About to drink the Cool Aid

Wowens

I'm about to spring for my first egg after hearing all the rave reviews, and I've decided to go ahead and build a table to start out with.  Ive got a couple of questions, that I'd like y'alls thoughts.  Maybe I can avoid some mistakes, and I wish i had's.

1. Top surface, I was thinking granite, but when I priced a 6'x3' piece at $600, I decided to look for something else.  Has anyone done a poured concrete?  I'd like something low/no maintenance.

2.  I've got an extra turkey fryer burner and I was thinking about installing it at the opposite end from the egg, and having a 20lb propane tank in the table.

3.  If I put the burner in, with a propane tank, should I T off the tank, and attach a weed burner for lighting?

4.  What type of lumber do most people use.  Cedar is so expensive, but pressure treated pine is so bad about warping.  Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks

theyolksonyou

On the granite, I picked up a remnant on the cheap and did a 18" x 24" inlay. Works nice as a place to sit hot stuff. My table is cypress.

welcome to the forum. Post pics of your table as you go and have fun cooking!

vchelf

I think you'll really enjoy the BGE. What size are you getting? I am looking at building a table, too. I don't have many answers for you, but I am interested in reading the responses from our esteemed colleagues.

My plan was to go with pressure treated pine for the legs and frame and then use cedar on the top. I'd love to go with a granite top, but I'm not sure I want to go with that expense. I've seen some folks convert a stainless steel table - but I'm not sure I am comfortable cutting a hole in that top.

TylerA

Hi! i think you will really like your egg.  i had just moved and it was going to be a while before I had my shop unpacked and stocked up so I just bought a table, but I kind of wish I had made one.

I poured a concrete top for our patio table, it is around 32 X 60 inches.  I poured it and then ground the top with some diamond wet grinding pads I found online.  it turned out very nice.  One thing to think about is how heavy it is.  If you use concrete you need to build a very stout base.  

I like the idea of the turkey fryer, but I would want my fryer base much lower than the egg working surface if you are going to use it to fry turkeys, otherwise it will be very tall and hard to deal with.  If you are going to just use it as a hot plate I think you will be OK.

I use an electric starter, but I think that would work great if that's how you like to light you egg.  I have never tried the weed burner, but I hear it works great.

I would not use pressure treated lumber where I wanted to cook my food, I don't want the pressure treatment chems near my food.  Cedar looks great, but many people just use non pressure treated pine.  If you stain it, it looks great and doesn't warp near as badly as the pressure treated stuff.

nolaegghead

If you want to cut down on the wood costs, consider #1 or 2 fir.  Non-treated.  You can use any wood you want if you keep it dry (location/cover, spar finish, coat all sides of wood, etc) and construct it properly. 

A buddy of mine just made a table in my shop with recycled heart pine (broadleaf pine).  He found a remnant piece of granite 24"x60" - they charged him $250 for it with a hole cut in and the edge work.

Cement tops are a lot of work but if you're up to it, they can be beautiful. 

Mickey

Much more important than the wood is do you have enough $$$ in reserve for that second and third Egg that will be coming in the first 18 months? Welcome

Jackh

I had wood top with a granite 14x14 insert. Hard to keep clean and looking good.Had an Amish metal fabricated make a stainless top to fit over existing top (28"x58") for $190.

Tspud1

Put something around the fryer that is easy to clean. You know how it splatters. Give yourself some clearance from any heat source on the wood areas.

Zmokin

Don't forget to mix some Vodka in with that Cool Aid.

dldawes1

Welcome !!!

I still haven't built a table yet...still trying to decide what to do. I drew up plans for one, but still not sure what I want. I thought about granite inlay for cutting, but someone here convinced me that a wooden inlay that could be replaced would be easier on knives !

I just built a 2x4 and plywood bench to sit my XL on to get it up off the deck. Spray painted it black to match deck furniture...it serves the purpose and no one even notices it due to the excitement of seeing the egg where the delicious food was produced !!!!

Happy addiction and kool-aid drinkin !!

Wowens

Keep the ideas coming, I'm going all in and going with an XL egg.

I may end up doing as dldawes did and make a temporary wooden stand until I finish the table.  Did you secure it to the bench, or just set it there?

 

theyolksonyou

I'll let Donnie chime in but you don't want it sitting directly on the wood.

That may be obvious, but it's important.

Zmokin

theyolksonyou said:

I'll let Donnie chime in but you don't want it sitting directly on the wood.

That may be obvious, but it's important.

you may want to search for "fire" and review posts of those who have experienced catastrophe or near catastrophe.

If you insist on making a wood table, remember AIR IS THE BEST THERMAL INSULATOR.

What I mean is make sure you have adequate air gaps between wood and the Egg.  Air gap for hole in the table top, air gap from the bottom to whatever.  Egg sitting on paver bricks on wood can be disastrous.  Egg sitting on Table nest sitting on paver bricks is OK.  the table nest is a small metal stand that provides an inch or so of air gap between the egg and the paver bricks.
It is surprising how much heat can be conducted from Egg to brick to wood without an air gap.
The brick alone is not an adequate insulator, it actually can conduct enough heat to burn the wood below it.

Wowens

Thanks for the warning, I was planning to use a table nest.  It doesn't look like they actually attach to the egg, that they just sit on them.  How stable is that?

