BGE table questions - inlay and wood?

Mole351

Hey everybody! I just bought my first BGE (stoked!) and am going to build a table. I bought the nest and side shelves - hoping to be able to return those and build a decent table for about the same price ($200ish).

I am using plans I found on another website (naked whiz) - which has an 18" x 18" piece of tile on the top. As far as I can tell, however - there is no support under the tile except for the "cleats" on the edge. The plans are here: http://nakedwhiz.com/tableplans/tableplans

My question is - is that too much unsupported area under the tile? It seems like the tile would break of you put anything weighing more than a few pounds on the center of the tile?

Next question - the plans suggest red oak, but I can't find what it calls for at home depot or lowes in regards to the 2x4 boards (have plenty of the 1x4). Suggestions on where to get the 2x4, and is the "kiln dried red oak s4s" ok to use?

Obvious newbie here - any advice greatly appreciated!

camueller

Wood availability will vary based on the region you are in. I just went through what you've done, and went with treated pine. It's the cheapest route in my area, and though cedar looks nicer naturally, i didn't care, as I wanted to stain it anyway. You can use red oak if you want, but it's going to cost you. And the nakedwhiz plans ripped their own boards of for this project, so you'll likely have to do the same. I'd find boards cut to size in a wood that works for your price point and visual appeal.

As far as the tile, add another cleat in the center if you feel like it needs it. Those plans on nakedwhiz aren't to live and die by. Use them as a guideline.

I will tell you that I ended up using 2x4's for the entire table. That was a mistake in my opinion, because it's super heavy. But I also made half of the table top out of granite I reclaimed, and that's not helping with weight

Mole351

Thanks - wow that was a fast response!

Home depot has some pretty inexpensive red oak (2.50ish per ft) of the 1x4. Most of the 2x4 wood is either pressure treated or just regular pine studs. A lot of the wood in that section is decently priced - just none is 2x4. Maybe will get the treated pine for the legs.

Any idea on kiln dried wood? Ok to use?

Thanks again.

tazcrash

OK, maybe this question is better for the real woodworkers, but......

what about putting 2 1X4's back to back, 

Granted, you will see screw holes (unless you plug them), 

reh111

I can't tell from the plans but apparently you are saying that the plans call for some sort of "cleat" which the edges of the tile will rest on.  I would run either a couple of 1 x 4's or 2 x 4's, edge up,  horizontally beneath the tile attached to the braces that are running vertically under the top.  I would be concerned that at some point I would put something on the tile and that it would break without some support in the middle of it.

Hillbilly-Hightech

OK, maybe this question is better for the real woodworkers, but......

what about putting 2 1X4's back to back, 

Granted, you will see screw holes (unless you plug them), 

2 1x4s where, for what application?

And Mole - camueller said it already, but you don't really need to follow the instructions verbatim.  In fact, I think most of the fun comes from trying to adapt & improve on those instructions.  so yeah, use them as guidelines, and not the gospel

Also, as far as what wood to use - depending on where you live, your local hardware / lumber stores should have a selection of locally produced woods that are naturally geared toward outdoor use. 

Where I live (CA), redwood is widely available, and that's what I'm using - it's prevalent, it stands up to the weather nicely, and it's "perty" ;;)

tazcrash

@high-tech, where the OP said he can't get red oak 2x4's, you can screw and use adheasive to match up 2 1x4's together to make his own 2x4's.

washouse

I used Cedar for my first table.  Got it fairly cheap and I knew I would be making mistakes that I would correct on another table later.  Followed "Naked Whiz" plans generally with some changes like making a solid top using pocket screws.  ( didn't have a biscuit cutter which does a better job)  Used Cedar 4x4's for legs and rabbited the side panels in for extra strength.  The 18x18 hot plate was changed to a 21x21 tile inlaid and the slate under my BGE became a 1 1/2x15x23 piece of Penna. slate that I found in a Landscape firm yard.  Lastly, because of the weight I purchase cheaply from "Harbor Freight" 4 large swivel wheels with a 330 lb capacity.  Very happy with the results but I will be making another some day before I check out. 

 

Hillbilly-Hightech

@high-tech, where the OP said he can't get red oak 2x4's, you can screw and use adheasive to match up 2 1x4's together to make his own 2x4's.

