Make a table out of those old wheels in your garage

I could tell you a really long sob story but suffice it to say I had 4 really nice looking wheels (with tires) on a shelf in my garage. They were all bent just enough that they vibrated really bad when they were on the car but not so bad that they looked bent. So rather than leave them taking up space on my shelf I decided to stack a couple of them up and throw a piece of glass on top to make a table. I put it by the sofa in my living room to hold my monitor. I was worried that it might smell like a tire shop so I cleaned one of the tires ahead of time and brought it in. I was happy to find out that there was no smell unless you put your nose right down at it.

Important Note:
Guys, if you're married, and you surprise your wife with one of these, you and the table will probably both end up in the garage indefinitely. If your wife likes it, she's a keeper, make sure you hold on to her. Women, if you're thinking about making one of these, I'm single. (wink, wink)

Step 1 What you'll need

Items needed to make your own wheel table:

Tools
- Jigsaw
- Drill and drill bits
- Hammer
- Sockets
- Screwdriver
- Hacksaw or other metal cutting tool

Materials
2 - wheels with or without tires
3/4" Plywood
4 - 5/16" x 24" allthread (if your wheels have 5 or more lugs you will need 5 or more pieces. You might get by with 3 but that will leave empty holes where there should be a nut)
4 - 2" swivel casters
4 - 5/16" acorn nuts
4 - 5/16" rubber washers (I'd probably skip these if I had to do it again)
4 - 5/16" steel washers
4 - 5/16" T-nuts
Can of flat black spray paint
Round glass - 28" by 1/4" thick

I was going to use allthread that was the right size to screw my lug nuts onto instead of using the acorn nuts but my lug nuts are 12mm with 1.5 threads and I couldn't find alltread that size at a reasonable price so I ended up using 5/16" with acorn nuts instead.

Comments

[bookman413]

I would use them to make a killer cargo trailer to tow behind my bicycle. hahaha! seriously--you BENT your wheels? it isn't just an issue of the tires not being balanced? Nice job though. I have a nice set wheels with tires from a Mazda Miata but seriously, just stack a few of those puppies and throw a glass cover on them, they aren't going anywhere without some serious effort. You can always throw a pretty tablecloth over yours if the gf or wife isn't a fan of the "Tire Rack" look.

[fillg]

They are definitely bent I jacked each corner of the car off the ground and spun the wheel. There was a construction area on the freeway on ramp and a sign that said "BUMP". I didn't take it seriously enough and bent all 4 wheels. It was more like a curb than just a bump. I'm guessing the short sidewall and a fairly stiff suspension contributed to the problem as well. I don't know if I mentioned it or not but these were on a Miata too! I thought about just stacking them up and putting the glass on them but I wanted the ability to easily move it around that's why I bolted it all together and put the casters on the bottom.

[bookman413]

I like the rolling base.

[bookman413]

Don't do what I said if you're got really nice wheels or are planning to reuse the tires. You could damage them. Probably you won't, they are pretty tough, but you could. I've done it on steel wheels and tires and never had a problem. I've even mounted them myself. Like I said, it's a workout.

[bookman413]

to remove the tires, go outside and throw the wheels on the ground. deflate them fully. now stand on the side of the tire and stomp it down all around the circumference to break the bead seal. Now take a tire iron or crowbar, jam it in there, with your feet on either side, and pry the bead up. Go all around like that. You're going to get out of breath. now for the real fun, you need to get the second bead of the tire off, too. Who needs a gym, this will be a real workout.

[cowscankill]

That looks really good! But what if our tires are old and... flaky o.O

[fillg]

Take them off and just use the wheels. Not an easy thing to do without a proper tire-removing machine but with a little muscle it can be done. If you can't get it, a tire place will probably take them off for a couple bucks a piece.

[atombomb1945]

If I may add to your comment, make sure that the tire is deflated prior to trying to take it off the wheel.  This can be done with a pair of needle nose pliers and taking the little valve out of the stem. 

Laugh if you want to as this seems common sense, but five years as a mechanic in the Army has let me see a number of disturbing things people with no common sense can do.

[masterochicken]

If I had new wheel and tires just sitting around, it would became an excuse for me to create some kind of ridiculous vehicle.

Nice table. 5 stars.