the frame so the wheelbarrow would have gone in fron one of the ends, so as to prevent spillage when emptying it into a wheelbarrow. Because of this I found the besy way for me is to just let it dump on the ground then use a small shovel or trowel and scoop it into a bucket then take it to where ever I want, and leave whatever is left on the ground under the tumbler for later. The barrel was free I guess I've got about $50 in the pipe, fittings, hinges, 2x4s etc.

It's likely a mix of the three things you're wondering about. Sorry if you already know the info I'm suggesting, but this is likely your problem: It's important to remember that the microbes that will break down the waste need roughly a 30:1 carbon to nitrogen mix. The carbon is what they use for energy, thus the reason they need 30 times as much carbon as nitrogen. The nitrogen is used for protein synthesis. However, this doesn't mean that you add 30 "brown" parts to 1 "green" part. Waste isn't going to be pure carbon or pure nitrogen, the waste itself will have a carbon:nitrogen (C:N) ratio of it's own. The trick becomes knowing the C:N of what you're composting, and trying to get your overall pile to a nice 30:1 mix. Newspaper, for example has a high C:N ratio of about 175:1. So in order to effectively compost newspaper, you'd have to come up with a waste that is high in nitrogen... but even the highest "green" materials still have relatively high C:N ratio. Veggie scraps, for example still have around a 12:1 ratio. For a list of the C:N of basic compost materials, you can check this link, or do a Google search: http://www.composting101.com/c-n-ratio.html So let's say you're using newspaper (175:1), veggie scraps (25:1) and coffee grounds (20:1) to start your compost. Suppose you have equal amounts of each. The math would look like 175/1 + 25/1 + 20/1 = 220/3, or 73:1 ratio. Now you have a problem... too much carbon. With too much carbon, the pile will take much longer to break down, since the microbes don't have the ideal environment to flourish in. The solution is adding more "greens" to the mix, so you decide to throw grass clippings (20:1) in. In order to get close to the magical 30:1 ratio, you would have to add 3 extra parts grass... the final equation would look like 73/1 + 60/3 = 133/4 = 33:1 ratio. Close enough. So your final addition to the bin would have been 3 parts grass, 1 part newspaper, 1 part coffee grounds, 1 part veggie scraps. The point I'm trying to make is that it really helps to know what you're adding to your pile. It's also worth noting that even your "greens" still have a relatively high C:N ratio. Not that I'm saying to know the C:N of every single thing you throw in... but if you tend to use a lot of the same thing, you ought to know what the C:N is and thus know what kind of balance you're adding to the pile. In your specific case, it sounds like too much "brown" stuff. Paper isn't likely to help your problem. In fact, it will likely make it worse. I'd add some high nitrogen material in. Alfalfa pellets (or rabbit food), are pretty high in nitrogen (close to a 10:1). Aside from all that... yeah, not keeping it wet enough and not turning it often will also slow things down. It needs to be damp (like a wrung out sponge) and turned often to aerate. The microbes need air or they'll die. Like I said, it could be a combination of all these things. IMO, you should try getting the compost nice and damp, then make sure you're turning it regularly. If after a couple of weeks you aren't getting any heat going in the middle of the pile, or no brownish compost, it's probably time to add some higher Nitrogen material. Good luck, and don't give up. I also have had to learn the hard way that patience is a virtue... especially in terms of gardening!

OK, I have posted this before, but I use a variety of options and areas, and what I use for kitchen waste is 2 large plastic garbage cans (with lids ) with a lot of small ventilation holes. With this method, I "cold compost" (although sometimes it gets hot): I don't turn it except after it's all full and sitting aside, I might once in a while use my compost turn-whirlie thing in it, but the 2 cans lets me fill one, drag it aside ( I do have a kind of hidden area for these). Along with the kitchen veggie stuff I add just enought shredded paper, ripped up small boxes, maybe toss in some of my shredded leaves if needed for more dry stuff--the point is not to fill one can faster than the other can break down, so try to maximize its use for kitchen garbage. Can 1 does not turn completely to compost before I have to empty it, but may be partially cooked, and may have to cure somewwhere--either in the real compost pile or, you'd be surprised at how you can put partiall compost in some garden areas, start a new bed, or whatever--cover that with shredded leaves and in another month or 2, all is compost. I like the garbage cans because we have seen racoons, possums, and yes rats, out here in suburbia, and I don't put fruit and veggie material out in an open compost bin--only leaves, grass, plant trimmings and so forth.

Jan, I've done my compost tumbling as you're describing: in rubber tubs with bungee cords to keep the lids on. My only complaint is that I don't think the material got enough oxygen during the tumbling so it tended to get stinky. Now I'm using tubs but I pour it from one tub to the other (about 50 gallon containers 2/3 full) every other day. So far so good. So cheap!