Table Dilemma

cheid1977

I am looking to build a new table for my large big green egg with either pressure treated or cedar wood. The problem I am having is that Naked Whiz's plan call for 4"x7/8" wood. The wood carried in places like Home Depot and Mendards are 3.5" x 3/4" (1x4) inches thick. Will 3.5" x 3/4" (1x4) boards provide enough support to hold the big green egg?  Should I consider using 2 x 4 or 1 x 6 boards?

onedbguru

As long as it doesn't bow when you put the egg on it... you could always reinforce it of necessary...

stike

1x4 (for the horizontal surfaces) is more than enough to support the egg....
2x4 structure is also more than enough.  you could use 4x4 corners, but even those are overkill.  you might be able to find 3x3, that would work great for the corners and look a little less flabby than 4x4

please consider something other than pressure treated, from an aesthetic and practical point.

it is fast growth (weak) pine to begin with.  large open grain.  used above the ground, it offers virtually NO benefit over any other wood, because it will be dry and not in contact with the ground.  wood doesn't rot in open air like your table will be.

cedar is sometimes a wash, price-wise, and looks MUCH better, has better grain, and looks great finished or not.  PT cannot be left unfinished, otherwise it would be unfinished pine, which no one in their right mind would ever advocate for any condition that sees weather.

unless you are in close contact with the ground, in damp conditions, or replacing stuff that has been attacked by insects, pressure treated wood offers no benefit for its being pressure treated, and it offers a whole lot LESS as far as aesthetics and finish options go

>dismounting soap box<

stike

@onedbguru, for the 1x4 to bow, the structure would need to bow.  and it won't.
it may be heavy (the egg) but the span is minimal.

The Naked Whiz

I specified in the plans what I used, which was red oak boards that I ripped to width.  The thickness of the board, 7/8" vs. 3/4" isn't going to make any difference whatsoever if you use my plans because you have adequate (drum roll......wait for it....) bracing.   (When I first built the table, there was a lot of discussion as to whether or not I had enough bracing.   I did.)   

But do the math.  My plans show the depth of the top to be 26-1/4".  6 four inch boards use up 24 inches, so the gaps between boards are about 7/16".  (Approx 2-1/4" divided by 5.)  I didn't measure, of course, I just spaced the 6 boards evenly.

So, if you have 3.5 inch boards, use 7.  That accounts for 24.5 inches and leaves 1-3/4" for the spacing.  Just lay them out so they are evenly spaced.

And where the boards are used on edge to connect the legs and provide the bracing, the width doesn't really matter as long as you are placing the upper edge at the appropriate place on the leg, etc.

Smokey Egg

I used 1X and 2X pressure treated when I built mine.....

 

Squeezy

Is that a fridge in the middle?