XL stone table

Rollie2002

I'm in the process of starting to build an area for my egg. It will be made out of stone, with a cedar top. If the egg is going to sit directly on  a piece of flagstone, do I need the table nest? Or is it ok to sit directly on the stone? I've read/seen several different opinions and figured a few more couldn't hurt.

Earshots

Xl sitting on stone for years 

shtgunal3

My small sitting directly on its stone nest.

stompbox

Isn't there a concern about cracking the stone due to thermal shock? or having intense heat in the center while the outside is cool.  Seems like expansion and contraction could crack it. shrug

slovelad

stompbox said:

Isn't there a concern about cracking the stone due to thermal shock? or having intense heat in the center while the outside is cool.  Seems like expansion and contraction could crack it. shrug

Yes, that's the reason they make a table nest. And I'm really suprised that BGE still holds up the warranty when people set them on stone directly. But there's no way to prove it I guess

Earshots

The reason they make them is to try and separate you from your money like they did from @slovelad...spend it on protein!

ksmyrl

I'm not saying someone else is wrong or right. But in my situation I had my Large sitting on a slab of granite that was sitting on the granite base of my setup. In less than 6 months both the slab it was sitting on and the base of my lowered counter top set up developed a hairline crack, and it was spreading. I switched to a table nest and now I can put my hand on the granite base during a pizza cook. The air gap really does insulate the base...in my experience. Pics show before and after.

walleyv

You need the air gap.  Take it from experience.

CIAJoe

I have a large Egg sitting on a piece of granite that sits on a wooden base cabinet.  The granite under the Egg has a hairline crack.  Haven't bought a table nest but would do so next time.  Had this setup for 8 years though and nothing more than hairline crack.  Just FYI, friend has his Egg dropped into a granite topped table (granite encircles the Egg) and the granite top is cracked.

Rollie2002

Well this is what got done today. I guess I'll be buying a table nest.

HeavyG

slovelad said:

stompbox said:

Isn't there a concern about cracking the stone due to thermal shock? or having intense heat in the center while the outside is cool.  Seems like expansion and contraction could crack it. shrug

Yes, that's the reason they make a table nest. And I'm really suprised that BGE still holds up the warranty when people set them on stone directly. But there's no way to prove it I guess

Well...BGE says this in their official table plans:

ButtNeckid

Relax,they are just a grill .Stike!!!

Chubbs

Rollie2002 said:

Well this is what got done today. I guess I'll be buying a table nest.

That is my dream setup. Super jealous

YukonRon

Granite is a beautiful stone for counters. It is also a bit more delicate than some people may realize. It does not do very well with extreme temperature change, or weathering. Just hike in the Rockies and you will see. Some of the granite rocks crush beneath your feet. The temperature extremes there are less than 200F from coldest to hottest, and along with weathering, you have a massive pile of rocks that keeps getting bigger as the mountains become smaller.
Indoors, where the temperature remains mostly moderate, and temperature swings are relatively very small, typically less than 10F, is ideal for maintaining granite surfaces. 
So when using granite, for a tabletop or surface, be sure to isolate the surface from extreme heat. I would certainly use a table nest with a BGE if I were to use granite.

HeavyG

YukonRon said:

Granite is a beautiful stone for counters. It is also a bit more delicate than some people may realize. It does not do very well with extreme temperature change, or weathering. Just hike in the Rockies and you will see. Some of the granite rocks crush beneath your feet. The temperature extremes there are less than 200F from coldest to hottest, and along with weathering, you have a massive pile of rocks that keeps getting bigger as the mountains become smaller.
Indoors, where the temperature remains mostly moderate, and temperature swings are relatively very small, typically less than 10F, is ideal for maintaining granite surfaces. 
So when using granite, for a tabletop or surface, be sure to isolate the surface from extreme heat. I would certainly use a table nest with a BGE if I were to use granite.

And...how many thousands of years of weathering does it take for a "layer" of granite to get to the "crumbling" stage? Freeze/thaw cycles are mostly what causes stuff like granite to start falling apart not the heat of the summer sun.

If I was building a table or platform to support an egg I'd use soapstone. Soapstone is often used in wood stoves where it is exposed to greater heating/cooling cycles than you'd experience with the base of an egg sitting on it.

YukonRon

HeavyG said:

YukonRon said:

Granite is a beautiful stone for counters. It is also a bit more delicate than some people may realize. It does not do very well with extreme temperature change, or weathering. Just hike in the Rockies and you will see. Some of the granite rocks crush beneath your feet. 

And...how many thousands of years of weathering does it take for a "layer" of granite to get to the "crumbling" stage? Freeze/thaw cycles are mostly what causes stuff like granite to start falling apart.



Agreed. Remember though, thin elongated layers behave differently than massive size rock or boulders.
If you are in a northern climate freeze thaws can be a daily thing outdoors in the colder seasons.
A layer of granite has some very hard minerals in it, (Quartz, and to a lesser extent, Feldspar) however, it also has one of the least durable,(Mica) which is the primary reason for failure.
One crack from high heat expansion/contraction, along with moisture in the cracks expanding when frozen, helps accelerate the process. Some of the surfaces used for counter tops are not that thick to handle temperature extremes, along with continued exposure out doors.
Ask a ranger in the Rockies, they will tell you how unstable granite is. They told me there are two types of granite in the Rockies;  1) granite that is cracked, and  2) granite that is going to crack. They also told me that is why most houses are not built with a granite veneer exterior because it is actually too fragile to withstand most weathering issues and need loads of maintenance to keep it looking great. They use it as crushed stone mostly for road engineering processes.
Used as slabs, indoors, it is great, and remains beautiful for as long as the surrounding shelter remains intact, and the granite does not crack.  He may have been joking to illustrate a point point but he did say "Given the amount of stone that is available in the Rockies there is a reason most people built home from logs."
If you like a beautiful polished stone that will show some cracks, go for it, nothing wrong with that.
I have a neighbor who had an outdoor countertop of granite, replaced it due to a large crack, after three years. That is in Kentucky, where winters are relatively mild. Could have been a bad layer, but it broke.
Go Broncos.

Rollie2002

Got a table nest and it set up in time to do some fajitas for the game. Now to decide it I do granite or cedar for the tops down the side.k

ryantt

Man that's looking good. Any chance you want to come to my house and put  The same thing together for me 

Hawg Fan

Love the stone!

YukonRon

That is beautiful!

JohnnyTarheel

Great looking setup!!

slovelad

I wouldn't put wood on top of that. It looks way too nice for that. I would get granite. Something that will be there 100 years from now 

HeavyG

slovelad said:

I wouldn't put wood on top of that. It looks way too nice for that. I would get granite. Something that will be there 100 years from now 

100 years?? Is Rollie is an immortal?  

News2u

Rollie2002 said:

Got a table nest and it set up in time to do some fajitas for the game. Now to decide it I do granite or cedar for the tops down the side.k

In my opinion, your smartest move yet. Like the rest of what you've done, too.