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Country living, DIY, & a Dash of Fun!

DIY Teeter Totter / Seesaw from Old Tire

DIY Teeter Totter / Seesaw from Old Tire

Growing up, I’ve always loved teeter totters.  I remember playing on them with my friends and having a  good ol’ time pushing off the ground, shooting up high in the sky.  Then my friend on the other end would push off the ground, and shoot high in the air, while sending me back down to the ground.  We would do this for hours and never tired from it! 
I decided I wanted to make a teeter totter of my own that was movable, that didn’t have to be cemented into the ground, AND that was strong enough to hold myself also (in case I wanted a turn on it as well).  After finding an old tire, I ran to the hardware store to get the rest of the supplies.  A day and a half later, I had this cute little seesaw ready for some fun!  It sure has been a hit with the kiddos that come over to visit, as all of my nieces and nephews love taking turns on it. 
 

 

Tutorial:

Supplies:

Tools:
  • Mitre Saw
  • Hand Drill
  • Drill bit (7/64 in. bit for handles)
  • 3/4 inch Wood Spade Bit
  • Philips Bit Tips #2 (for drill)
  • Tape measure
  • Level
  • Pencil for marking
  • Wheelbarrow (for concrete)
  • Shovel to mix concrete
  • Sander
  • Sand Paper for sander
  • Welder (to spot weld horse shoe handles together)
Seat:
  • (1) 2×6 at 10 ft. Long
  • (2) 2x3s at 8 ft. Long
  • #8 x 3 inch Philips ,Bugle-Head, Coarse Thread Wood Screws
  • (6) Horse Shoes for the handles (I had some used horse shoes lying around my place) but you can buy used ones HERE
  • Spray paint for horse shoe handles (I used black)
  •  (8) #8 x 1-1/4 inch wood screws for attaching handles (four screws for each handle)
Base:
  • (2) 2x6s at 20 in. long
  • (4) 2x3s at 8-1/2 in. long
  • (1) tire with 14 inch diameter hole in the middle
  • (2) pieces of scrap plywood to cover the inside bottom of tire to hold the wet concrete in.
  • (1) 3/4 inch diameter steel pipe – 8-1/2 in. long (I bought a 4 ft. long pipe and cut it to size with a hack saw)
  • one carriage bold at 10 inches long, 1/2 in. diameter
  • two washers that the carriage bolt fits through
  • one 1/2 inch lock washer that carriage bolt fits through
  • one hex nut that fits the carriage bolt
  • Loctite found HERE
  • #8 x 3 inch Philips ,Bugle-Head, Coarse Thread Wood Screws found HERE
  • 2 or 3 Bags of Premix Concrete
  •  Water for concrete

Directions:

Seat:

Gather your 10 foot 2×6 and your two 8 foot 2x3s.

First, cut the ends of the 2x3s at a 45 degree angle.  Notice the ‘pointy sides’ are both on the same side of each 2×3.

Next, match them up by stacking one on top of the other.

Starting at 3 inches from each end, screw the two boards together about every 2 feet along the whole length of the boards with 3 inch, philips wood screws.

Be sure to put a screw about 3 inches from each end.

Next, find the center of the 2×3 and the center of the the 2×6. Mark with a pencil. Now, center the 2x3s onto the 2×6 and screw together, as shown below.  Do this by drilling 6 screws, side-by-side, through the top board into both the support boards underneath, as shown by the red arrows below.

After securing all the boards together, find the center and drill a hole through the side of the two support boards with the 3/4 inch spade bit.

Tip: Put a piece of wood on the bottom of the 2x3s when drilling.  This will keep the bottom side from splintering.

Last, sand the top and sides of the 2×6.  No one wants splinters in their bottoms!

Base:

Time to make the base.  First, screw 2x3s onto the center and bottom of 2x6s.

Take the tire…

Now, place a couple of pieces of plywood inside the tire, covering the bottom hole.

Next, mix concrete up with water in the wheelbarrow, as directed on package.

After your concrete is mixed, center the wooden brace inside tire.

Now, fill the tire up with concrete.

Make sure the brace is level.

