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Hello from Montana.

I've made cheeses in the past, just getting spun up for making hard cheeses and have an amazing set up in terms of space and a perfect root cellar for aging.

Molds cost a lot. I'm wondering about using Rubbermaid food storage as molds/drains, and either drilling or burning holes in them to make molds.
This type - https://www.target.com/p/rubbermaid-18pc-food-storage-container-set-with-easy-find-lids/-/A-52131818?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Kitchen%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Kitchen&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9021357&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1247068&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsZ3kBRCnARIsAIuAV_Q1ofWZXw6MqysVeOxa5WEbMTkulRzkZ0ZWCjc0-hmdH_zMEoVbZPwaAqe3EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Since I haven't made hard cheeses before I'm ramping up slowly by starting off with some brie.

Is there any science or math to spacing or number of holes to create? I'm guessing when I move to harder cheeses and the pressure is increased these might not hold up, but I have a bunch around and really am trying to avoid the expense.

Aside from that, if there are other ideas or someone might suggests a couple of all around molds I should just bite the bullet on and get I'd appreciate the feedback.

I've made my own moulds before too.  Generally the more holes, the better it drains (as you might imagine).  However, it turns out that just having a lot of holes will not allow the cheese to drain completely.  Cheese cloth wicks the whey away and does a better job than having lots of holes in the mould.  I'm of the opinion at the moment that it doesn't really matter how many holes you have (as long as you have some) if you are using cheese cloth as well.  I use cheese cloth for the first couple of pressings and then remove it so that the cheese is smooth in the last pressing.  However, my current mould has *lots* of holes and so I get a lot of bumps where the holes were (my cheese looks a little bit like a dalek if that means anything to you :-) ).

The one other piece of advice I'd give you is to drill/burn from the inside out.  That way any sharp edges are on the outside of the mould and the inside is nice an smooth.

Yes, any food-safe plastic can be used. I've used Cool Whip containers as well as storage containers, and if you look closely at my icon (larger picture attached), you will see that I have even used a non-food container that is made from the appropriate plastic. (That has turned out to be my primary mold for most of the cheeses I make; the bottom has bowed a bit under 300 lbs. for cheddars, but it continues to hold up just fine.)

Recently I've used dollar-store gallon-size or half-gallon-size pitchers that I have cut up as needed. They work quite well.

The one thing that is typical of just about any mold made in these ways is that there will be a taper to the sides. I have not found that to be a problem in terms of the actual shape of the resulting cheese, so long as the taper is gentle. There is a *bit* of an issue in that you have to make your follower (which I make from cut-up plastic cutting boards) at a diameter that will fit at the smallest height that you anticipate a cheese to be - which means for taller cheeses, the follower doesn't quite cover. With cheesecloth involved, I have experienced minimal problems. Occasionally there is a little squeeze-out around the follower - I just cut that off and enjoy the treat!

Thanks for the input.