Re-purpose a Bicycle Wheel to Make a Tree of Life
The Tree of Life is symbolic in nearly every culture and religion. It unites heaven, earth, and the underworld and acts as a bridge between the worlds. In Norse mythology, the tree of life is called Yggdrasil, and the gods live in the branches, watching us mere mortals down below. In Egypt, holy sycamore guards the threshold between life and death, and the Mayans believe that the tree of life supports the heavens. The Herero people of South West Africa believe that the spirit tree has magical powers and that the first people climbed up the roots from the underworld to dwell on Earth.
I have always been fascinated by these stories, and trees hold a very special place in my heart. They are so majestic, with their roots entombed deep in the earth and their branches stretching up towards the heavens. So I thought I’d repurpose a bicycle wheel to make one and remind us that “Everything is connected. All religions, all cultures, and all people.”
And I am over the moon with how it turned out.
Okay, before I share how we made the tree of life, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. And don’t forget to subscribe so you’ll never miss a post!
What you need
To make the tree of life, you’ll need a bicycle rim and a roll of 12 gauge black jewelry wire. A 12 gauge wire is about 2 mm thick (1/12″). I love using jewelry wire to create art. It’s super easy to work with. If you can’t find jewelry wire, baling wire will work too. It’s just a little more difficult to twist. The amount you use will depend on the size of your bicycle wheel or whatever round form you use. You also need some snips to cut the wire.
How to upcycle a bicycle wheel into the tree of life
If the rim still has the spokes remove them first.
Lightly sand the bicycle rim to remove any rust marks and wipe it down before painting the rim black.
Measure the diameter of the rim and cut the jewelry wire into pieces that are about 1 3/4 times as long as the diameter of the rim. You’ll need about 60 to 70 pieces in total. The more pieces you cut, the wider the tree trunk will be.
Place all the strips of wire together and twist them tightly just off-center from where the middle line would be to form the trunk. Place the twisted wire strips over the bicycle rim to check if you’re happy with the trunk length. If you look at a photo of a real tree, the trunk isn’t really that high in relation to the rest of the tree, so don’t twist the wire too far up. You won’t have enough to make the branches and roots later 😉
Once you’re happy, split the shorter wires into five groups. Don’t worry about trying to make the groups the same thickness; it will add to the organic look of the tree later 😉 Then simply twist and split, twist and split to form the roots. Try to ensure you twist the wires in the same direction, so you don’t unravel a previous twist. Keep placing the tree of life on the rim to check if you’re happy with the form and adapt as you go along.
Do the same for the branches. Let some of the wires overlap and add a few kinks to the wire or bend them to mimic how branches grow on trees. Every tree will look different, so don’t worry about making it perfect. The one we have at our little round house has shallow roots and long upward-facing branches.
Your tree of life is as unique as what you are.
To attach the tree of life to the bicycle rim, push some of the wire branches and roots into the holes where the spokes would have gone and twist to secure.
And hang her up.
We hung ours using a bit of twine.
And added a swing on one of the wire branches we made from a toy car’s wheel. But if you’re feeling adventurous, you could always make this miniature porch swing to hang instead 😉
Oh, and by the way, save those wire offcuts. They can be used to make awesome wire art or this super easy photo holder. The leftovers can also be turned into a kitty memorial and twirled into ladybird spots.
I would love to know what you think. Do you also feel a special connection with the Tree of Life?
If you like the idea of repurposing a bicycle wheel to make a tree of life, don’t forget to pin it for later.
BTW, if you don’t have any jewelry wire, you can make a Tree of Life using T-shirt yarn too. Want to try your hand at some other wire art projects? Here are a few to get you started:
- 7 Tips for making wire art
- Gorgeous wire dresses
- Art Deco wire birdcage
- Writing with wire
- Creative wire picture frames
- Matilda the Spider’s web
If you’d like to make one and don’t want to go through all that trouble of finding the materials, I’ve got you covered. Disclosure: If you click the links below, we may receive a commission from Amazon. But don’t worry; it won’t come out of your pocket, and it helps us come up with more unique DIY and craft tutorials for you.
Or if you’d rather buy than DIY 😉
Wishing you lots of love and peace always. Thank you for popping in for a visit.
Did you use black or brown 12 gauge wire? I love it! I love the tree of life and I recently made one with rope on a wire wreath frame, and a red, white and blue one on a hula hoop with rope, stones, and roses.
Oh, your hula hoop one sounds so amazing Bonnie. I’d love to see it and wrt your question, I used black jewelry wire coz that’s the only one I had in the craft cupboard. I think a lovely bronze wire tree of life would look stunning too.
