Old tyres become a handy outdoor table
Builders have a great idea for using those old, worn out tyres, which have been sitting in your garage for ages. Using a few, easy steps, a couple of old tyres, supawood offcuts and some castors, you can build your very own braai storage unit.
YOU WILL NEED:
Tyres
Water-based enamel paint, white and yellow
Caster wheels [3] and 16mm screws
Supawood [2] offcut approx. 500mm x 500mm
120-grit sandpaper
Screws [4]
TOOLS:
Jigsaw
Drill / Driver plus 25mm spade bit and 3mm wood drill bit
Clamps
String, small nail and hammer
Tape measure, ruler and pencil
Protractor
Paintbrush
Workbench
Find materials, tools and supplies for this project at your local Builders.
HERE'S HOW:
1. With a tape measure, determine the inner diameter of the tyres.
2. Gently hammer a nail into the supawood at the approximate centre and tie a piece of string to it. Tie your pencil to the other end of the string. The length of the string between nail and pencil tip should be equal to the radius plus 10mm. This will mean that the circumference of the circles you draw will be larger than the circumference of the tyre opening, so the supawood has something to rest on. Use this method to draw 2 circles.
3. Place the supawood squares on a workbench, clamp in place and use a jigsaw to cut out.
4. Sand the edges of the supawood with 120-grit sandpaper and then paint on all sides with water-based enamel. Leave to dry before applying a second coat.
5. Drill two 3mm pilot holes opposite each other on one of the circles about 40mm in from the edge.
6. Prime both tyres with Supergrip and let the primer dry. Then paint with two coats of water-based enamel paint, letting the paint dry between coats.
7. Once the paint is completely dry, place the tyres on top of each other and connect them together using screws drilled through the inside of the walls of the tyres.
8. For the base, place the circle without holes over the opening of one of the tyres and screw in place.
9. Use a ruler and protractor and mark the castors at 120° equidistant from the centre point. Drill pilot holes and screw them in place.
Turn the storage bin over so it stands on its castors. Now you have a storage place for your braai gear and an attractive side table on wheels with the lid on. When all the work is done, invite your friends over for an impromptu braai, show off your amazing masterpiece, and brag about how "it was all your idea" - we promise not to tell!