After the straw was removed, the grain was piled up using various tools such as shovels, forks, rakes or brooms. The grains were then separated from unwanted particles such as chaff, straw fragments and ears, damaged grains, pebbles and weed seeds. This separation was mainly done with two methods: ventilation, which used air, and sifting, which consisted of separating the grains in a large sieve called a sieve. Often, the two methods were combined, later replaced by the modern thresher that beats and winnows simultaneously.