Zmokin

Very Stable.  I have an all metal Table, but I still use the Table nest to support my Large BGE so as to insure there is an air gap between the egg and the floor so my floor is not getting super heated from direct contact to the Egg.

dldawes1

Here is my unhandy wood working skills !!

Used about a 1.5" x 12" square  concrete stepping stone from Walmart for a heat shield. XL sitting in table nest. Nest is screwed to tabletop (with 2x4 spacer). Didn't need to screw it down (208#) but I did anyway for my comfy feelin' !!!!

Tspud1

Here's is what I add, stainless platform with air gap under it

DaveRichardson

Pine would be good for the legs and rails as well as lower shelf.  Pressure treated should be kept away from food prep areas (TRUST ME - my wife's company makes wood treatment chemicals  _ nasty SH!*)

Use regular pine for the top or a decorative wood, just be sure to treat all sides!  If you worry about needing to replace boards, secure from the bottom so you can replace individual boards as needed.

 

Accessories:  Hooks and towel bar.  Bottle opener is a MUST!

Interesting with the fryer idea and t-ing off the line for a weed burner for starting.  I'd make sure that I had a place to hand the burner to let it cool before storing back in the table.

 

If you are near electricity, I'd wire the table with GFCI outlets and LED lighting.  Ikea makes a cool LED strip that will take some weather and you can change the color of the LED for effect; I'm thinking about mounting it below the table top and the lower shelf just for giggles.

Overhead LED lighting would be nice too.  I like LED since there is no heat given off as compared to regular incandescent bulbs.

Look for a thread from the San Diego Table - cool aluminum trim placed around the egg hole.....  Looks very sharp!

I am also thinking about doing cedar on the top, but staining every other board a slightly different color for effect.

Enjoy!  and definitely put some vodka in that cool-aid!

shtgunal3

FWIW.... I built my entire table for my large out of pressure treated pine two years ago and it has done fine. I did inlay a piece of granite this year that I bought on the cheap. I went with the pine because I didn't want to spend as much or more on the table as was spent on the egg. I think the extra money is better spent on booze and beef/pork.

shtgunal3

The box next to the egg table is PT pine too and holds all my eggcessories and 1 bag of lump at a time.

Zmokin

I'm curious, all of these suggestions for pine and cedar.  Why not Oak?
I built my own TV amour.  Structural wood & framing was redwood and plywood.  Top surface  and one shelf was 1/2" thick Oak.  Front trim was Oak molding and the doors and drawer fronts were Oak cabinet purchases from Rockler.  This amour is recessed in an entertainment hole the house came with, so the sides & back are plywood.  It sits on 6 swivel castors for support and pulling it out of the cubby hole for cleaning, re-wiring, etc.  Let me know if anyone is interested in seeing a photo of it.

jtcBoynton

You need to consider fire safety when putting an egg in a wood table. Many of us do it. I would, however, be very hesitant to put a turkey frying burner in a wood table. The amount of heat given off by them is pretty impressive. It seems like it would be very difficult to adequately insulate the burner from the wood.

nolaegghead

@shtgunal3‌ no problem with treated if you encapsulate it with a finish.

@Zmokin‌ I'd like to see it. I'm a hobby wood worker.

nolaegghead

BTW - Any type of wood can be used provided you puta protective finish on it. Properly.

Little Steven

Wowens said:

I'm about to spring for my first egg after hearing all the rave reviews, and I've decided to go ahead and build a table to start out with.  Ive got a couple of questions, that I'd like y'alls thoughts.  Maybe I can avoid some mistakes, and I wish i had's.

1. Top surface, I was thinking granite, but when I priced a 6'x3' piece at $600, I decided to look for something else.  Has anyone done a poured concrete?  I'd like something low/no maintenance.

2.  I've got an extra turkey fryer burner and I was thinking about installing it at the opposite end from the egg, and having a 20lb propane tank in the table.

3.  If I put the burner in, with a propane tank, should I T off the tank, and attach a weed burner for lighting?

4.  What type of lumber do most people use.  Cedar is so expensive, but pressure treated pine is so bad about warping.  Any other suggestions?

 

Thanks

My table is stainless and I put a granite top on it. I love it. Got it wholesale but still pricey. If you can find a monument works nearby you can pick up pieces really cheap. They may have some poor dead guy's name misspelled on the bottom but it shouldn't bother you

Zmokin

nolaegghead said:

@shtgunal3‌ no problem with treated if you encapsulate it with a finish. @Zmokin‌ I'd like to see it. I'm a hobby wood worker.

OK, Maybe calling it an amour is over-stepping the description.
But it is a TV stand, tucked in a hole in the wall.  the top "drawer front" isn't a drawer, but it flips up to expose the shelf where the comcast cable box, dvd player, and Wii player sit.  Behind the 2 doors, is a shelf with the surround sound decoder/amplifier and two sliding shelves loaded with DVDs.

nolaegghead

Nice!

Wowens

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions. I'm gonna keep looking for some cheap granite. I'm thinking about a shelf under the egg, and a cabinet on the other side. What is everyone's thoughts on cabinet vs shelf?

News2u

My $.02. Make wood top first, the more economic alternative. But construct it so it can be easily removed. If you later decide you can't live without the granite. switch the tops out. There are no r-egg-ulations outlawing an outfit change for your cooker from time to time. The worst that could happen is when you get your next egg, you're already halfway there with table #2.

Tspud1

@News2u‌ this top was added to a table like you suggested. I think it could be removed

Tspud1

Another pic of same table with added top