My Awesome LBGE Table Build Thread

Toxarch

Started on the table this weekend. Asked a few questions in here and looked at a ton of pictures online. On paper, the table seemed like it was going to be really big. Once I got the frame built, it was a lot smaller than I thought. I was planning cabinet doors and drawers with plenty of storage space. I think the casters took up a bit of space and there's not a lot of room left. Single drawer under the BGE for the plate setter and cabinet doors on the right.

Anyway, here's some progress pictures from this weekend. Ignore the messy garage. Had to dig some tools out.
Had to fix the old chop saw first. This is from the 80s. The old cutting surface was particle board and was mostly useless. Took 2 of the boards they use to bundle plywood and lumber, ripped them on the table saw to the right dimensions, biscuit joined them together, and sanded it down to 220 grit.  Made it wider than before so it's easier to cut with. Now it's ready to use on the table.


This is a granite remnant from the kitchen remodel a couple of years ago. This was from the cutout for the stove in the island. Had them finish the edges and give it back to me. Figured I could use it sometime for another project. Decided to build a table for the new BGE and figure this was a good time to use it. The granite is from Brazil and called Kosmus in case anyone wondered. It's 1-1/8" thick.


I prefer the look of the exposed 4x4s rather than having them flush like most build theirs. Everything is glued and screwed. I sat on the long 2x4s before the middle 4x4s were added and it held me great. It should only get stronger the more I add to it.



 LBGE goes on the left side. The 2x4 framing will all be covered in the end.


Here's a mockup of the table top. The granite will be almost flush with the wood top and overhang the edge. Decided that was the best place for it since it will be used a lot and it's easier to clean it if I can wipe to the edge rather than over wood and then to the edge. Ignore the blue tape.

shadowrider

I like it!  Going to start on mine pretty quick.  What are you going to cover your framing with?  I'm using rough cedar, I can't find a source locally for S4S cedar so I'm going to do like you and frame it up in pine and cover it in cedar.  I'll do the top in pine decking also.

I may have to steal some of your design.

Toxarch

It will be all pine. Planning to match the finish in the kitchen so it kinda goes with the house. Same stain, same granite, same floor tile under the egg.

A little progress on the table today. Glued up the table top (3/4" pine), made the cutout for the granite piece, and sanded it all to 220 grit. Framed up the support for the granite piece and the table top behind the granite. Then added in 1/4" shims to raise the wood table so it's only 1/8" from the granite height. The granite has a slightly rounded edge so it will look better in the end this way.

SkinnyV

Great thread, the pics are giving me the itch.

shadowrider

Toxarch, are you bracing the framing for the egg platform or are you just going with pocket holes and glue?  I just bought a Kreg R3 and a couple boxes of Kreg screws.  I should get my framing lumber this week hopefully.

Toxarch

I am doing pocket screws and glue (Titebond II) for all the framing. I tried to remove one after it had only been in place for a few minutes. Removed the screws and then had to beat it out with a hammer with the glue half set. Whe it was framed with just the 4 corners and the 2x4s all the way around the outside, I sat on the middle of the long 2x4 and couldn't even feel it bow. I have no doubts that it will hold any weight I plan to put on it.

I am still trying to decide how I want to frame under the egg. I see a lot of people just do wood and a table nest under the egg. I am planning a tile under the egg (with nest) that extends out to the front edge for any spilled ash that needs to be cleaned up. Been toying with the idea of welding a steel frame under the tile for the heat. Still trying to decide how I want to do it. I need to decide quick because that framing comes tomorrow.

yellowdogbbq

Very sturdy looking table, great start! 

Chubbs

Man I need to build one and get my eggs off of the porch. I need a patio first though. Looks great can't wait to see finished product

shadowrider

Toxarch said:

I am doing pocket screws and glue (Titebond II) for all the framing. I tried to remove one after it had only been in place for a few minutes. Removed the screws and then had to beat it out with a hammer with the glue half set. Whe it was framed with just the 4 corners and the 2x4s all the way around the outside, I sat on the middle of the long 2x4 and couldn't even feel it bow. I have no doubts that it will hold any weight I plan to put on it.

