Tire Planter

For this project, we used an old motorcycle tire and two old car tires. For many larger tires such as these, steel cords are run through the inner rim of the tire. We avoid cutting into these on this project as it is not necessary for your end result. Measure and mark your desired pattern. We found the diamond point pattern easy to achieve and appealing. Note that we only marked our pattern up until the inner rim of the tire to avoid the steel cord. To make an even pattern we divided the tire in half and marked points across from one another. We then halved those sections and marked points. We continued this process until we made a total of 14 points. We then created triangle shapes down from these points up until the inner rim.

We used a Dremel Multi-Max MM40 tool equipped with the NEW Multi-Knife to cut along the marked lines. This innovative blade makes cutting flexible materials easy. We used both the inner and outer edges of the blade to cut out our pattern. To begin, we cut the outer points of our triangles with the outer hook edge. With your accessory mounted and your tool set on high, plunge into the outer tip of your triangle pattern and pull through the tire, across the marked lines. To ensure your cuts meet at the inner points near the rim you may need to use the inner edge of the blade and push through both lines of cut to make your inner points meet. Once you have cut all the way around your tire, remove the inner rim. Tip: You may want to wear a dust mask to protect from the smell and rubber debris as you cut.

Now the fun begins. To create the blooming flower look, you'll need to turn the tire inside-out. (This isn't a necessary step to the project, however adds a nice touch). Turning the tire inside-out is difficult at first but becomes easier once you get started. We flipped the tire over, knelt on the tread of the tire and pulled the cut edge up and towards us. This process took about 20 minutes so be patient. You way want to get help from another set of hands on this step.