Need table advice!

viamarco

I am close to finishing my BGE table using the plans from the naked whiz site. I am having a difficult time deciding to use a paver stone or a tile on the bottom shelf. My concerns are due to heat and cracking. Can someone from experience speak about which route would be better and safer. I plan on using feet on the egg as well. I'm guessing this will help with heat as well. This may be a basic question but I am a newbie. I actually don't have the egg yet. I am going to purchase once I finish this hopefully in a few days. Thanks Mark

nolaegghead

If you have the egg on the feet so you have an air gap, either one would work.  The air gap is the best insulator.  If you don't have the air gap, then the paver would be better.

bud812

You won't get feet with the new Egg unless the dealer has some.

nolaegghead

Yeah, I think they're trying to sell more nests. 

If you don't get any feet, you can improvise with ramekins or some non-flammable spacer to create an air gap.

cortguitarman

I use a paver with no air gap.

nolaegghead

I burnt the bottom of my shelf doing that.  It was a thin paver.

cortguitarman

My paver is 1 1/2" thick. I haven't lifted the egg out, but I don't think it has burned. My bottom shelf is pvc decking, so in the event of burning, I'd smell it and it may start dripping.

viamarco

I thought about recessing the paver to be flush with the wood. Any thoughts on if I should recess it or or just have it resting on lower shelf?

cortguitarman

I would rest it on the lower shelf.

SWVABeanCounter

I'm just finishing up my table also and am using a modified whiz design.  I'm using a tile and placing the egg on a table nest.  My local dealer is charging me $21 for the nest.

double

I had my XL sat on a thick paver directly on my deck and it stuck the paver to the painted deck surface. I would go spaced and paver.

tgkleman

cortguitarman said:

My paver is 1 1/2" thick. I haven't lifted the egg out, but I don't think it has burned. My bottom shelf is pvc decking, so in the event of burning, I'd smell it and it may start dripping.

+1.  I have 1.5 inch paver on top of a cypress lower shelf, and I have had no problems with damaging the wood.  Over a year and a half of weekly high temperature cooks.  (Sunday is pizza on the egg night).

JwgreDeux

I am working on my first table and planning on using a table nest for the air flow.  I do a lot of pizza and want as much air space as possible.

nolaegghead

I'll take a picture of the charred wood under my egg from just a thin paver and no air space when I get home today.  This happened when I was cooking pizzas at 700-800 for a period of several hours. 

Here's some research on setting up the legs, paver and some unfortunate damage from heat transferring directly to the wood (IR radiation) and through a paver or tile into the wood (convection).   You really should have a convection and IR barrier if you have a wood shelf or if the egg is on a wood deck.  If you're on concrete or there's no wood or combustibles under the egg, not a problem. 

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/eggbase/eggbase.htm

yellowdogbbq

I recessed the stone in my table and placed it flush with the front edge of the table to make it easier for cleaning up the ash that falls onto the stone.  Just depends on how you want it to look.  Couple things to think about, recessing the stone will change the over all height of the egg so you have to think about that when placing the shelf.  Also using feet will change the height which is not a big deal just need to plan on what height you want the egg at and the size of the hole in the table.  It's a good idea to have 1/4" air gap around the egg in the top.  Have fun and enjoy your new egg (when you get it lol)

tgkleman

nolaegghead said:

I'll take a picture of the charred wood under my egg from just a thin paver and no air space when I get home today.  This happened when I was cooking pizzas at 700-800 for a period of several hours. 

Here's some research on setting up the legs, paver and some unfortunate damage from heat transferring directly to the wood (IR radiation) and through a paver or tile into the wood (convection).   You really should have a convection and IR barrier if you have a wood shelf or if the egg is on a wood deck.  If you're on concrete or there's no wood or combustibles under the egg, not a problem. 

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/eggbase/eggbase.htm

I thought convection only occurred in fluids, (air being a fluid)

nolaegghead

Yeah, you right, convection in gas/fluids. Conduction in solids.  Anyway, mechanical heat transfer versus thermal radiation heat transfer.   Cook your shelf direct or indirect.

SinCityEgger

IR radiation, as in infrared? Infrared barrier? I'm totally lost with this statement, please clarify

nolaegghead

Yes.  The difference between direct and indirect cooking is the thermal radiation - iR - Infrared - from the coals.  Heat from convection - hot air - indirect.  Infrared electromagnetic radiation (light, photons) (plus some convection) for direct cooking (grilling, broiling). 

Little Steven

tgkleman said:

nolaegghead said:

I'll take a picture of the charred wood under my egg from just a thin paver and no air space when I get home today.  This happened when I was cooking pizzas at 700-800 for a period of several hours. 

Here's some research on setting up the legs, paver and some unfortunate damage from heat transferring directly to the wood (IR radiation) and through a paver or tile into the wood (convection).   You really should have a convection and IR barrier if you have a wood shelf or if the egg is on a wood deck.  If you're on concrete or there's no wood or combustibles under the egg, not a problem. 

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/eggbase/eggbase.htm

I thought convection only occurred in fluids, (air being a fluid)

Hey! That's my house there

Little Steven

In the pictures I mean. My fire wasn't egg related

doncarl

I bought four clay feet designed for planters....put a ceramic tile on the shelf, set the feet on the tile, and set the BGE on the feet.  Gave me a about 1 inch of air between the BGE and the tile.  No discoloration of the shelf.  Got the "feet" at a local nursery.

nolaegghead

Little Steven said:

In the pictures I mean. My fire wasn't egg related

You mean this house?  http://www.nakedwhiz.com/eggbase/showphot.htm?fb13.jpg

what happened?

Little Steven

Yeah. I had a gasser that was never used for anything except egg storage. I used the side burner one day to boil some water. I guess a spider was in the venturi. Unfortunately I was in the habit of storing my open bag of lump directly under it.

nolaegghead

That sucks. :(  Did your egg get damaged?

Little Steven

There were two eggs about three feet away from the gasser, both lit. I lost two handles and blew a tire (caster) on one of them. One was at 250* and one at 325* they were still at temp after the fire department left. The gasser was melted

nolaegghead

Sorry to hear about that.  But yet another testament to the reliability and durability of the ceramic BGE.....

Little Steven

That is the main reason I have so many eggs. Wife had paid over $3,000 for the gasser. If you don't replace stuff they devalue the price. All good now and after over 5 years we are settled with the insurance company. Deck is now concretw and the veneer is stucco over cement board

RajunCajun

I current have the standard large BGE cypress table and I used a 12" piece of tile between the egg and the table.  The tile did crack due to the heat many eons ago but I went ahead and left it.  I am currently building a new table and I am using a piece of 2cm granite as my base for the egg.

I will post pictures of the wood beneath my old table once I remove the egg.

 

Geaux Tigers!!!

nolaegghead

I'm worried about LSU against SC today.  Our offense hasn't been productive on the ground and they have that freak-of-nature Jadeveon Clowney.  At least LSU is playing in death valley. 

Post pics of your new table.

Don_Piero

A bit costlier, but I have fire bricks under my xl egg, instead of the heavier conc. slab.