Chalkboard Bicycle Wheel Calendar

Repurpose a bike wheel to create a customizable weekly calendar.

Chalkboard Bicycle Wheel Calendar

Repurpose a bike wheel to create a customizable weekly calendar.

Difficulty: Easy/Intermediate

Bicycle wheel with the tire removed
Butcher paper
36" × 36" plywood, ¼" thick
Safety glasses
220-grit sanding pads
Chalkboard paint
Painter’s tape
Glue gun
Glue sticks
(9) sticker labels
Permanent marker
(2) 1" × 4" pieces of plywood, 15" long
3/8" drill bit
(2) 1½" screws
Gold spray paint
Clamps (optional)

  1. Create a template by tracing the triangle shape found within the spokes of a bicycle wheel onto a piece of butcher paper. Cut out the template
  2. Trace the template onto the 36" × 36" piece of plywood nine times

  3. Design Tip: To use the plywood to the fullest and minimize the amount of cutting, flip the template 180 degrees after tracing the first piece and trace a new template piece lined up with one long edge of the first template. When you cut the first template, one side of the next template will already be cut for you!

  4. Position one of the traced templates so it hangs off the edge of the table. Put on safety glasses, and then use the jigsaw to cut it out. Use clamps if needed

  5. Continue for the remaining eight traced templates. Make sure the template you will cut out is hanging off the edge of the table every time so you do not cut the table in the process
  6. Sand the edges of the newly cut triangular pieces
  7. Next, paint the triangular pieces with chalkboard paint. You only need to paint one front side and the edges, since the back will not be visible
  8. After the pieces have dried, tape them to the bicycle wheel with the chalk side facing outwards. Aligning them to the spokes will help ensure each piece is equidistant

  9. Flip over the tire. With a hot glue gun, apply glue along the rim as well as the point of the triangle to adhere the triangular piece to the wheel

  10. Remove the painter’s tape
  11. With the permanent marker, write each day of the week on sticker labels. Then make two additional stickers labeled with “TO DO” and “GOALS”
  12. Place one label onto the top of each triangular piece. Position them so that they can be read when the wheel is held upright. Make sure the days of the week are in order!

  13. Stack the two pieces of 1" × 4" plywood on top of each other so they are completely lined up. Measure 2" up and 2" in to the top piece
  14. Drill a hole through both pieces of plywood with a 3/8" drill bit at the marked point
  15. Separate the two pieces of plywood, and then coat them with gold spray paint
  16. Stack the plywood together again. Insert two 1½" screws through both pieces to secure them together. The exact location of these nails does not matter, since they will not be seen
  17. There should be a small protrusion at the center of the wheel called the hub. Thread the hole in the pieces of 1" × 4" plywood onto this. Reattach the bolt that belongs at the end of the hub to secure

  18. Finally, attach the calendar into the wall so that the 1" × 4" plywood is vertical and peek out slightly from the top of the wheel. This way, it can be used as a pointer to indicate which triangular piece is the focus of the day