Whats the best thing to cut a hole with?

[jerkin247]

Whats the best thing to cut somewhat good looking hole for a large maybe 5-6inches in a rubbermaid tote and other plastics

 

[Integra21]

Whats the best thing to cut somewhat good looking hole for a large maybe 5-6inches in a rubbermaid tote and other plastics

adjustable hole saws are the best I've found. They go through the plastic lids fairly easy and allow you to cut holes for most net pots. Just remember to try a practice hole first, and make sure its the size you want before doing it to your actual tub. good cardboard will work for that. Here's a link so you get an idea what to look for, usually have at least 1 in with the drill bits and mine only cost $10 in store
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Power-Tool-Accessories-Drill-Bits-Hole-Saws/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zb8nb/R-100173974/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
And here are some pics of my tub i made with a similar bit

 

[matteodvr]

adjustable hole saws are the best I've found. They go through the plastic lids fairly easy and allow you to cut holes for most net pots. Just remember to try a practice hole first, and make sure its the size you want before doing it to your actual tub. good cardboard will work for that. Here's a link so you get an idea what to look for, usually have at least 1 in with the drill bits and mine only cost $10 in store
http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardware-Power-Tool-Accessories-Drill-Bits-Hole-Saws/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zb8nb/R-100173974/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
And here are some pics of my tub i made with a similar bit

thats good but if you cant aford that just heat up a knife and cut away it works

 

[jerkin247]

did you paint the outside of those tubs??

 

[Integra21]

yeah, they were clear, but gave them a couple of coats of black an masked off some fill level lines. works real good. you cant tell, but I also painted the lid black and then white again to keep the tub more light tight. Your roots will thank you if you do this.

 

[Illegal Smile]

I cut them with a utility knife but I hear those roto zip saws work well. But how many holes do you have to cut to make one of those worth the investment?

 

[redi jedi]

Get yourself a 100amp plasma cutter...it'll cut through that rubbermaid like butter!! It would also come in handy if you ever wanted to make your car into a convertible!! ha ha just kidding man

 

[hotboxhatchback]

+1 for utility knife - just be sure to cut in a direction that's away from your flesh or you'll loose a corner of your totin' chit.

 

[katwoman2012]

We have several holes cut in each of our three Sterlite cabs for ventilation. We bought a Dremel 4.8V cordless drill that came with a set of bits for about $25 at Walmart. Works wonderful and can just be plugged in for charging. We also used it to drill small holes for screw-in hooks holding all the chains for lights and fans up. Great product!!!

 

[jerkin247]

thats all great but you really cant find 3.5inch holesaws for a cordless drill. the adjustable ones seem to work the best sd of now but they hurt your hand a bit.

 

[omkara]

thats all great but you really cant find 3.5inch holesaws for a cordless drill. the adjustable ones seem to work the best sd of now but they hurt your hand a bit.

If you need to cut a hole for your 3.5in. net pots you can use a 3in. hole saw, you need the extra 1/2 inch for the lip of the net pot to hang. If you cut a 3.5 inch hole your net pots will just fall through the hole.
Here's a picture of mine.

I think the adjustable hole drill that matteodvr posted the link for is even better than the 3in. hole saw I purchased because you get more bang for ya buck with being able to make different size holes.

 

[Integra21]

yes, a good adjustable is the most cost effective if your going for perfect circles. I used a hair dryer and razorblade for my first lid and it took a little over an hour to put 10 holes in the lid and made my hand hurt like a s.o.b. I re-did the tub(pictures from earlier post) and used an adjustable from home Menards that cost $7 and I did the new 10 holes in under 5 minutes with no discomfort. Also got perfect circles which is much harder to do with any bladed weapon...