Ping: Whiz - Question on slate for the table

Dan in StL

Whiz,

First and foremost - thanks! You have been way generous with all the plans, pics and other miscellaneous, wierd and interesting stuff surrounding the building of the Way Cool Technicolor Barbeque Table.

Now down to bidness. . . While getting a single piece of 18x18 ceramic tile has been a bit of a challenge, I think I've got that nailed. However finding an 18x24 piece of slate (or other materials for that fact) is proving to be even more difficult.

If I go with "Option B" for the lower deck and shelf, it looks like I should be able to get by with something smaller than 18x24 - even 18x18 if I didn't mind having some open space in the front and back. Do you see any problems with that?

Thanks again.

P.S. - I've opted to use Cypress for the table. With the exception of the tile and slate I have purchased everything else (including a table saw. . .) and I'm ready to get started. Hopefully I'll have some pics of the finished product to submit to your site before too long.

Spaceman Spiff

You can purchase 18" x 26" granite tiles. Check granite/marble suppliers or kitchen remodelers.

Or you can buy the 30 pieces I have setting in my garage.

Spacey

MS_STATE_Dawg

Dan,
Congrats on the making of the table. I recently completed mine via Whiz's plans, and it turned out wonderful. I used treated pine for the frame, and cypress for the top and shelf.
Good luck with your build and do make sure to post a picture to us!

[Deleted User]

The Whiz will respond, but I think he may advise against using slate below the Egg.

Granted mine wasn't inset as the Whiz did. But it was only 3/4" thick anyway.

The Naked Whiz

I'll reply in reverse order, lol! I cracked two sheets like that. Now, I just push the two halves together and use them like that.

The Naked Whiz

Who you callin' wierd? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I guess whatever works on that slate or whatever material you can find. Like Flashback Bob mentioned, the slate will probably crack. I've quit buying new pieces and just push the two halves back together. I bought mine from a rock supplier, you know the kind of people that sell pallets of rock in wire bins for making walkways, walls, etc. But, if you measure, you could see how far back the tile/slate needs to go and maybe you could get away with 18x18. In front is obviously more important since you may have ash/embers come out of the bottom vent. Good luck!

WileECoyote

There have been a number of threads and posts about what to place under the egg. I am just finishing my custom table now and I did a lot of research and testing regarding a proper base for the egg. I reviewed hundreds of pics, dozens of plans, and every post I could find on this forum going back 5 years. I tested the egg in the nest, on a wood shelf with just the feet, and on a 16" x 16" high quality ceramic tile with and without feet.

In my latest thread about the topic someone disagreed with my conclusions so they suggested that I contact BGE corporate to get their official advice. I did recently contact John Creel at BGE corporate (R&D Dept.) and we traded info about our testing and results. We both came to the same conclusion:

BGE recommends using the concrete paving stones between a wood surface and the bottom of the egg, primarily because they are relatively cheap and easy to find at almost any major hardware store. They have found this solution to be adequate during their testing, however John also agreed with my research that the concrete paving stones are prone to cracking and breaking over time since they absorb moisture and they are not designed to take the high heat generated by the bottom of the egg. John also agreed with me that it would be better to use the three ceramic feet on top of the concrete paving stone as an additional buffer to keep the temp of the concrete stone down and reduce the risk of charring the wood under the stone, and that the best solution would be to use a layer of split firebrick under the egg in lieu of the concrete paving stone, with the three ceramic feet used on top of the firebrick for the air buffer.

John also wisely pointed out that using a cracked stone or no stone under the egg is a hazard because if the bottom of the egg ever cracked then super-heated air or coals would hit the wooden surface and cause a fire in no time. So over the past week I have done a lot of research about stones and firebrick. I called close to 50 brick yards, masonry suppliers, hardware superstores, brick manufacturers, construction firms, and contractors. Everyone agreed that the split firebrick was the way to go, however most places either didn't sell the split firebrick or they only stock it during the winter. The split firebrick is most often used as a replacement part for repairing the lining of cast iron wood stoves and pellet stoves, so it tends to be a seasonal item. It is 9" x 4" x 1.25" compared to a full firebrick which is 9" x 4" x 2.5". I didn't want to use the full firebrick since it would be overkill and raise my egg too high. I could have cut the full brick in half but I don't have a wet tile saw and I didn't want to pay to have it done.