I am still trying to decide how I want to frame under the egg. I see a lot of people just do wood and a table nest under the egg. I am planning a tile under the egg (with nest) that extends out to the front edge for any spilled ash that needs to be cleaned up. Been toying with the idea of welding a steel frame under the tile for the heat. Still trying to decide how I want to do it. I need to decide quick because that framing comes tomorrow.

That's good to know on the framing.  Thanks.

I'm going to try and find a thin piece of granite, maybe a large tile, to set my egg on.  With a table nest it may not be necessary but like you said it'll help with the ash and give some insurance too.

DeltaNu1142

I found a single 12"x24" granite tile for this exact purpose to be very cheap at a local flooring store.

@Toxarch, your table is coming along nicely. I like your idea about using tile as a base under the nest for ease of cleaning... but FWIW, I don't think you'll need anything else as a heat barrier. I have my table nest sitting directly on the 1"x4"s of my (hopefully) temporary table. The boards are stained and urethaned. I have no evidence of any problems after six months, lots of low cooks, and several runs into the 700+ degree range. IMHO, a tile should be plenty. See my sig for my build thread & photos.

Good luck!

Toxarch

Thanks for the input. I think I have decided how I am going to do the area under the egg. I plan to notch out the 2x4 in the front and back and use a steel square tubing under the tile where the feet sit. That way there a little less risk of fire and the egg is supported even if the tile fails for some reason.

Toxarch

Little more progress today. Not a lot since I had to run around for supplies and meet the A/C repair guy.
Attached the shims to the top of the table and then worked on the support under the egg. The bottom of the egg will put out a bit of heat so I wanted to make sure it was well supported and not have to worry about the heat affecting the wood. I don't like the look of pave stone or fire brick so I'm going with a porcelain tile I used in the kitchen.
I decided to use a 1.5 x 3/4 square steel tubing to support the egg. Should work just fine.
Here's a quick mockup of what I wanted to do:

Pre-paint of the steel supports. Using flat black BBQ high heat paint. I was going to go buy some steel but then realized I had a little scrap left from another project I have been SLOWLY working on. Cut it, cleaned it up a bit and then ready to use.

Test fit a scrap piece into the grooves I routered out for the square tubing. They are lower so that the tile will be same height as the wood around it.


Fits like a glove. Too bad it will be covered up once the table is complete.


Here's a mockup with the tile and stand for the egg. As you can see, the nest feet will be directly over the square tubing. Only needed two pieces of steel, but put in the third one just for good measure. No chance of the egg falling all the way through.


Without the stand. I'm using one scrap piece in the back and one full tile piece in the front. This will bring the edge of the tile all the way to the front edge of the table so that it is easy to clean any ash that falls during clean out.


Closeup of the end of the steel supports.

Toxarch

There will be a wood facia covering the ends of the square tubing. Kinda thinking about drilling a couple of holes in the tubes just so they can breath a little and cool easier. Probably not needed, but can't hurt.

blasting

cool thread @Toxarch .  I like following these progress threads.  

Toxarch

blasting said:

cool thread @Toxarch .  I like following these progress threads.  

Thanks. I'm used to documenting my DIYs and sharing them. If anyone asks a question in the future, it's easier to just show a couple of pictures or a whole thread than trying to describe it to them.

Toxarch

Had a little trouble working with the router on some pieces. Nothing wrong with the router, the problem was with me. It was hot, I was tired, I routered the wrong side of one kinda elaborate piece so I had to start it over. Then the pieces wouldn't line up so I remeasured and remeasured and remeasured and couldn't figure out what the problem was. Fixed the issue, but it took way too long to figure out. Anyway, here's the pictures:

Metal supports in place for under the egg. I could stand on all three of these and they shouldn't move.



Added the wood pieces on each side of the tile and routered them to inset the tile.



Routered out the back piece for the tile and for the square tubing. This is the piece I had issues with. Routered the wrong side one time so had to start it over. Then it wouldn't line up with the side pieces. Took a while to figure out that the recess grooves in the 2x4 weren't deep enough. Fixed that and then everything lined up almost perfect. Good enough for me.









View of the back. You can see kind of how it fits together.



Here it is with the stand in place.



Be aware that the wood will be stained darker by the time it is done.

pswarren

This is a great build. I really like the tile detail work!

danv23

w o w. cool as hell.

