You know, like a teeter totter only with a tire! This lovable playground toy is easy to make with just a tire, wood board, handles and fasteners but decorating and painting it becomes fun for the whole family.

If you don’t have a tire lying around you can get one from your local service shop (most likely for free). The larger the diameter of the tire, the more range of motion you’ll get. For the totter board, Mark at My Fix it Up Life used a 2″x6″x8″ length of Western Red Cedar available at his local home improvement store along with the other items you’ll need.

Be extremely careful when cutting your tire in half. Wear safety glasses and heavy gloves because there are steel belts that run inside the rubber that can cut you. Mark used a 4 1/2-inch angle grinder with a metal cutting wheel to get the job done and wedged the cut areas open as he went along with a wood shim or multitool so the cutting disc doesn’t get pinched between the rubber surfaces. Drill a few holes on the bottom of the tire half you’re keeping to allow water to drain.

The totter board is supported by a totter plate which sits inside the tire and is fastened with 1-inch flathead screws. Mark then used two 1/2-inch deck screws to secure the totter board to the totter plate. For the eyes, he used old raquet balls cut in half with a utility knife.

It’s best to paint the individual components prior to assembly and you can choose your own colors, patterns and animal inspirations. For instance, Mark painted the inside of the tire red so it looks like a mouth, the totter plate white to look like teeth and the eyes simply complete the look. If it were painted green instead of blue then it would probably look more like a frog – you get the idea.

For detailed step-by-step instructions check out: Mark | My Fix It Up Life