Egg table project underway

sdbelt

I've started building a table for my Large BGE. I bought some Maple over the holiday. It was kind of expensive at $6.00/bf, but it just looked too good to pass up.[p]So far, I've cut and sanded the 4 legs, and ripped 19 boards down to 4" widths. Still lots of work yet to go, but it's progress nonetheless. I'll be stealing with pride from what The Naked Whiz showed us over the summer.[p]Final dimensions with be 58x24, with a table height of 35 3/4". I won't bother with wheels. I have two pieces of 18x18 travertine that will serve as hotplate and Egg support. I'll also wire an outlet into the table for my electric fire starter. Oh, and of course, BRACING...lots of BRACING![p]--sdb

Unknown

sdbelt, curious since you're not planning on wheels at least on one end in case you ever want to move it then where are you planning to put the BGE? Smack dab in the middle of the table? Play what if with me, because I've been there done that...if you plan ahead you can mount the egg in the center of half and that would leave space for the future addition of another size BGE in the other half. Don't say never because it gets in your blood and multiple egg owners are not an unusual breed on this board!

Citizen Q

sdbelt,
Maple is a truly beautiful wood, but not the most resilient to the weather. To protect that baby you will want to oil it generously and often. Check your local Yellow Pages for a Restaraunt or Foodservice Supply company that can hook you up with a big bottle of food grade mineral oil and saturate the wood upon completion, let it soak into the maple and dry before firing up the Egg as it is oil and I'm not sure but it could be flammable, then give it a good rub at least once a week for the first month or two and every couple of weeks thereafter. If you're building to the BGE table specs, you might want to buy their cover to keep it out of the sun and rain when not in use.
Also, when laying out the boards, examine them closely horizontally from the end grain to see which way the boards cup, lay them so that the cup faces down before you fasten them so that water won't puddle up on the table.[p]Good Luck.

Wardster

sdbelt,
Please post some pics. Everyone "borrows" ideas from everyone. My table is but a mere embryo deep in my mind, everchanging by pics of others. Buy house first, build table second. Baby steps... baby steps....

Carl T

Wardster,[p]When your table embryo develops, maybe you could offer it for cloning :-)[p]Carl T

The Naked Whiz

sdbelt,
Ah, bracing, sweet sweet bracing. It brings back memories...[p]TNW

Unknown

sdbelt,
Good advice about use of the BGE cover, so if you are planning on that you'll need to shorten your table a tad as the cover dimension is 58 x 27 x 44 and you said your finished length will be 58. Do you need their cover? No of course not, but it sure beats the look of a tarp draped over your table when not in use.

Puj

sdbelt,[p]Glad to read that another table that will soon join the ranks. An additional option that you have regarding a cover for the table is to go to a local fabric store and rummage through the remnants. Cheryl (Mrs. Puj) found some marine cloth which she cut to size, put some grommets around the edge and looped rope through the grommets to secure. Works like a champ.[p]Puj

sdbelt

All-[p]Thanks for all the feedback. Recall that I live in Phoenix Arizona, so we don't get much rain. We do get sand and heat, though. I plan on finishing the table with a standard stain/urethane finish, which should be good enough around here.[p]Also, I'm moving in about 18 months, as we have a new house under contract. At that new house will be a complete built-in BBQ center, with covered gazebo, swim up bar, etc. near the pool. I'm specing two large Eggs in that area, so really this table is an interim solution until then. As much as I'd like a second Egg now, I'm going to hold off until we move.[p]I currently use a cedar chest to house my lump and eggcessaries, so the table will mostly just be a table. Large Egg on my left, table space on the right. Lower shelf all along. Basically that same as TNW or the BGE spec table. The whole works will be located under our current covered patio, which has afternoon sun. [p]I wasn't planning on a cover for the table. I have the cover for my Large now, and I almost never put it on. It would protect the table from dust, I suppose, but a sponge takes care of that as well. We'll see. It's still quite a ways off...I'm sure I won't be done until at least Christmas.[p]As to pictures, I'll post something when their's something to post (though I can pretty much garauntee I won't post as much as TNW). I just ordered a Canon D30 (Digital SLR), which may be here as early as Friday. That should make posting pictures fairly easy.[p]Happy Egging![p]--sdb

Bordello

sdbelt,
Swim up BAR???????? I'm looking for my trunks. The new house sounds real nice, two eggs, twice the fun.
Happy Egg-n
New Bob

MickeyT

<p />sdbelt,[p]Here's a litle picture of a table I built for a friend. Certainly not hardwood, just pine. Works well though. $58 and took 3 hours to build.[p]Enjoy the project. It is quite fun and very rewarding.[p]Mick[p]

sdbelt

MickeyT.,[p]Thanks for the attempt. However, I'm not a photopoint user, so I can't see the picture. If you can send it some other way, I'd love to see it.[p]Thanks![p]--sdb

The Naked Whiz

sdbelt,
I have a Canon D30 also! What I like about this camera is that it has plenty of bracing.... Anyway, don't forget to scale those whopping photos down to 640x480 for posting![p]TNW

sdbelt

New Bob,[p]Since you've sorta asked/mentioned it...the new house is too much. 6000 square + 500 square foot casita on 3 acres in North Scottsdale on a ridge overlooking the city.[p]The pool/BBQ/patio area will be way cool. Pool will have 5 stools built within the water, and share a counter with the lattice covered rotunda: you could be in the pool, while I could pony up from the other side, while I'm searing up your steak![p]Off that, will shoot an L-shaped counter, where the 2 Eggs will be housed. To please the wife, there may also be a gas grill (though we don't have one now), but I'm going to try and convince her it would be a waste of money (we gotta watch that budget you know).[p]--sdb

Painter

sdbelt,
Now that would be a great place to start the new "Southwest Eggfest" about the middle of January. Us northerners would travel your way in a real hurry, to get out of the cold. Good Luck with the new home and table.
Painter...In Chilly Wisconsin

AZGator

sdbelt,[p]Since the table is only "transitional", I'll be glad to take it off your hands when you move into the new house. I figure I won't get around to building mine by then.