Thank you for responding regarding the color of the wire. I have a photo of my hula hoop tree of life, but I don’t see where I can add it as an attachment to this message.
You’re welcome, Bonnie. Sorry I don’t know how to upload pics in the comments either. It seems my software doesn’t allow it. Perhaps you can share it on Facebook or Instagram and let me know?
When you are done with all the wire work on the tree of life do you ever spray it with another coat of black spray paint or a clear to give a little added protection?
We’ve made a few of these and the ones that we put inside look as good as new, but the one we have hanging outside did fade after a few years. We gave it a coat of black spray paint last year. So it’s probably better to seal your tree of life if they’re going outside.
love this tutorials thank you .
You’re so welcome, Linda
The tree of life is so pretty, and it looks fairly easy to make thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Karen. I’m glad you found the tutorial.
You are an amazing artist, Michelle! Your tree of life creation is stunning! Just looking at it seems to capture an image of life itself – branching off in many directions! It’s simply wonderful!
Awwwwwww Gail, thank you
Michelle, this is just amazing and I want to try making one. What type of paint did you use? Thanks in advance.
Hey Judy, we used Black Rust-Oleum spray paint, but any paint that works on metal will do. Have fun making yours, they’re very rewarding
I love this one so much. To think I got rid of those wheels makes me unhappy.
Great, wonderful job.
Oh nooooo, I hope you find some more Carol
I never comment on these posts, but this is one of the most beautiful upcycles I have ever seen…
I only recently started to craft due to an illness…and am so excited for this one…I hope mine comes out as beautifully as yours did. Thank you for sharing this.
You just made my day Tonja. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I can’t tell you how much that means to me. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve been ill and hope that you’ll have so much fun making the tree of life. Stay safe and get better soon ?
So pretty..Ive got heaps of embroidery hoops that Im gonna try this on. A few holes drilled into the frame should do the job. Arthritis and Fibromyalgia have made all my craft attempts so much harder..numb hands or shooting pain. Im not letting it stop me tho..think the tree would also look great on the more sturdier wreath frames too or old picture frames. So many options ?
Thanku so much…just gorgeous x
You are such a superstar Kaz. I can only imagine how sore it must be. Arthritis is not for sissies ? An embroidery hoop is going to be perfect for something like this and maybe you don’t even need to drill holes. You could wind the wire around the inner hoop once or twice before tightening it up when the whole tree is done. Sending much love and I’m sure your trees of life are going to be gorgeous and give you lots of pleasure
Wow this piece of art is amazing, great work. I’ll definitely try it.
How many rolls of 12 gauge black jewelry wire did you use for this project? Thanks
So happy you like the Tree of Life Louise, thank you. I only used one roll of the wire for this one and had some left over too. I suppose it depends on how long your roll is. We buy our jewelry wire at the China Mall down the road and they don’t actually specify how long it is.
You are always thinking of something so unique. This is so perfect, right up my in nature ideas.
Thank you Maria ?
About how many strands of wire did you start with? I know the length depends on the rim, but did not find an approximate number of wire pieces to use for trunk to then spread out for limbs and roots.
I made one of these years ago with macramé yarn and I love the design.
Hey there Sunny, I started with the middle to build up the truck and then split the branches and roots from there. I just went outside quickly and there are 83 strands of wire in total ? If the rim is smaller I’d use less strands so the trunk doesn’t look out of proportion and too fat
That is quite something!! I have seen a few things done with bicycle parts over the years but nothing like this 🙂 …. very creative indeed!!
Wow Josie, thank you so much. I’ve just been on your wonderful site too and you have sooooo much information there. I think I’ll be spending more time looking around. The message and meaning behind the tree of life is incredibly special
Congratulations! Your post was my feature pick at #ThursdayFavoriteThings this week. Visit me at https://www.marilynstreats.com on thursday morning to see your feature! All hosts choose their own features from the comments left on their blog so be sure to return to my blog to see your feature. I invite you to leave more links to be shared and commented upon. Please don’t forget to add your link numbers or post title so we can be sure to visit!
Oh wow, thank you Marilyn. I really appreciate that ?
How did you manage to twist 60 strands of 12 gauge wire? I’m trying 1/2 of that and struggling.
Are you using jewelry wire Phyllis?
Try wearing rubber gloves or wrap a piece of shelf liner around middle where you are twisting your trunk. (also helps with opening jars etc.) kandi
Thanks so much for the tip Kandi. I’ll definitely try it out next time
I love this tree of life. The way you twisted the wire is amazing. Am I imagining that in your tree, the top is the branches and the bottom is the root, or it is true? Awesome work dear.
