choose an appropriately sized bin that has flush sides so there are no tempting bumps to chew
choose a hardware cloth that is 1/2 an inch or less (1/4 inch)
choose nuts, bolts, washers that will fit your desired hardware cloth
purchase a glass/plastic cutter (you will cut out the “windows” to the bin with this tool)
purchase a wood burning tool (you will melt the raw edge on the “windows” with this tool and you will also use this tool to melt holes for your bolts to go through)
purchase a wire cutter for your hardware cloth
take your hardware cloth and unroll it partially, you will get an idea of how much you would like to use where on the bin in front of you.
cut the hardware cloth to the desired length and width for your bin. make sure you leave no sharp edges as these may cut you or your animals. you will need three pieces total (one longer side for the “front” of the bin, and the two shorter sides.
place your cut pieces onto the desired spots on your bin to make sure you have the correct sizes and trim the hardware cloth as needed to fit the bin appropriately.
once you have your desired pieces, TAKE ONE PIECE OF HARDWARE CLOTH AND PLACE IT ON THE CORRESPONDING BIN SIDE, WHILE HOLDING THE HARDWARE CLOTH PIECE IN PLACE, take a marker and mark off roughly 2 to 3 “squares” away from the edge of the hardware cloth onto the bin (you do not want the bin hole to be the same size as or larger than what the hardware cloth Is INTENDED to cover.) make sure you do not place the hardware cloth too low on the bin as you should leave 1.5 to 2 inches of room for bedding plus “safe guard” for the animal(s) to throw some bedding around.
removed the hardware cloth and double check that the marking you made is LESS THAN the size of your cut piece of hardware cloth. ideally by an inch so you have some leeway on a poor cut.
use your cutting tool to gently work your cut in. once you have a groove that matches the marker as best as possible, go ahead and apply some pressure (not too much or you will crack the bin.)
remove the “window” of bin you have just cut and place the hardware cloth back on to make sure the cut was correct (if the cut is too large, go back to your roll of hardware cloth and cut a larger piece.)
once you are happy with your cut, use the wood burner and run it over the raw cut edge to smooth it out.
place your hardware cloth on the bin with the corresponding “window” and WHILE HOLDING IT IN PLACE WITH ONE HAND, mark spots for your bolts to go through ( we do 4 TO 6 ON EACH LONG SIDE, 2 TO 4 ON EACH SHORT SIDE.)
REMOVE THE HARDWARE CLOTH, GRAB YOUR WOOD BURNER AND BURN HOLES WHERE YOU PREVIOUSLY MARKED OFF (MAKE SURE NOT TO MAKE THEM TOO LARGE THAT YOUR BOLTS SLIP COMPLETELY THROUGH/SO LARGE YOUR ANIMAL(S) CAN CHEW AT THE HOLE.)
GRAB THE HARDWARE CLOTH AND HOLD IT IN ONE HAND ON THE INSIDE (NOTE THIS IS IMPORTANT SO YOUR ANIMAL(S) DO NOT CHEW AT THE EXPOSED BIN EDGES,) GRAB A BOLT AND SLIP IT THROUGH ONE OF THE HOLES YOU MADE, ON THE “OUTSIDE” OF THE WINDOW, ATTACH THE WASHER (FIRST) AND NUT (ON TOP), SCREW IT IN PLACE UNTIL IT IS SECURE. REPEAT THIS UNTIL ALL HOLES HAVE BEEN FILLED WITH NUTS AND BOLTS AND THE HARDWARE CLOTH is secured to the bin.
repeat step 3 to step 11 until all sides have been completed
bonus: cover the areas where the handle meets the bin with hardware cloth. rats seem to love to chew this area in particular. cut your hardware cloth to properly fit the area, wood burn holes to secure the hardware cloth to the bin, and attach nuts, bolts and washers.
