relocating the swing up side tables on a large BGE

danhoo

I'm planning to replace the four wood slats on my fold up side tables in a week or so and am thinking of drilling new holes in the lower band to relocate the mounts for the side table back a few inches. The goal is to have the tables be parallel vs angled to the front

The bands will be off to replace the base so its a good time for me to do this, if I do this. 

I'm replacing the wood with bamboo cutting boards. 

Here's a few pics, then I have a couple of questions. 

This  is roughly what i'm thinking for placement. It looks like I would need to move the mount on the band about three inches to the back.





This is what it would look like in the current location angled to the front.







And the current original boards from 2011. 



Ok, my questions.

has anyone "centered" the flip up side tables It looks like the right hand side will just clear the band tightening bolt.

On the cutting boards, these were "budget friendly" ( some would say cheap ) bamboo boards on amazon. I think I will drill holes and mount like the original boards. Should I just bottom mount the board with new wood screws?

I'm planning to seal the wood. I've read tung oil is best for "food grade" but these will hold sheet pans, and thermometers, and gloves, but not food.  I've also read marine spar varnish works well.  Any ideas on that?

My main reason for re-aligning the side tables is this sits in a row among other cookers and it seems like it would look better and be more functional?

Thoughts? Ideas? suggestions?  any and all are welcome.

Oh, and before someone suggests an  adult beverage holder, there is a table directly behind me that does a nice job keeping my wine or iced beverage away from heat of the grills.

Here is a link to the boards on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MW8NBW2  They were $12.99 last week when I ordered them. They are showing 19.99 today. 

danhoo

The BGE usually is positioned between the Silver B and the E330 and changing the angle of the flip up side tables on the BGE seems to fit the space better. 

RRP

It's your egg so GO FOR IT!!!

Langner91

As an Engineer, I tend to look for the "what could go wrong?" when dealing with things like this.  

My only concern would be, will reaching for things on the side table now put you (chest, arms, face) more over the fire?  In other words, is the reason BGE positioned them this way so you don't have to reach over the grill?  If you are confident that you won't singe the hair off yourself, then, as @RRP said, Go for it!

danhoo

I believe it will work. Using two speed squares it was easy to find the 3 o'clock spot on the egg.

The side table mount has a center hole so that was easy to locate. The mount needs to move 3 1/4 inches (chord length not arc length) to mount it 90 degrees.



The new hole center will be on the right side of the tape. I think this is far enough from the bend of the clamp.

I'll post updates when my replacement base arrives.

My new gasket from @RRP arrived yesterday. Thanks Ron! 

I need to decide how to mount the cutting boards. I think screws from the bottom will look better and withstand spills better, yet screws from the top will be stronger. 

danhoo

Ok, done for now. I'll re-do the wood when I have more time.  This works really well for my patio since all the grills line along a fence, and having the tables swing up at 90 degree angles, less space is needed to swing up the tables. 

edit: The tables in their original location needed 12 3/4 inches of clearance to swing up.  The tables now need 11 1/4 inches of clearance to swing up. 

and, if you look closely you'll see my new rutland gasket with the permatex copper still curing... 

danhoo

3 inches of arc length was just enough to square the swing up tables. Good thing because the mount for the table is snug against the carriage bole for the band.

danhoo

This pic shows how far the hole was relocated. I measured 3 inches center to center.

danhoo

Langner91 said:

As an Engineer, I tend to look for the "what could go wrong?" when dealing with things like this.  

My only concern would be, will reaching for things on the side table now put you (chest, arms, face) more over the fire?  In other words, is the reason BGE positioned them this way so you don't have to reach over the grill?  If you are confident that you won't singe the hair off yourself, then, as @RRP said, Go for it!

Thanks for this comment. I thought about it, and also looked at other tables, and other komodo grills and decided to go for it.  If I don't like it, the mod can be reverted back.

I think BGE did it for styling, and so that the egg could sit in a corner, say on a deck with a railing.  When positioned in a corner, with the swing up side tables in the factory location, the egg can be moved closer into the corner and still allow the tables to swing up.
  
 

WeberWho

I tossed on some bamboo cutting boards back in the day as well.