How much room around a tube in a weed pot?

[Brian Kent]

I am thinking of buying some plastic test tubes to make a bunch of weed-pots (or single-stem flower in water) pots for a church craft fair.

How much extra room should I allow for glue around the tube?

The options for plastic test-tubes are 13mm wide (just over 1/2") or 16mm wide (just over 5/8"). Drill bits get more expensive over 1/2" so I don't want to buy several and try them out. I will wait until the test tubes come so I can measure real outside diameter, but then how much extra space should I allow or glue or wood movement?

I also am looking at 100mm long vs 150mm long. Might be a price difference from 4" to 6" if drill depth.

And my final question for the moment, this will be end grain drilling in various random pieces of wood. I assume I want a regular twist drill. How about a brad point or spade bit (I assume not because it will be end grain.). Maybe forstner?

[Curt Fuller]

Brian, I've never used the plastic tubes. Mine have always been glass. The tubes I got from CSA were sold as 3/4" and a 3/4" drill bit (regular twist drill bit) worked just right leaving a hole just large enough to slide the tube in and out without much play. But I've also never glued them in. The tubes from CSA are flared at the top so after you drill the hole you can turn a small recess for the flared end to sit in and be flush with the top of the pot. http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/4/-/12/56/-/5278/Turners-Select-Flared-Vase-Tube?term=glass+tubes I don't see any problem with gluing them in though. When I looked up the glass tubes I saw they also sell plastic tubes now. http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/p/4/-/12/56/-/4586/Apprentice-Vase-Tubes That might be a better way to go. I've have a few people pick up the pot and dump the glass tube out and break it.

[Tom Wilson66]

Seems to me you would want to remove the tubes occassionally to clean them.

[robert baccus]

Ever consider pouring a polyester or epoxy resin in and pouring the excess out. It's plastic liquid yeah. Fit's every time.

[Richard Jones]

Brian,

You can make your own easily enough by using some tubing from Lowes, HD, hardware store, etc. Cut to length, then use hot glue to make a "plug" for the bottom. One advantage to this is that the tubing always retains its "memory" from the roll from whence it came, and it stays in the vase easily, even in an enlarged hole.

I make "a lot" of vases for the wife's flower shop and use this method. Easy and cheaper than buying ready-made tubes.

Hope this helps.

[Dale Gillaspy]

I have used the glass tubes from CSUSA. I over drill them by about 2mm and put a small dab of a flexible adhesive in to hold the tube. This will allow wood movement without the worry of the glass breaking.

[Mike Peace]

I just made one today with a glass insert. I drilled first with a 1/2" twist drill and then followed up with a 3/4" forstner with an extension shaft. I have no plans to glue mine.

[Jeff Gilfor]

Made 6 for Christmas presents last year. All were glass inserts from Craft Supplies USA. Drilled holes with forstener bit about a 16th inch larger than the tube diameter. Used silicon caulking to glue them in. Worked like a charm. The silicon sealed them in and allowed for expansion and contraction without cracking the glass. I even pierced a couple, to make them partially see through. The clear caulking did not detract from the appearance at all.

[Eddie Howard]

you guys show us some of the finished product please.

[Brian Kent]

I ordered 25 of the 13mm (.51") plastic test tubes for $5 on Amazon, along with a 17/32" (.53") drill bit. Home depot has the next size drill bit, 9/16" (.56") if I need a bit more room. I like the idea of using silicon caulk to hold them inside while absorbing wood movement.

Thank you for your ideas and experience, and yes, I would like to see your finished product too.