After a few more days of digging I found three good solutions for purchasing split firebrick that should work for just about anyone in the USA.
[ol][li]Visit your local Tractor Supply store and ask the manager if they have any split firebricks in stock (item # 3112783). Most of the time they will tell you no since it is a seasonal item but if they check their inventory on the computer then they will see that they usually do have at least 10 bricks on hand. They can even check inventory at all other stores for you instantly in the computer. Most stores take this stock off the floor in the summer so you have to ask them to go back in their warehouse and find the firebricks for you. After calling a few stores I did find one store that was able to scrounge up enough bricks for my project. The best part is that the price is lowered to clearance level in the summer so I got my firebricks for $2.08 each.[/li]
[li]Another option is to order a 6-pack of firebricks from AceHardware.com and you can opt to have them delivered to your local store for free. You just pay $20 plus tax which comes out to about $3.60 per brick in most places. Costs almost twice the Tractor Supply option and it can take a few weeks for shipping to the store but it is convenient and still cheaper than the other options.[/li]
[li]The last option is to contact a local fireplace or wood stove retailer. If they are a big shop then they will probably have at least a few split firebricks on hand. The problem I had with this option was that most places only had 2-3 bricks in stock and their prices ranged from $4-6 per brick plus they were further from my home. Surprisingly about half of these places also did not stock the bricks and they wanted even more to special order them.[/li]
[/ol]
So to each his own regarding the proper base for the egg. My conclusion (which BGE supports) is that the best and safest solution is a full layer of split firebrick (4 bricks wide by 2 deep will form a 16"x18" square) and then use the BGE ceramic feet on top of those. It is also best to keep most of the bottom of the firebrick open to the air so they won't transfer as much heat to the wood. You can do this by cutting out your shelf and using a few narrow support beams or metal rods similar to how TNW's plans show. I am modifiying my table tomorrow and will post pics when it is done. I will also take temp readings with my digital infrared laser thermometer and I think many will be surprised how hot the firebrick and surrounding table surfaces can still get even with a proper solution. Err on the side of caution lest you have a tragic fire.

[Deleted User]

Wow!
You certainly nailed that down!
You no longer have the question, but for any who are interested this is how an 18" x 18" x 1.25" piece of bluestone fits under an Egg.

It's not recessed because I didn't have the stone selected when I was building my table, so i just set it on the bottom shelf.

WileECoyote

Nice pic Bob, thanks for sharing. That is exactly how the firebrick solution will look like except that I am going to cut out my shelf and let the bricks drop down inside the shelf to just sit on the support rails underneath. This will let the bricks dissipate heat on the top and bottom.

For anyone that is not using firebrick, not using a stone, or not using the feet: lift your egg up and look under the egg or stone to see if the wood is charred or burnt. Also check to make sure your stone is not cracked. If you see any signs of charring or cracking then it is time to get the firebrick and use it with the feet, and preferably cut out your shelf under the brick so they will not transfer as much heat to the wood. Even if you don't have a problem now, you are almost certain to develop a problem over time, and if your egg ever cracks then you could be in for a really bad fire. If you don't believe this then just place your hand on the bottom side of the wood shelf underneath your egg while cooking. The wood will be super hot after just an hour of cooking at 300-400 degrees. The firebrick is cheap enough and easy to set on the shelf so there is no reason not to switch.

If you search the forum you will see plenty of pictures of cracked stones and burnt wood. Here are just a few:

Drunk at the EGG

Corona. Nice choice.
Where do you buy this bluestone?
Thanks
Don