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Is a home made table worth all the stress
Comments
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Built my own table, took 2 days, less than $100, no stress.
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I think a big part is do they offer what you want. I would rather stress and pay extra for a few weeks than be wishing that your set-up had this or that.
Big Lake, Minnesota
2X Large BGE, 1 Mini Max, Stokers, Adjustable Rig
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4" of concrete will easily handle you're configeration. I don't know for sure but i think it would take quite a few years to sink.
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I know a couple who have had their Egg for almost 5 years and still have it in the nest. They are perfectly fine with it, so it works for them. I knew I wanted a table and spent just over $100 in materials and 5 days building it (after work at 9pm for a few hours a night).I'd say if you have the money, and are worried about longevity, and don't want the hassle of building one: buy a stainless table and be done with it.Frank
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Can't cut a straight line with a ruler. The good carpenters of this world are a good friend to me. I wouldn't even think of it but I'm just not equipped for it.Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
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I bought a small table for my LBGE. I like it, but really, really wished I'd bought the large.
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Built a 72" by 32" table for my XL out of redwood. Absolutely love it. I am pretty handy, have decent tools, but went after this slowly and deliberately. From a functionality perspective, it's great. Still getting a sense of what I need and don't need, but I use just about all the space on the top for each cook and find the lower-level storage invaluable.If Canary can do it you can too!
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honestly- keep it simple unless you plan on using it as a show piece.... i should of taken my own advice.
i could of had mine built in a day and up and running within a week after staining, etc...
but nooooooooooooo... i had to get all fancy and as a result, my truck and wife's car have been parked in thedriveway for about 3 weeks now as i continue to build this freakin table.
at the end of the day... it is a table that sits outside.... and on top of that, mine will be covered 80% plus of the time if you think about the actual usage.. so no one is actually going to see it most of the time.
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If it's for a large or XL, I would strongly consider getting a nest and a handler. I built the table for my medium because I hate the way the mediums fit in the nests and how low they are to the ground.For all practical purposes my bge table was the first thing I've ever built. I had to google every single tool or saw I used. I made a ton of mistakes and it took me way longer than it would to do it all over again.I'd do it again in a heart beat.
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Call me silly, but I actually LIKE having the Large in a nest so I can roll it around the deck easily.
I've been using a 4' plastic table that is the same height as the fold up platforms on the sides and enjoyed it because I can use it on either side of the egg or use it as a buffet once we are finished cooking. It's a pain to fold up and bring in when we are finished and obviously there is no storage and I NEED storage for all of the crap that goes along with the egg.
I'm actually looking at purchasing a 6' long toolbox that has large drawers on each side and a door in the center with a butcher block top. I will have plenty of storage for all of the acessories, storage for lump and a 6' serving/prep table. I can get a box for around $400 at Sams and a waterproof cover for another $100. In my mind, it's a win/win and should last for a long time.
Another reason I am wanting to stay away from a solid wood table is it will be sitting in full southern GA exposure all year and I know that it will be a PITA to keep the wood looking nice. Also I am unsure of a good way to keep the elements and critters out of storage compartments of a wooden cabinet. Also I really don't want to fool with building it.
Attached is a pic of the box I am considering.
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I had -zero- experience in wood working and where I live (Eastside Seattle) real "hard" wood is rather expensive.
I still managed to build my own table. I bought common cedar which is cheap around here and is "hard" enough, downloaded the plans from Naked Whiz, made some small modifications, bought a router and a miter (sp?) saw in the process and after spending a few hours every night and weekends, finally managed to finish it. I can't tell you how many nights I worried about how I am going to cut a circle for the egg (used router with a straight bit) or what I went through to finally find the casters that would support the weight -and- would fit the 4x4 that wasn't (a 4x4 is really 3.5x3.5).
It was stressful but my wife and I had fun going to Home Depot at midnight to pick up 'straight' 1x4s, my wife laughing at me "saving money" by making my own table and buying all these tools that we both knew I would never touch again; all the time I spent on Visio making changes to the plan and so on.
Go for it.
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I had a stainless table built by Tim. It shipped yesterday. I'm excited as a little kid in a toy store
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Your patio will handle the weight. The minimum mix of a cement patio @ 4" thick is 4000 psi. Your table won't weigh in at 4000 pounds per square inch will it?
Mark Annville, PA -
Build the table. Just set the egg on a stone base or strong table and use it that way until you get the table made. Once you have a idea of the table you want, you will never be happy with the nest. You have the materials, take your time and make it the way you want.
