Shadetreefab

Welcome to this episode of alcohol fueled good ideas. Every one has cup holder rings on the out side, I wanted them on the inside to be different. acrylic seems to be the go to material that a lot of people are using. I wanted something to defuse the lights a little so I tried hdpe. All measurement are for older Malibu 3.5” cut out SS cup holders. Measure yours to check before starting. I started with some .750 white hdpe I had laying around from my last table. The inside diameter of a 3.75 hole saw fits just snug in the cup holder. So I used it to layout as many as I could. I used three different size holesaws, starting with 3.75, then 3.5, finally 3. Made all cuts .45 deep starting with the biggest working down. after that I flipped it over to score the 3.75 on the back side. I then took a router and took .1 off the backside. This doesn’t have to be pretty, just milling down for finished height. next I scored the back with the 3.75 and 3”. It helps give it a cleaner edge when drilling all the way through. flip it back over and drill the 3” all the way. then drill with the 3.75. You’ll end up with a ring stuck in the hole saw, gently remove it. On all drilling you have to clean the bit a lot, a couple times for each size, each hole. then take a razor knife and clean it up, have to cut the thin stuff off that was between the 3.75 & 3.5 hole. Finish it up with a little sandpaper. solder up your led strips. These are 5050 rgb. 5 links long. I test them before I seal up the end to make sure it’s working. I then seal the ends. I know my way of sealing is not for every one. But it’s worked for me for a long time. I cover the soldered end with hot glue then shrink tube. now the point of no return. Drill a pilot hole just above the the corner then follow it with a step bit to around 3/16 to 1/4. Make sure to clean the holes after drilling, no sharp edges. Insert the pig tail from inside to out. Start the led stripe just a little from the hole and wrap it around lights facing in. slide ring down at a little bit of an angle. You want to cover the soldered part first then work around pushing the strip back and ring down. after I like to check them agin before install. IMG_2578.MP4