After many years I am redoing my front planter boxes in stone. I have a spot that always gather water and I want t o put in a drain and have it exit out through a rail road tie, how to a cut a whole in it? DO I need a special tool? I have a drill and saws all. I plan on having the drain exit where the circular dark spot is on the rail road tie.

You might consider putting some type of pipe (PVC, metal, etc.) through the hole with a grommet or other seal on the inside to reduce any degradation in the future.

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doing my front planter boxes in stone. I have a spot that always gather water and I want t o put in a drain and have it exit out through a rail road tie, how to a cut a whole in it? DO I need a special tool? I have a drill and saws all. I plan on having the drain exit where the circular dark spot is on the rail road tie.

hole saw?

http://www.homedepot.com/b/Too...N-5yc1vZc9cmZ1z0sjde

Probably a extended length paddle or auger bit. Whole saw won't go through before bottoming out, you would have to take a hammer and pry bar to break it out and pieces as you go.

An auger style drill bit would do it. I would look for a bit that has a cut size equal to some common pipe diameter so you can sleeve the drain as mentioned above. It might look cool to sleeve it with a piece of brass or copper pipe.

A one inch hole will drain a LOT of water, you can get a 1 inch speed bit at most hardware stores. And I think a 3/4 Pvc will slide inside it.

is there any set back to those ties?


the thing you are trying to bore is called a weep hole.

check with the local tool rental place , they might rent you the bit that you need for $7.00 for the day.

If your railroad ties are fairly old, there's a good chance they're soaked in creosote, a toxic preservative that's been used in ties for a century. If that's the case, it's a good idea to seal the space between the PVC drain and the hole in the railroad tie you made. If you don't, the toxins fron the freshly-drilled hole can leach out.

Go to Harbor Freight and buy a cheap, long auger bit. I think the one I used was something like 18" long.

I used a long auger bit to drill holes in railroad ties to build my retaining wall. After drilling, I pounded in 1/2" rebar.

That was a shitty week.

I plan on putting a 4 inch drain pipe in.

If that tie is any good at all you will have a pretty decent project trying to drill a 4" hole through it.

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After many years I am redoing my front planter boxes in stone.

If you are using stone, why do you still have railroad ties?

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Originally posted by Valpo Fz:
I plan on putting a 4 inch drain pipe in.

With what?

Drilling much more than a 1" hole is going to be a pain in the ballsteins, primarily from a tool perspective. Hole saws that big aren't deep enough. Most auger bits that are long enough aren't big enough. Most consumer drills aren't made with that in mind.

I suppose a bunch of 1" holes and a bunch of work with a keyhole type saw would work, but be a lot of work.

Built a couple retaining walls and am now building a 100x7ft backstop for my range out of crossties. For most of the time I used a 18V drill and a 12" augur bit. Found it works easier on larger holes to drill a 1/4" or 3/8" pilot hole first. If you drill the pilot hole first then you can use a paddle drill fairly easy plus they are easier to find in larger sizes. As mentioned earlier these old ties contain creosote and if you are not familiar with it then read up on it as stuff can cause problems such as skin irritations. Since this a one time project the advise to go to Harbor Freight is a good one since the creosote basically dulls and ruins the bit for anything else and these babies ain't cheap.

Went back and re-read the part about the 4" pipe. You will not need that large of a drain. If you do not think a 1" will do the trick move over a few feet and put in another 1" and so on until you have enough. Go look at some professionally built retaining walls and look at the seep holes. Their purpose is to prevent water pressure building up behind the wall.

I agree with the others on the multiple smaller holes.

That said, if you have your heart set on a 4" hole, I would use a chain saw and plunge cut a square hole.

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Originally posted by Zecpull:
A one inch hole will drain a LOT of water, you can get a 1 inch speed bit at most hardware stores. And I think a 3/4 Pvc will slide inside it.

This^^^^^^^^^^^^^

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Originally posted by a1abdj:
That said, if you have your heart set on a 4" hole, I would use a chain saw and plunge cut a square hole.

For a hole that size this is really the only practical solution. A hole saw will quickly gum up as you heat it if those are actual RR ties.

Also keep in mind that unless you back dig behind the hole, whatever you use to make it will be shot after the first hole and hitting dirt.

4" is completely nuts. 1.5" spade bit with 6" extension is all you need. You will also need to drill dig out the other side of the hole and fill with #57 gravel or similar to allow it to drain as well as keeping dirt from plugging it. As others have said if you are concerned for some reason 1.5" won't be enough drill 2 or 3. Just make sure that you put the gravel on the other side at each hole or mud will clog it very quickly. A PVC sleeve through the hole is also a good idea as well.

OK well now I am going to have to change plans. I was going to put a drain in attached to a 4 inch slated pipe.