XL Table build with concrete top

artie325

Hello,

This is my first post here on the BGE forum. I have been lurking around on the site over the past year since purchasing my XL BGE. Currently, I have been using the nest that I purchased with my egg, but need some counter top space and room to store my place setter, pizza stone, and all other grilling accessories. So after much research on this site, I drew up a table plan which includes two doors, a center drawer, and a concrete counter top. I have been working on the table for the past few weeks and am about 90% finished with it. I still have to make the drawer, polish the concrete top and nest for the egg, add hardware, and seal the Brazilian teak decking.

The plan

artie325

Here is the plan and the skeleton.

artie325

Making the concrete counter top and base for the egg. I added glass that my family and I collected from the beach to add a personal touch to the counter top and used Cheng Outdoor Countertop Mix in charcoal to add some color.

artie325

Next I added Brazilian Teak (Cumaru) wood to the outside of the frame. I also made the doors and hung them using Blum European hinges.

Tspud1

Better get some friends to help lift that top

artie325

The last thing I have for today is I received my diamond polishing disks in the mail today and started to polish the concrete counter top. I only used 50 grit today and will continue tomorrow with 100, 200, 400 and so on. I will also use a slurry to fill in the exposed air holes in the concrete. Getting there, slowly, but surely.

artie325

After polishing the top with 50 Grit.

artie325

Tspud1 said:

Better get some friends to help lift that top

I figured the top weight about 400lbs! Me and two other guys flipped it on to the table in the form before I deformed it.

ChokeOnSmoke

Very cool, looking forward to the finished product!

EggHeadDad

@artie325 nice job!  I'm glad to see a new application for the skeleton frame.  The exterior came together very well also.  The concrete top is great idea.  My brother and I just did our first venture in concrete tops in an outdoor project at his house this spring.  Great durable alternative. Thanks for sharing.  Enjoy your cooks! 

artie325

@EggHeadDad thanks for the kind words. Living in New York, I figured the concrete top would be my best option for withstanding the elements. I'm excited to finish this project up and start using it for my egg.

EggHeadDad

artie325 said:

I'm excited to finish this project up and start using it for my egg.

Post pics of the finished table.  I'm anxious to see how you finish the top.

WeberWho

Wow! Nice carpenter skills

Charcoal_Addict

It looks great.  What are you planning to use to support the base of the egg?  I can't imagine the base would be sitting on the 2 by 4's.  Are you using pavers down there or did you come-up with a different idea?

artie325

I poured a piece of concrete that will slide in where the 2x4s are. I'm going to add a couple more supports as well. I will slide it in once I finish polishing that with the top.

Ladeback69

Awesome looking table so far.  I like the design and have thought of building something like it, but don't have awesome work shop you have there.  Looking forward to seeing the finished product.

BBQpilot

Very nice! 

GoooDawgs

Winner Winner!  My favorite table so far.  Nice work!

artie325

Finally finished up my table. It took a lot of time to polish the concrete top and do all of the other small finish work.



Now that I am finished the table, I have a home for my new Minimax as well.

HeavyG

Very, very cool!

Gator_Fan

That's awesome !!

OneNole03

Really nice work

johnmitchell

WOW !!!Fantastic build and very cool looking table.. Great to follow the build. 

feef706

Very nicely done, love the diifferent colors after polishing, really gives it depth. 

Do do you plan to leave the MM on top?

TheRainMan

Probably the nicest table that I have seen yet. Well done

dstrbd488

That is a great looking table. Wish I had one just like it for mine. One thing though you may want to try and get some kinda air gap between the bottom of your egg and the concrete slab. Concrete unless it has certain ad-mixes had been known to sort of explode when heated up due to the presence of moisture in the voids inside the concrete. Just a friendly observation 

SaltySam

So, so good.  

SkinnyV

Wow! Would buy!

CTMike

Awesome project. I agree with dstrbd488 in that you need an air gap between the Egg and the concrete base it is sitting on. Here is an example of what can happen, with potentially catastrophic results:



An explosion like that can not only destroy an Egg, but potentially cause serious injury.

artie325

dstrbd488 said:

That is a great looking table. Wish I had one just like it for mine. One thing though you may want to try and get some kinda air gap between the bottom of your egg and the concrete slab. Concrete unless it has certain ad-mixes had been known to sort of explode when heated up due to the presence of moisture in the voids inside the concrete. Just a friendly observation 

Thanks for the suggestion! I was planning on getting some feet to place in-between the egg and the concrete slab. an explosion would definitely be a bad thing!

DTEgg

Absolutely beautiful.  The choice of wood is very complimentary to the egg and top...Very nice work and an excellent design.  I made a concrete top for my table and I know what it takes!  Thank you for sharing!