RECYCLED AUTO-WATERING DISH FOR PETS

A recycled project for your pets! This watering dish refills as the pet drinks the water.
Materials
1 empty 1.5 liter soft drink bottle with cap
1 RubberMaid 1 pint storage container, no lid
1 3lbs. ground beef container from meat counter
1 assembled wood frame
11 1/4" x 7 1/8" x 2 1/4"

See attached photos and drawing below.

Cut a hole about 1 3/16" or size of bottle cap diameter, in the bottom of the storage container. Cut a 5/8" hole in the top of the bottle cap as shown in the photo below.

Place the bottle cap into the hole that was cut in the bottom of the storage container with open threaded end of cap facing away from the container. As shown in the photo below. Using your hot glue gun run a bead of glue around the outside and inside of the container where it makes contact with the bottle cap as in photo below(keep the cap as straight as you can so your bottle stands properly). Cut a 1/2" hole in the side of the container as in photo below. Locate hole about 1 3/8" up from the open end of container

Place the RubberMaid container and bottle cap assembly into the center of the ground beef container and attach with a bead of hot glue. See first photo at the top of post.

To make the wood base cut 2 strips of 3/4" thick by 2 1/4" wide by 11 1/4" long. Cut 2 more strips of 3/4" x 2 1/4" x 7 1/8" long. Cut a 45 degree angle on both ends of all 4 pieces( acrossed the 3/4" section). Glue the 4 pieces together to form a rectangular base as seen in the drawing below. (If you use a different size tray you will have to adjust base measurements). Paint the base to desired color. Set the beef tray into the wooden base, fill the tray with water upto the hole in the RM container, fill the soda bottle with water and tip into bottle cap and tighten into place. As your pet drinks the water in the tray down below the hole in the RM container the water in the bottle will flow out refilling the tray back to the level of the hole and then stop.

Notes: If you don't have an old RubberMaid container youcan use any similar food container like a small fruit cup container. The same with the meat tray, it can be subsituted with similar tray. The same plan can be scaled up or down in size to suit your needs. just note that the larger you go the heavier the water bottle will get so recycle stronger materials accordingly.
If you don't have the means to cut a 45 degree angle on wood pieces just do a butt joint using 2 pieces 11 1/4" and 2 pieces 5 5/8".