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.
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