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You need to chill a little...the egg is for contemplation and cooking..take your time and don't stress about it, put on something low and slow..pull out an adult beverage and when everything is calm decide what you want to do...
I have had mine for a year and still am trying to decide what to do about a table...sometimes i want one, sometimes i don't...i now have three two in a nest and the mini in its nest on top of an old railroad caboose stove..
this is supposed to be fun...as for the structure..the 4" slab is fine it holds cars and trucks in the driveway so don't worry...there are hundreds of prebuilt tabels out there just pick one that does what you want...stainless, powder coated, wood or anything someone can think up...go online and look at all of the options before you decide what you want...
but above all things remember this: "This is supposed to be Fun" and it is the best excuse to go sit in the back yard, watch smoke float up out of the egg and let the stress of life roll off...
Rockwall Texas, just east of Dallas where the humidity and heat meet! Life is too short to get caught in the fast lane behind somebody slow!
XL, LG, Sm, Mini and Weber for drink holder
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Just do a pressure treating 2x4 table to start with....use it for a year or so and then start building something that is more of a show piece. If you are that interested in a table, I think you would be unhappy with the nest in the long term. Put the nest $$ into a table.
Just put the egg on a few bricks and use it on the ground for the first few weeks. It will work fine. Don't let the table/stand decision ruin your fun. You are trying to go from 0-100mph too fast!
After using a basic table, you will really learn what you exactly want in a table. I learned I want to do a granite or poured concrete top for my table. I quickly got charcoal stains on the wood top. Also, I am surprised at how stained and burnt my table is under the bottom air vent from sparks popping out and messy ash cleanout.
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heh... well, going into it I had very little wood working experience, and I've learned a LOT during the process (what to do, what NOT to do, etc).
My table is about 90% built, but because I'm working full time, and I'm now back in school, my "spare" time is very hard to come by, so that last 10% has been the LONGEST 10% ever!! It's sort of like a running joke now w/ my family, about never getting the table finished... heheh...
For me, I WANTED to LEARN how to make miter cuts, size/dimension the pieces, etc. I agree w/ a poster above - the Egg, and all it represents, should be calming, soothing, a place where a man can go & be at one w/ fire>-
If you're getting stressed out, you're missing the point of it...
As far as "buy" vs "build" - there are pros & cons to each, and I'm sure most folks who have built theirs can find something else they wish they'd added to their setup, so it's sort of like owning a Harley - you can add all this chrome, but you'll always find another spot to add more
Personally, after all the changes I've made to my design, and the "back & forth" w/ the various ideas & pieces I've had, I probably have as much, if not MORE $$ invested into it than if I would've just bought one - but again, for me, it wasn't about the $$, it was about the EGG-sperience!!!
So, relax, enjoy, and decide whatever you want regarding "build" vs "buy"... but above all - HAVE FUN w/ IT!!! :x
P.S. Wanna see my "temporary" table (I call it my Redneck table)... anyway, I put my Egg on this about 2 yrs ago, when I first got it, thinking I'd have a permanent setup for it a few weeks after. Well, I didn't even start building my table till over a year after that, and, as I've said, I haven't had time to finish my table for several months... So yeah, my "temporary redneck table setup" has become... well, a tad more than "temporary"
) Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee -
After seeing what the dealer wanted for the BGE table my jaw hit the floor. I built my own with western red cedar. Still need to attach the casters but i have $230 in materials including wood, casters, hardware, towel bar, stain, and hooks.
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After seeing what the dealer wanted for the BGE table my jaw hit the floor. I built my own with western red cedar. Still need to attach the casters but i have $230 in materials including wood, casters, hardware, towel bar, stain, and hooks.
Reign - correct, $230 is less than $554, but that's just $230 for the materials - how much is your time worth?
If you enjoy wood working, then volunteering your time is worth it - if it's a frustrating, curse-word-filled environment, then perhaps paying the extra few hundred for someone ELSE'S time is worth it...
For instance, even if you only thought of your "time" as "worth" about $10/hr - if it took you 20 hours to make the table (a decent weekend), that's 200 bucks - add that to the $234 material cost, and that's pretty close to the cost of that $554 table...
that's sort of the point I was trying to get across earlier, is what the person is wanting out of it - a pre-made table that he can just load up & start cooking on that day, or something that has his blood, sweat, and tears into it...
that's really a decision only each of us can make personally... :-?
P.S. wanted to add that your home made table is AWESOME - you have some good skills!!
Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee -
Thanks so much everyone. All your post really help me understand that I was trying to make everything work perfect rather what I should have done was set up my BGE on some blocks the first day I brought it home and enjoyed my first cook. I am going to do what some people said and set up my egg temporary. I will decide either to go with the stone table or build a wood one. I found a place an hour from my house that has hardwoods to choose from. Any way, thanks again. Frank
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I know a couple who have had their Egg for almost 5 years and still have it in the nest. They are perfectly fine with it, so it works for them. I knew I wanted a table and spent just over $100 in materials and 5 days building it (after work at 9pm for a few hours a night).
I have never seen a stainless egg table. Is there one made for an egg or you just suggesting getting a table and have the egg rest on top? If there is one, could you send me a link to it?I'd say if you have the money, and are worried about longevity, and don't want the hassle of building one: buy a stainless table and be done with it.FrankThanks -
Buying a table was too expensive for me considering the cost of the egg and that fact that I already wanted to buy another egg. I built my table out of redwood for about $350 total for everything.
Living Large and XL
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P.S. wanted to add that your home made table is AWESOME - you have some good skills!!
Appreciate it. Agree completely that each person has to determine what they value in terms of their time. For me a few hours each evening spread out over a few days was worth saving $250. I don't have a lot of experience wood working wise but I spent a lot of time here researching plans and viewing everyone table design pictures which helped tremendously. I am willing to return the favor, if anyone has questions I will help where I can.
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I've seen a few people with them here, but not sure where they bought theirs. Here is a link to one on Ebay, but of course I know nothing of the quality as I just did a quick google search for it. Just wanted to give you an idea of what they look like.I know a couple who have had their Egg for almost 5 years and still have it in the nest. They are perfectly fine with it, so it works for them. I knew I wanted a table and spent just over $100 in materials and 5 days building it (after work at 9pm for a few hours a night).
I have never seen a stainless egg table. Is there one made for an egg or you just suggesting getting a table and have the egg rest on top? If there is one, could you send me a link to it?I'd say if you have the money, and are worried about longevity, and don't want the hassle of building one: buy a stainless table and be done with it.FrankThanks -
Thanks for the link. I like the way that looks. I am pretty handy with tools , however, I like not having to refinish a table every so often. I wish I could put my hands on it and shake it, then I would have a better idea.
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Thanks for the link. I like the way that looks. I am pretty handy with tools , however, I like not having to refinish a table every so often. I wish I could put my hands on it and shake it, then I would have a better idea.
My store bought table has been outside for 8 years. 4 in the WI snow and 4 in TX sun. It's been refinished twice and rebuilt once. It need to be refinished again in a bad way (on top only). It's a pain in the butt and I am going to put a piece of granite on there in the next few weeks so I don't have to finsih it again.The table in the link above is an additional $357 to ship to my house so consider that you are in it for $1000. I would rather have another egg on blocks than a $1000 table but that's just me.Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX -
Buying a table was too expensive for me considering the cost of the egg and that fact that I already wanted to buy another egg. I built my table out of redwood for about $350 total for everything.
lilwooty I really like your table design. Can you please send/provide me some dimensions? I see 4X4's for legs, and cross bracing. Did you just use 2X4 for support, of bottom, and top table tops?There may be a plan for a small in my future, and your table looks like good solid construction, room for expansion, and storage.The table in the link above is an additional $357 to ship to my house so consider that you are in it for $1000. I would rather have another egg on blocks than a $1000 table but that's just me.
Agreed. My wife saw a similar link, in advance for Father's day. then noticed it was local pickup only.At 1000, you can buy your own compound mitre saw, router (and I already have have 1 of them), and some nice hardwoodsFor me, the biggest con for building is that I don't have garage or workshop, so everything has to be brought to the backyard, then brought back in.The biggest con for buying, is that I want to plan for the growing egg family, and build in some storage for stuff.Bx - > NJ ->TX!!!All to get cheaper brisket! -
I found a guy on Craigslist and had a large cypress table built and delivered for $300. I was in a hurry and wanted it before the Super Bowl. Couldn't be happier. Added some stainless steel to the top w a few hooks and a btl opener. http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh612/jholland70/0893c6d9.jpg
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I found a guy on Craigslist and had a large cypress table built and delivered for $300. I was in a hurry and wanted it before the Super Bowl. Couldn't be happier. Added some stainless steel to the top w a few hooks and a btl opener. http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh612/jholland70/0893c6d9.jpg
awesome back yard.Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX -
Nice umbrella too.awesome back yard.
Bx - > NJ ->TX!!!All to get cheaper brisket!
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