Let the concrete dry for a day

Decide how high you want the center of the see saw to be.  Using the 3/4in wood spade bit, drill two matching holes in the center of the braces.  (I wanted a taller teeter totter so I drilled a hole 2in from the top)

Grab the 8 1/2in long, 3/4in diameter steel pipe

Tap it right through the holes that were drilled into both the brace and the middle of the teeter totter (I had two helpers hold the teeter totter up to align the holes while I tapped the pipe through)

Slide a washer onto the 10in carriage bolt and push the bolt through the hole that now has the steel pipe in it

The washer will keep the bolt from sliding through the hole

Add washer on the other side of the bolt…

Slide on the lock washer, it keeps the nut from unscrewing while the see saw is being used

Screw on the hex nut and tighten. You can also use Loctite to ensure the bolt won’t loosen.

Handles:

Time for the handles! My husband spot welded these horseshoes together into cute handles.  Using a 7/64 inch drill bit,  pre-drill 2 holes on each side of the bottom horseshoe.  After spray painting them, I screwed them on with #8 x 1-1/4 inch wood screws.

Tip: Make sure when attaching handles to leave enough room at the ends to sit.  (I attached my handles about 15 1/2in from each end of the teeter totter).

If you want to varnish the wood or paint it to keep it from weathering, you can do that as well!

Now you are finished!!  Yay!!

Doesn’t this look fun!

 

Be sure to check out my other Outdoor Kid Fun Ideas HERE!

 

DIY Teeter Totter / Seesaw from Old Tire


Sharing at these great link parties:

The Hearth & Soul  Celebrate Your Story   Inspire Me Monday  You’re the Star  Inspire Me Monday  Inspire Me Monday   Wonderful Wednesday   Tuesdays at our Home   Make it Pretty Monday   Recipe & DIY Linky  Project Inspired Inspire Me Tuesday   Creative Muster Party  Wow Me Wednesday   Talk of Town Party   Your Whims Wednesday   Turn About Tuesday   Turn about Tuesday   Homestead Blog Hop   Tuesdays with a Twist   Wonderful Wednesday  Home and Garden Thursday  Share Your Style

More great link parties I’m sharing at:

To Grandma’s House We Go   Vintage Charm   Simple Homestead Blog Hop  Waste Not Wednesday   Party in Your PJs  Thursday Favorite Things  Grace at Home  Keep in Touch  Home Matters Party  Funtastic Friday  Friday Favorites   Family Homesteading/off the Grid  Friday at the Fire Station   Flaunt it Friday   Handmade Otherwise   Happy Pink Saturday  Dare to Share   Saturday Sparks   Create, Bake, Grow & Gather  A Morning Cup of Joe!   Happiness is Homemade  Sundays Best Link Up Saturday Shuffle Blog Hop    Over the Moon   Dishing it & Digging it

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25 Comments

  1. Thanks for the fantastic tutorial! It’s so clear and easy to follow. My poor hubby’s “Honey Do” list just got one more thing added to it, but this is for the grandkids (and me!)

  2. Vicki

    We’re building this today for our granddaughters. Thanks so much!

  3. Sylvia|Grace for a Gypsy

    Oh my! My little grandbabies would love love LOVE this! Going to pin it and share it!

  4. A brilliant idea will definitely be trying this for my niece. Pinned

  5. Wow, that is awesome!

  6. Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 2! Shared ♥

  7. Sylvia|Grace for a Gypsy

    Great post! I showed this to my daughter who is always making something or building something! Thanks for linking up to the #GatheringofFriendsLinkParty 3

  8. Tiffany, your kids must be the luckiest kids on the block for having such a DIY savvy Mom. I bet all the neighborhood kids hang out at your house. I’ve thoroughly been enjoying all your amazing outdoor DIY ideas for kids. Mine have long since left the nest but I’m pinning these for my grandchildren.

    • Tee

      Thank you so much, Marie, for your kind comments! I have to admit that the neighborhood kids do like to hang out over here, but I like it that way! Thanks for pinning it too!

  9. Julie Briones

    You are SUCH a smart diyer! Love this sweet teeter-totter with the tire as the base! Thanks for sharing, Tee!

  10. What a great idea! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!

  11. Yes, this does look fun! Thank you for sharing at the Best of the Weekend. I will be featuring you this Friday.

    Liberty @ B4andAfters.com

  12. Great simple backyard toy! I like it!

    Thank you for sharing at the Homestead Blog Hop!

  13. Thanks so much for linking up at the #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 3! Shared.

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