Easiest Way to Cut a Circle in Bottom of a Plastic Garbage Can?

December 2, 2019

last modified: December 2, 2019

I am trying to make a custom sieve, installing a reinforced stainless steel filter at the bottom of a garbage can. I will use that to remove fine dust particles from pumice and lava soil amendments that I pour in bulk into the garbage can and then hose down. I need a tool that would let me cut a perfect circle of about 16 inches diameter (it could be a little less than 16" so that is not a hard requirement) into a hard plastic bottom of a garbage can.

I am trying to do this on the cheap so I do not want to invest in a drill press and a special tool adapted to that. I would be okay with drilling a simple hole in the center of the can and then using a hand tool to carve out the circle. Does anyone make such a tool? Would the tool be sufficiently powerful to cut through a hard thick PVC layer at the bottom of the garbage can?

Comments (8)

mike_kaiser_gw
You’d need a pretty big drill press to drill a 16” hole...

One option would be a circle cutting jig and a router. Most large trash cans I’ve seen don’t have flat bottoms so you might have to screw a piece of plywood to the bottom the trash can to give you a flat surface to run the router on. You could probably rent the router if you don’t have one or aren’t willing to purchase one.
December 2, 2019
westes Zone 9a California SF Bay thanked mike_kaiser_gw
Seabornman
I think aviation snips would work, if it's not too slippery to cut. Harbor Freight has inexpensive ones.
December 2, 2019
westes Zone 9a California SF Bay thanked Seabornman
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westes Zone 9a California SF Bay
@mike_kaiser_gw, if I had a drill press I would use a circle cutting tool, but the ones I found are specifically designed for a drill press. A jigsaw circle cutting guide would be another way to go, but honestly I was looking for a simpler solution that could be done with a tool alone. I guess the hack solution would be to print out a circle on a piece of paper, nail that to the bottom of the can, and use hand snips to cut around the circle. That won't be professional and if a good tool existed under about $30 I would buy it instead.
December 2, 2019
westes Zone 9a California SF Bay
@Seabornman some good aviation snips are probably worth having anyway. Do you have a cheap brand you like? What about these Dewalts? How are the right and left angle snips used? I guess I only need a straight cut for most jobs?
December 2, 2019last modified: December 2, 2019
Seabornman
I have been doing a lot of sheet metal work on a roof this last year. I like the Wiss brand. You need a left and a right for most things. I've never owned a straight. I have conventional tin snips for straight cuts that I never use as they won't cut anything but thin stock. The right and left refers to the offset and which way the metal curls up. It's very frustrating to not have both at hand when making something. You could probably get by with one for your project as you can cut in one direction the whole circle.
December 3, 2019
westes Zone 9a California SF Bay thanked Seabornman
Jim Mat
I had to cut a circle in a piece of plywood for a gable Mount fan installation.

I marked the circle with a piece of string and marker. Drilled a multiple holes and cut out the opening with a jig saw.
December 3, 2019
westes Zone 9a California SF Bay thanked Jim Mat
westes Zone 9a California SF Bay
@Seabomman so how does this work with the left and right snips? If I am cutting a circle counter-clockwise, I use the left-oriented snip, moving in the direction of the cut?
December 3, 2019
toxcrusadr
As you cut, one side of the material goes 'up' and the other goes 'down' as though you are unzipping it as you cut. Best to think about which side of the cut you want the material to go up and which should go down. I'd say if cutting counterclockwise, the piece you are removing should go up - usually the best way for the scrap/cutoff to go.

This site: https://www.ise.ncsu.edu/processes/laboratory-equipment/various-hand-tools/hand-tools-snip-safety/

says you would want a left-handed snips for a left curving cut. Those are normally the green ones. And definitely get offset ones so you can stay above the cut with your hand.
11 hours ago
westes Zone 9a California SF Bay thanked toxcrusadr

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Easiest Way to Cut a Circle in Bottom of a Plastic Garbage Can?

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