Your spot on Sadhna and thank you so much for the lovely compliment. I really appreciate that
Love this idea, Michelle! What a great transformation! Your tree of life is absolute fabulous! Kisses, my friend.
Thank you so much Mia, hope you have a beautifully creative week xoxoxox
Oh my gosh! This is stunning, Michelle. You are truly an artist! I love the tree of life. It’s one of my favs! I would love to buy one! Everything you make is truly artwork. You always inspire me <3
Thanks so very much Carolann. I’m also a little besotted with them, they talk to my soul
AHMAZING! love this project
Thank you Kim, I really appreciate that
I think this is AMAZING! You turned an ordinary item into something so beautiful. I love it!
Thank you Courtney 😀 I just wish I could find more broken bicycle wheels to make some more
Michelle! This is gorgeous! You are a creative artiste. I wouldn’t have thought of this in a million years. Wish I could see your little round house…I’m sure it’s full of treasure!
** Please insert blush emoticon here ** Thank you so much Florence, if ever you come to South Africa, you just let me know and you can come stay in our little round house and enjoy our beautiful beaches
Wow! I love this! Your creativity is amazing! What a gorgeous piece I love how you displayed it ?
Thank you Julie, these are so much fun to make. I just wish I could find more broken bicycle wheels 😀
Art is magnificent, especially this idea of tree of life. I am an up coming artists from Zimbabwe, I love art
Thank you so very much Stanford, art brings as all together and I would really love to see some of your art, if you’re willing to share.
This is amazing love it! Very creative!
Thank you very much Tammy 😀
What a beautiful story behind the tree of life, Michelle. You’re right, everything is connected. This is a piece of art, really stunning. I could see it hanging from an art gallery, seriously.
Wow Pili, thank you so very much. That’s such a lovely comment.
Oh my gosh, this is seriously adorable. The tree of life alone was such a unique idea but adding that adorable tire swing ramped up the adorable factor. Pinned and sharing and must show this to my son who is an avid off-road mountain bike enthusiast. 🙂
Oh Marie, thank you so much for your lovely comment. We really enjoy making these and everyone seems to want one. Now if only I could find more bicycle rims 😉
This is beautiful and such an interesting feature to have on a wall – very clever.
Thank you so much Nita, I’m glad you like it.
Has anyone done a 14″ or 12″ rim and if so how many strands of wire do you need?
Hey Laura, I haven’t tried with a smaller rim, but the calculation I normally use is to multiply the diameter of the rim by 1.5 and then multiply that by 60 to figure out how much wire I need. Hope it helps
If I were to use a hula hoop, how would I attach the wire branches. I would paint the hula hoop, but don’t know if glue would hold the wire pieces.
Ummm, I wonder if you could try drilling holes in the hula hoop? If it’s a good quality plastic then I’m sure it could work. You only probably need about 5 holes at the bottom and 5 at the top to anchor the tree. I think we have a hula hoop somewhere in the garage,I can try it out for you
I love it! And it looks pretty easy and you can’t really make a mistake with the tree form.
Do you have any other suggestions on what to use instead of a bicycle rim? What else could I possibly use?! Hula hoop is too big, right?
Uuuum actually I think a hula hoop might work Ana Maria. I know you get the smaller version for little people or you could try an embroidery ring. They come in smaller sizes too?
wow! This looks so beautiful! Thanks a lot for the detailed tutorial!
Thank you Katerina, I’m glad you enjoyed it
Where do you buy the 12 gauge wire?
Hi Georgia, we buy ours at the bead shop in the China Mall, but you can order it online at Amazon, Ebay and AliExpress.
For this project, in USA measurements, get 200′ roll of 12 gauge wire. Each strip will be just under 30″.
I’d love to know the diameter of the rim you used. Then to figure out the different ratios using a larger or smaller rim.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful art work. WOW!
Hi there Rosie, thank you so much for your lovely comment. The inside rim measurement is 51 cm or 20 inches. Please let me know if you need any other measurements and I’ll check them for you.
Oh wow, Michelle! This tree of life DIY is amazing – I have to try it 🙂 I can totally see this hanging on the wall of my sewing studio. So glad I found your blog <3 xx
Thanks so much, Raylene 😉
Michele, what an amazing project! I love the background at the beginning. An gorgeous project! I’m going to share it on my blog facebook page!
