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Ever need to drill drainage holes in ceramic pottery? Its really easy, and only requires a diamond coated 14 mm (5/8 inch) drill bit. There are just a few pointers to assure easy drilling: (1) turn pot upsidedown and flood the surface with water; (2) start drilling at a 10-15 degree angle to get the drill bit started, before drilling vertically; (3) use light-to-moderate pressure to assure a relatively clean cut to the interior. See photo sequence and part description.

I got my drill bit via Ebay for $3.86 including shipping direct from Hong Kong, took 14 days to arrive. But I saw a recent add for the same item for just $2.99 shipped. After drilling 17 holes in 15-20 minutes, the drill bit remained sharp, most likely since the drilling process was kept cool with water.

For large pots, simply drill more holes rather than purchasing a more expensive, large-diameter drill bit. Its something anyone (or nearly so) can succeed.

wow darad--good for you! Thanks for sharing--I've often wondered how to put drain holes in pottery but figured it was impossible without total breakage....

Just ordered a 22 mm ceramic drill bit for large pots, just $3.70 shipped across the globe.

Even glass jars with the 14mm drill ...


and large Ceramic pots using the 22 mm drill ...


voila ...

Thank you for this tutorial! I've just started gardening (basil, chives, lemon verbena, and tomatoes) and would like to repurpose some old glass & ceramic pieces for this purpose!

I would have never thought of that. I wish I had a handy guy around like you.