Egg Cart Project

Egger2

 After receiving my XL from the wife and kids for Fathers Day (God love 'em) I realized I needed to build a protective cocoon to house the beauty.  I would wake up at night in a cold sweat having a nightmare that some good for nothin'  SOB would push it off its perch I had it resting on........Humpty Dumpty.   I can sleep better now.

After some planning and creative design I came up  with final product you see above.  I tried to use wood and material from around the house, that's how a roll.  Left over cedar trim, 2x4's and 2x6's.  Internal corners are true 4x4 posts that are 25 years old.  The siding is off an old barn, aged, thick as hell and beautiful.  Bottom floor I bought at Home Depot, cedar decking.  Everything is screwed and glued when possible.  All trimmed out in rough cut cedar.  The top and doors are 11 gauge A606 weathering steel, will get prettier with age.  A local supplier will cut to dimension.  My good friend was able to break the sides and plasma cut the perfect hole to hold my Egg.  Added some 300 pound each capacity wheels and I'm all set.  The Egg sits on the plasma cut drop as well as a large ceramic tile to keep heat off the wood.  Lots of room for my fuel, chips and grates.  Last touch will be to put knobs on the doors, both swing and drop downs.  They are held closed by heavy duty magnets.  I gotta find something unique to use as knobs.

Overall it was a fun project, outside of materials I had under the house I spent about $300.  The steel was about $183.  I struggled with what to use for a countertop since moisture, grease and heat would be a factor.  Steel seemed to make the most sense.  Having access to a guy who knows how to fab metal is important.  I estimate the cart weighs about 430 lbs including Egg, fuel, wood etc.  You'll see the cans of WD-40, every so often I give it a spray and a wipe down.  Thing of Pledge for your furniture.

Let me know if you have any questions, here are a few things to consider when you design/build your cart.

1. Dimensions are key.  Make sure the final height of your Egg cooking surface is calculated properly.  Also, make sure you have room in back for the hinge to open fully.  In my case the hinge drops below the level of the countertop and hangs off the back.  Take into consideration room for the insulated pad under your Egg.
2. Access to the bottom slide-vent is important.  Make sure you give yourself room to not only fine-tune the ventilation but also make sure it's easy to clean and remove ash.
3. Counter surface area.  I wanted a counter to the right side that can hold a lot of stuff.  I wanted to be able to put hot items and would hold my grates.  Room was important to me.
4. Weather proofing.... I live in the Pacific Northwest, I store the Egg cart with a waterproof cover.  The entire surface of the cart is covered but not the sides.   If it is raining out and a want to cook I use a simple patio umbrella stuck inside an old milk can holding sand.  I'm working on an outdoor structure to cover everything.  Next summer maybe.
5. Make it sturdy, use construction adhesive on everything you can.  Use screws as well.  You don't want your cart to become wobbly after a few years.  Glue is cheap as are screws, use them.
6. If you want you can add accommodations for a towel rack or hooks to hang your tools.  I decided not to do that.  I did make sure I could hang my Bulldog beer bottle opener.

Glad I could share my information with fellow "Eggers."  I hope it gave you food for thought and motivation to build your own.

logchief

That table sure looks sturdy, what ya been cookin on it.

Egger2

Wide variety of meats, I'm new so learning as I go.  Have done direct heat grilling and slooooooow smoke cooking.

BIll-W221

I like it, and great bottle opener !!!!

WeberWho

The siding on the cart is freaking sweet! Nice work!