Thank you Karen 😉 and I love shares too
Just WOW, Michelle. I can’t even believe this is a thing. The tree is STUNNING! Mind blown. I’ve featured you this weekend on DIY Salvaged Junk 349. Thanks for linking up! 🙂
Oh my word, Donna, thank you so much for the feature. You’ve made my weekend 😀
Love this. How did you attach the tree to the bike rim????
Thank you so much Lynne. We attached the tree of life to the bicycle rim by pushing some of the wires into the holes where the spokes would have gone and twisting them together. The close up picture of the rim above shows how we did it. Let me know if it helps
Wow, this is truly beautiful! I would have never guessed that was a tire! So pretty.
Thank you so much Stephanie 😉
Wow, this is so clever, creative and absolutely beautiful! I would have never thought to make something like this. Now that I know, I will definitely be making this! I love the whole thing, but the little tire swing is so adorable. It adds the perfect touch. Thank you so much for sharing! Take care!
Thank you so much Petrina, glad you liked it. I’d love to see some photos of yours when you’re done 😉
I am new to jewelry wire. Is the specific size 1,2 mm? I’ve seen 2 mm but I’ve never seen a “split” size with a comma…
Oops, I think that’s a mistake on my part. It should be 12 gauge jewelry wire which is about 2 mm thick. Thanks for pointing that out Marilyn
This is amazing and so beautiful, I love it.
Thank you so much Celeste <3
Your Amazing Tree of Life is the most Beautiful piece of Art I have ever seen. You are a talented artist and a precious person. Thank you for sharing my heart was touched <3
Wow Cathy, what a beautiful thing to say. Thank you so very much <3
My mouth is gaping open! Wow! Can you make me one? i am sure mine would not turn out like that. Really spectacular, amazing, I’m in awe!!!
Of course yes, I’ll swap you for one of those adorable monster costumes you made? It’s really easy to make I you use the softer jewelry wire though, so give it a try.
Where did you get the wire?
We buy the wire at our local China Mall. South Africa has tons of them all over the place and they sell the wire in 60m rolls. I did a quick search on google and got lots of results coming back so you’ll be able to shop around for a price that suits you best.
This is so awesome and I’m SO glad I came across it on Hometalk! My son is an avid cyclist and is a mechanic and manager at a high end bicycle shop here. As soon as I saw this I texted him and asked him to bring me and old rim home! I’m going to make it for the shop owner and his family for Christmas, so this was perfect timing!!
Thanks so much for the idea and inspiration behind it~this is very unique and creative!
My pleasure Candy, really glad you likes it and it will make a lovely Christmas gift for the shop owner. Thanks for coming to say hi from HomeTalk
Beautiful!
Thank you Karen 😉
This is so neat, love it! I haven’t seen one this large, I’ve only seen the ones made in jewelry, and one of these days I’m going to give that a try. This one is so creative, and a great way to repurpose an old bicycle rim. Love the little added touch of the little swing.
Glad you like it Linda. You’re so clever with all your crafts, I’m looking forward to seeing how you add your own unique touch.
Oh this is amazing, I want one!
Yay, thank you Sarah 😉
This is just spectacular! This will definitely be a project worth trying!
Hello boootiful Kat. I’m so glad you like it <3
I’m so impressed by this creative idea! What a beautiful wall decor!
I’m really glad you like it Ilka
Going to be looking for bike wheels–think a kids would be great too. Very creative and thanks for the great tutorial
Thank you, Jan and a kid’s wheel would work beautifully. You’d definitely use less wire.
I’m a cyclist and love this!!!!!
Yay, I’m so glad Laura. I think I’d see my butt if I tried getting on a bicycle now 😉 Thank you so much for coming to say hi and leaving a comment
Wow, Michelle, {I think I start every comment for your posts with wow, lol} this tree of life diy is beautiful and you are so so creative to use a tire! I love it!
Lol, wow is good Katrin 😉 Thank you so much
This is so amazingly awesome! I just showed it to my daughter, the one with the artistic inclinations, and her jaw dropped! Love all the quirkiness and details that you have added with the wire twisting. And the photography is excellent!
Wow Mary, thank you. That’s such a beautiful compliment coming from someone who takes the most amazing pictures. Please tell your daughter I say thank you too
I never would have guessed it was from a bike wheel – how cool!
Thank you Sarah 😉 I think someone must have taken a nasty fall looking at how banged up the rim is.
Michelle, I never would have guessed that your tree was made from a tire, wow! The twisted wires make it look like real branches, amazing! You’re so creative!
Thank you Keri. I love making these, we just struggle a bit to find old bicycle wheels