Q for Tapla - drill bits

18 years ago

A while ago you posted a picture or a link to a photo of the kind of drill bit that one should use for drilling a hole in a pot. If you still have that pic or link could you repost it, or mail it to me?

Also, when attempting to drill the hole, to avoid too many vibrations that might crack the pot (the pot is on the thin side, and I believe it's the ceramic type of pottery), should I place the pot right-side up on a piece of wood and drill from the inside? How hot will this get? I'm not sure I trust placing the pot upside down and drilling from the outside - I don't have a post or anything else to upend the pot over.

Should I buy a small bit and make more than one hole or should I drill a single bigger hole? The goal here being to minimize the chance of the pot breaking. This is the first time I'll be attempting this so I don't really know what I'm doing :-)

Thanks

Featured Answer

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

18 years ago

If the pot means something to you, you could take it to a glass company & ask them to drill it for you. We charge $8 for a hole in glass, but if the pot is soft, it might be half that. We use turpentine as a coolant/lubricant, but I think the best way for you to drill is turn pot upside down in a tub. Fill with water until it barely covers the part of the pot you will be drilling. Drill hole from the bottom up (which is actually going to be from the top down as you will have it oriented. Use just enough pressure to insure the bit is cutting. The bit should do the work - not you.

There is no advantage to drilling more than one drain hole in a container unless you think it will not be level. A dozen holes won't cause any more water to drain from containers than a single hole. It might drain a little faster, but container soils should drain so quickly it would be a non issue. Who cares if it takes 60 instead of 30 seconds to drain a pot? ;o)

The drills are called spade drills or spear-point drills. You can find them at good hardwares or big box home improvement stores. If you can't find, contact me & I'll see that you get one.

Good luck

Here is a link that might be useful: Come with me & I'll show you what they look like.

Comments (7)

bonniepunch
Original Author
18 years ago
Thanks - that's a good idea, to see if a glass company will do it, especially since it is a nice pot I'd hate to wreck. I'm a bit nervous about trying to drill it in a tub full of water - my drill is quite heavy and has a cord, I have weak wrists, and the wiring in my bathroom is badly done. I'd hate to electrocute myself :-)

I'll have a look around to see if I can find a spade drill. There're several large and small hardware stores nearby, so If I can't get it done for me, I shouldn't have too hard a time finding what I need.

If I have to do it myself I think I'll practice on a couple of cheap terra cotta pots first - maybe I can find a less nerve wracking way to keep it cool and deal with the vibrations. Do you have any other suggestions that I could try that don't make me worry about dropping the drill in a bunch of water? I'm a big whimp. I know :-)

BP
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
18 years ago
OMG - I'd never call anyone a wimp for not wanting to get zapped. ;o) I forgot people still use those things (drills with cords). Almost everything we use is 24V battery operated now. Good thinking on your part, though you could still do the same operation w/o immersing the pot. Just fill a contact lens solution bottle with water or turpentine & use it to keep the drilling area flooded during the operation. If your pot isn't hi-fired, it will drill very easily. If it is, it will be more time consuming, but you can still do it.

Al

Does it ring when you rap it with your knuckles? If not, it's probably not hi-fired.
bonniepunch
Original Author
18 years ago
Hehe.

My drill is actually only a couple of years old - I used to have a cheap crappy cordless one, but when it stopped holding a charge I decided to get one with a cord to replace it. Those decent battery operated ones are way too heavy for me to hold steady. They make them for beefy guys with lots of arm strength, not weak-wristed girls :-). DH whishes I got a cordless one, but since I'm the main tool user, I pick 'em.

It seems that this pot definately rings when rapped. I guess it's hi-fired then. So if/when I drill it, I'll get some turpentine and try as you suggest. Would you recommend buying two or three sizes of spade drills, and drilling a small hole first, then enlarging it with a larger size, or is that too much stress? Should I just drill the size I want right off the bat?

I might just go for a fairly small hole anyhow, just to stay on the safer side. I usually use wicks to help with drainage, so it doesn't need to have great gaping openings at the bottom.

Thanks for all the help, by the way :-)

BP
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
18 years ago
No advantage to drilling increasingly larger holes and no sense in spending the loot for more than 1 drill bit. ;o)

Al
OUTofSPITE
18 years ago
YIKES, Bonnie!

1. Water
2. Electric Drill
3. Heavy
4. Weak Wrists
5. Bad wiring

That's a recipe for disaster if I ever heard one!
LOL!

I like Al's advice to take it to a glass company.
That's what I'd do... and I have strong wrists!

;o)
bonniepunch
Original Author
18 years ago
Yeah - I'm going to have a look around and see if I can get someone who knows what they're doing to drill the hole. If not, I'll upend it on some foam and try it myself, but I'm not going to do it in the tub :-)

My hair sticks out enough on it's own :-)

BP