Cutting out the holes in the lids to accommodate the pots and grow media.
I thought about using a razor knife, but thought it was going to leave jagged edges, that may rip or tear with weight and heat. I came up with the compass cutter from a tool I purchases to draw 6 foot radius circles for a stained glass church window I made. The tool is designed to hold a center point pin and lead that is used for a Schaffer mechanical pencil. The tool fits on a yard stick I modified it by taking the lead out and replacing it with a finishing nail sharpened on the end used to score repeatedly the rubber maid lid till it cut 1/2 way through, then it was scored from the other side till it caused the cut out to separate from the lid.
The rubber maid material is easy to score like this - but if you try to use a drill, spade bit or hole saw it will fail, and rip the rubber. It might be possible to hole saw it if the lid is sandwiched between plywood to this catching and ripping. Test holes after each cut. I give the holes a light sanding to remove any left over debris from the cut.
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Drilling out for the drain hole.
I used a spade bit the one that has tabs on the outer edge of the bit that cuts in about 1/32" almost and the thickness of the material. The thickness is about 1/8". So if you cut a little from the front, then a little from the backside it will produce a perfect hole and not rip the container and set you back a few bucks. Note there was no material removed from the center of the hole, be gentle.
This is a very handy fitting for connecting a leak proof drainage hole. Make sure you have 2 rubber washers on the inside of a container with a curved surface - this aids the seal on the curved surface. I apply a little bead of silicon to the surfaces that will come in contact with the inside surfaces, this includes between the washers. On the barbed x thread x flange fitting the big white fitting here - for lack of a name...I will place some silicon then add the rubber washer. Use a slot screw driver to push the washer up against the silicone surface gently - then silicon the second rubber then attach the drain fitting to the storage device pail -bucket - etc. Remember the rubber fittings against the flange go on the inside of the pail...Watch it closely as you tighten the nut on this fitting - the silicon will have a lubricant affect and over tightening may cause the washer to slip out - you can tighten more if needed when the silicon is set.
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Container support.
This is what the sections will look like but with more wood covering the skeleton figure and white paint. Add a canopy to protect from hail and to support the solar panels. I will even use a white sheet to protect the plant as I attempt to harden them off.
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I hope this helps some newbie’s with this style of design. I Now have the wood painted and was going to assemble it in the yard - but guess what - it is frackin snowing.