Toxarch

Thanks for the compliments. There are more pictures, but the post is waiting approval by the admin for some reason. So it might show up in a week or two.

The bad part about the tile support is that it won't be seen once the table is finished. All that work hidden in the end. At least there's pictures and a build thread.

Toxarch

Worked on the drawers. Got the slides mounted in place. Did rabbet joints for the drawers. Also decided to do a replaceable floor on the drawers. You cut the back off before assembly and then slide the floor into place and secure with a single screw. That way, if the floor becomes damaged, you don't have to rebuild the entire drawer. You just remove the screw, pull the old floor and slide in a new one.





Drawers in place but not attached to the sliders yet. The left one is a false face drawer that will be flush with the trim. The right side is a sliding drawer in the bottom of the cabinet. Makes it easier to get stuff in/out and makes sure nothing gets hidden in the back of the cabinet.

For my first set of drawers, I'd say they came out pretty nice. At the very least, they are perfectly square so that's a good thing.

Toxarch

Started staining now so it's easier in the end. Stained anything that can be seen. Using General Finishes Light Brown.


Close up of the stain on the drawer:


Cut the hole for the LBGE using the router and a circle jig.


Also added a 3/4" lip under the counter top. Makes the top a little stiffer and it looks better being 1.5" thick. I'll likely add some LEDs behind the lip.

Toxarch

It's starting to look more like it should.
Figured out I calculated for the cabinet doors wrong. While the doors would have fit and worked fine, there wasn't enough room for the drawer in the bottom of the cabinet. So I am going to have to change that plan. The double cabinet doors are now a single panel for a false drawer face... a very large false drawer face. I think it should work out alright.


Trim pieces for the tops and bottoms of the sides:



Test fitting all the side pieces. Figured out I measured wrong on part of it, but it won't be noticeable once completed.




Test fitting the false front for the drawer that goes under the egg.

nolaegghead

Very nice job!

I like that circle template.  Almost bought one, but I ended up making one from some scrap plywood.  Plunge routers do a little better than the twist base.

One thing I noticed, may not be a big deal, but if the sides are solid and you're running the grain vertical, watch out for cross-grain expansion.  You need some space for that wood to expand/contract.  Presumably this will spend time outside with varying humidity.

Toxarch

I thought about making my own circle jig but this one wasn't too expensive. I have a plunge base but the screw base let me drop the bit down in increments easily so I went that route. 
The sides are not a solid piece. They are individual slats cut from 1x6 and 1x4. I left a tiny gap between them for expansion. 

nolaegghead

I built two tables and the first one the screw base was off center so as I lowered it it made a bit of a sloppy cut.  My plunge has a dial so I can dial in a quarter inch or so and it was dead on.

Sounds like you know what you're doing - nice table!

YukonRon

This table will be awesome.

HoustonEgger

This has to be one of the best builds I've seen on here - taking notes for sure!

Toxarch

Thanks for the compliments.

Had a slight change in the finish out plans of the table. Won't change much other than the final part of the build so I can keep going. It will take a little bit of planning and labor, but the cool factor and originality will be there. 

Adrock

Damn !  looks awesome.  I am definitely impressed with your attention to detail and craftsmanship. 

Toxarch

One more test fit of the granite. Making sure it has enough clearance once the varnish is done. Had to sand a little but got it just how I want it. The drawer face under the egg ended up a darker shade than I wanted so I just decided to make another one.


This is the back side. The last panel gave me some issues... too many issues. I got tired of trying to fix it so I just got a new piece of wood and made a new panel. The new one worked fine with no major issues.



Made a cutout for a plug on the right side of the table. There will be a power cord for the table and figured an external plug would come in handy. I'll use it for the Stoker. I had wanted to make a compartment in the table for the Stoker and run the wires internally. But the Stoker is not water proof and the Stoker guys recommended not leaving the probes outside. So that idea went out the window. There will also be a couple of switches and a switched plug inside for the LEDs.


Added 2 pieces to the underside of the table top. They are attached to the top, not to the frame This gives the table top a little more stiffness near the cutout and makes the top easy to line up when taking it on/off while finishing the table.


Couple of minor things to finish up and then I'll start varnishing. The final touch that I mentioned earlier will be added after the varnish is completed.

Toxarch

I think I'm going to have to build a clean room for the varnish.