Sheet of wood/plastic with a grid of holes - does this exist?

[d000hg]

I'm imagining a shet of thinnish plywood or plastic sheeting which has a regular grid of round holes, diameter about 25-30mm.

Does anything like this exist and if so what would it be called?

The idea is to make a 'table' with this as the top, and put empty glass bottles in upside down to drain - so the hole is just big enough for the neck. Probably, being able to stack multiple units would be desirable. You can buy products for this purpose but I'd quite like to make something.

Of course I can buy a sheet of plywood and drill the holes, which was my original idea, but I figured it's good to know what's out there in case something exists which would fit my needs perfectly! If other standard materials might work, that are not quite what I've described, I'd be happy to hear suggestions.

 

[big-all]

peg board

 

[bernardgreen]

If the bottle is leaning even slightly then it's weight will exert some force of the edges of the hole and this might be too much for thin plywood.

A rod going up into the bottle would be a better option, suchh as 1/4 inch plastic rods into a 1/4 inch holes in plastic sheet. The sheet would need to slope slightly to allow water ( or other liquid ) drain away. Using the right materials it is possible to friction weld plastic rods into holes in plastic sheet. The rod has to be very slightly larger than the hole and have a slight taper such that the end millimetre or 2 just fits into the hole to align it. Then using an electric drill with torque limiting spin the rod it while pushing it into the hole. Heat from the friction will melt the plastic and then the rod will suddenly sieze up in the hole ( hence torque limiting ). When it cools it will be solidly welded into the sheet,

 

[d000hg]

Interesting, thankyou. My concern here is that the peg is touching the inside of the bottle... and that if the bottle mouth is flush with the base it can 'seal' and the water doesn't drain away - like putting a glass to dry on a glossy work-surface.

 

[Burnerman]

I think you are going to have to drill your own here....no big deal, you can make it any size you like. Mark out the grid carefully, use a flat bit to drill from both sides and you're done.
For a sheet thickness suggestion, say 22mm but not MDF if it can get wet in any way.
John

 

[rsgaz]

This is close to what you describe...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/301777593045

...but the diameters are too small, you'd need to drill them out with a cone drill to the right size. As John says though, MDF getting wet will ruin it.

Also, wouldn't you be better off with a hexagonal grid pattern as you will fit more bottles in the same amount of space?

Gaz

 

[d000hg]

Now we're getting technical... but yes you are totally right about the hex thing.

A thicker sheet - especially if a cone drill does as the name suggests and makes a tapering hole - would also grip the neck more so the bottles stay upright and wobble less (I think). Good tip about MDF. If I could find some discarded planks of real wood that would be great but if not I'll make sure to find something suitable - and probably paint or treat it in some way.

Looks like digging out my drill is in order - thanks for the advice.