Ahhhhh, I see. Well, technically, if you can properly join both 1x4s then they should act together in the capacity of a 2x4 (that's my Engineering side speaking).

But, my practical side would suggest to just find another species of wood which is good for outdoor use that does come in 2x4s.

OP - where do you live?

tazcrash

@high-tech, where the OP said he can't get red oak 2x4's, you can screw and use adheasive to match up 2 1x4's together to make his own 2x4's.

Ahhhhh, I see. Well, technically, if you can properly join both 1x4s then they should act together in the capacity of a 2x4 (that's my Engineering side speaking). 

Mine too, just wasn't sure about expansion\contracting\warping, etc...

jbates67

I built the same exact table from that site, with some minor modifications. I had to go to a local marine lumber supply shop for the 2x4's, HD and Lowes did not have any. Hope this helps, as for the opening, go with the cleats, recess them a little deeper and purchase a nice piece of 3/4 inch granite, it will be plenty strong.

Also notice the extra long pieces on the side of the table, I am putting a rod in between to hang a towel or tongs on as well as using to lift the end of the table to move it whenever I need to. Harbor Freight tools had wheels for very cheap.

Good luck. Here's a picture of my table.

yellowdogbbq

I'm a little hesitant to use treated lumber near food, I would recommended talking to a local lumber yard to see what is locally available in your area for outdoor use.  White oak (better then red oak), cedar, red wood, and teak are all good choices.  I used cedar and did what everyone else did, modified the naked whiz plans.  Harbor freight is a good source for wheels/casters.

The Naked Whiz

mole351:

RE: the cleats and support.  If you read the account of how I built the table, you will see that under the tile I used a sheet of 3/4" plywood.  You will also see how the cleats are installed.  That said, before I gave my table away, I replaced the cleats with 8 small brass L braces.  Water collected on top of the cleats and rotted them.  I had to use some Bondo to repair the damage.  Here's a link to the page on how I built it --> How I Built My Table

And of course, as has been pointed out, feel free to make modifications.  The only thing that is mandatory is the bottle openers:  

Mole351

wow - thanks all for the feedback.  great community hear - didn't expect near that level of response in a couple of days.  especially from the person's site i found the plans on - awesome.

so i decided to go with cedar - went to hd and lowes today and wasn't very impressed with the wood (was only finished on one side anyway) so i am going to have a lumber yard run some nice boards through the mill and pick it up this weekend or early next week. 

i will use the L-braces instead of the cleats, and probably go with the 3/4 granite.  don't know if the mill will have 8/4 cedar (didn't have it in red oak) so if not i'll put two 4/4 together as suggested above.

thanks again everybody - i just can't wait to use the damn egg!

stike

If your cedar is truly an inch thick (4/4), then there's no real need for gluing them together. The loads we're talking about are pretty minimal even including the egg. To be honest, you could use 1x stock (only 3/4"), and you'd still be fine. You might want it to look thicker for appearances sake, but it's not a structural need

Properly constructed (joints are the most critical aspect), you could use 1x if you really wanted. The stringers of most stairs, for example, are barely more than 2x4s afer being notched, and they span many feet with moving loads of 200pounds or so.

Wall cabinets are 3/4" carcasses of particle board in many cases, and cantilever a lot of dead load. Not an exact parallel. But just indicative that 2xs are overkill. 3x3 corners would be good looking. But even 2x2 would be fine. Bigger the post the easier the connections though.

cortguitarman

Red oak may not be your best choice for an outdoor wood. As a woodworker, I'd suggest using cedar, white oak, or pressure treated pine. Red oak has open pores that will allow lots of moisture into the wood. White oak if very expensive, but will last a lifetime. Cedar is also a great outdoor wood, but it is soft. PT pine is soft, not as pretty, but much cheaper and will also last a lifetime. All will need some sort of maintenance. If you go with PT, I would choose a different material for the top. It won't happen often, but food contact with chemically treated wood doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

I'd suggest filing the entire top, using a slab of granite, or find yourself someone who males concrete counter tops. You could also spend some extra cash and go with ipe for the whole table. It won't rot and requires no maintenance. It will weather to a nice grey color.