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Drilling holes in sterilite tubs...

Kanchii

Kanchii

Active member
Ok, this is such a retarded question but I want to make sure I don't crack them and have to buy new ones.
My friend told me that once when he was drilling holes in a sterilite tub, the tub cracked. Is there a little trick? Like hammering a nail through first and then drilling the hole to make it wider?
Thanks!
 
There is a trick. Put the drill on a high speed, and don't push too hard. Let the bit do the work. I have done lots of these and I use a pretty small bit as well.
 
Use a soldering iron. Like a cheap little $10 one you can pick up at Radio Shack (or something like that). That way, it melts instead of forcing its' way through.

For drilling, as long as you don't push TOO hard, you shouldn't have a problem with cracks.
 
I use rabid chipmunks! the holes are jagged and the chipmunks demand free healthcare but hey... I go green where I can!
















































!ekoj etelpmoc a si evoba tsop eht
 
^LOL!

I vote soldering iron, too. Very cheap, very fast, no cracking. I just bought 3 85L bins today that need holes. For some reason I love doing it...it's so mindless.
 
LBoz said:
^LOL!

I vote soldering iron, too. Very cheap, very fast, no cracking. I just bought 3 85L bins today that need holes. For some reason I love doing it...it's so mindless.
Click to expand...

The thing that takes me the longest is measuring where I want to put the holes and marking it. I know it's not necessary...but it's one of those things I have to have just right. The perfect pattern and spacing of holes.
 
ZoologyGirl said:
The thing that takes me the longest is measuring where I want to put the holes and marking it. I know it's not necessary...but it's one of those things I have to have just right. The perfect pattern and spacing of holes.
Click to expand...

You would HATE my tubs. The holes are so random and sporadic. LOL. There's usually a uniform number on each side, but I don't measure diddly squat!
 
ZoologyGirl said:
The thing that takes me the longest is measuring where I want to put the holes and marking it. I know it's not necessary...but it's one of those things I have to have just right. The perfect pattern and spacing of holes.
Click to expand...

OCD much? :D I vote soldering iron, I got mine at Big Lots for a couple bucks. It's a little crooked, but hey I'm not building a radio just poking holes... remember to breath deep, yum... nothing like the smell of napalm in the morning...
 
I used to use normal drill bits but they often left attached shavings that took more time trying to get them all off. Now I use a special drill bit made for drilling through plastic. I think it was around $5 - $7 when I got it. I also stack my tubs together before drilling so I can go through 3 tubs at once. You still have to rotate the tubs to get the holes from top to bottom but it takes less time.

I also like the soldering iron method but it doesn't work well going through multiple tubs at a time.
 
I use a soldering iron... and I REALLY TRY to get things looking quite decent. I just don't succeed... EVER. LOL.

I don't remember who recommended it, but I recently took someone's advice to poke holes lower on one side of the tub than the other... that way there's more likely to be air flow. It sounds like good advice, so why not?? LOL.
 
I just got done drilling about 20 something holes on one side of this plastic container. Two rows, I'm thinking 10 in each row. I wanted to space them out perfectly with a ruler but I was lazy and used the small end of a razorblade to judge the holes. I did the entire top row this way and the bottom row I judged myself.. just with my eyes. Needless to say it's far from perfect and one of the holes is way off, but in spite of my OCD, I couldn't care less. The snakes will be happy.
 
I first started mine being really neat, by the time I got to the end, I did like Vinny and stacked them. They look a little more random, but I'm sure they work the same!
 
I just did 6 tubs today, 3 rows of 20 holes on the long sides, 3 rows of 12 on the short sides, with a soldering iron, no wonder I'm feeling happy :D ;)
 
i've never done this, but was thinking that if you had a piece of pegboard, you could lay that out along where you wanted to drill/solder your holes and then they would be evenly spaced and you wouldnt need to measure much of anything, just a thought, dont shoot me if the practicality of that suggestion is low.
 
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