I am building a table for the xl I am buying. I was thinking of setting it up also for the opportunity to add a medium or large in the future. So let's say I went large and xlarge.
Can I build a 8 foot table? I guess I can build anything I want but what I am asking is do I need to have 6 or 8 legs on this thing or will four outer legs be able to do the trick. Was thinking.about 4 x4 posts and framing it with 1 x 6's. I figured that a 22" hole foe the large plus a 27" hole for the xlarge. This totals 49". Then I add say 5" on each side of the eggs to the table edge which bring my measurement to 59". Therefore the amount of space between the eggs is 37" or just over the 3 foot mark. Which should be about the right amount of space when operating both eggs. (the xl bge table plans leave about 28" of workspace for a single cooker) Obviously this would change by a few inches if I decide to go with an xlarge and a medium.
Will four legs do the trick.? I would like to avoid putting posts down the middle if possible so I can use the space between the eggs for storage. Therefore if you think 4 legs can't do it for that weight and span, then I would go with either 6 and offset the middle legs around the xl bge basically leaving a five foot span from the center leg to the other side holding the smaller egg which would be plenty of support I'm thinking. Or i could go with 8 legs to make it look symmetrical. This will be on casters.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. i have been to the naked whiz's site and seen many designs but most are for large and small. There was one xlarge and medium but I thought the workspace between the two was insufficient. In addition you are kinda guesstimating measurements in these pics based off of egg size etc.
Thanks - Michael
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If I were building it, I'd just put in 4 legs. The strength needs to be in the bottom shelf. The load on the legs is in the long grain direction - wood is insanely strong in that direction. For the cross grain stress - just double up on some 2x4s on your 8' span. Not much different structurally than an 8' span on a floor with joist construction.
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The number of legs needed depends on the design. My table is not quite 7 feet long. Built for a large and an XL. Four legs made with 4 x 4 posts. Double 2 x 6's sistered together front and back provide plenty of support for both units. The large is on order and has yet to arrive.
Living Large and XL
I do too and they ccan actually save some space but it doesnt fit into my configuration on my patio. Thats why I need to go long.
Before I'd add two additional center legs, I'd truss the shelf and the top. Creating a truss in a couple spots will double or treble the load bearing capacity. Making the truss just involves connecting the top to the shelf in one or more spots. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truss
If this is something that you aren't going to move, or you like the way 6 legs look, then by all means, nothing wrong with that. But from an engineering standpoint, a long span is not a problem if you build it correctly. Most tables I've seen on this forum are overbuilt by a factor of 4 already.
4 legs are easy to level, move easily with castors, and I think look better.
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Large and Medium BGE, Kamado Joe Jr, Akorn Jr, smoker with a 5k btu AC, gas grill, fire pit, pack of angry cats, two turntables and a microphone, my friend. Registered republican.
New Orleans, LA - we know how to eat
This is basically what I am going for. I want to add a bottom shelf for more storage and a door covering the space in the middle, possible drawers in there too. How wide is the stone inlayed in the top? Do you think you have enough room there or would ou rather have some extra space. I know its may be tough to tell at this time cause the large egg is not in yet.
Do you have any pictures on how your 2 X 6 s are sistered and mounted to the posts? Just so I can get a reference.
BTW How do you like your XL? I have 7 in my family so I decided to go big and didn't feel like stacking and trying to be resourceful with a large. BUt I do think that a future large or medium would be helpful for smaller cooks or some sides. Maybe I am just drinking the forum water.
The top tile is 16 x 22. Forgive the rough sketch here, I put this together in excel for you. It is not nowhere near scale. The red is the basic inside 2 x 6 frame. The blue are the sistered outside 2 x 6's that are lagged to the inside frame and the green posts. The whole frame is then bolted all the way through the posts.
I absolutely love the XL, but when I am doing a low and slow on that bad boy and get a hankering to grill some burgers or wings at the same time, I feel he needs a little brother.
Living Large and XL
We in the same boat down here with hurricanes and all dat. I used these 5" cast iron castors - they're cheap, resist rust and are rated at 330 pounds each - 4 of them and that's over 1300 pounds for you table. They're big so they roll over stuff easily. They'll probably last 7 -10 years outside. Look for the 20% off coupons and sales. There's a 4" castor that's similar if you want less wheel. I think the big wheels look and function better. Mebbe that's just me.
http://www.harborfreight.com/material-handling/casters-swivel/5-inch-cast-iron-molded-rubber-swivel-caster-38711.html
This is my signature line just so you're not confused. Love me or hate me, I am forum Marmite.
Large and Medium BGE, Kamado Joe Jr, Akorn Jr, smoker with a 5k btu AC, gas grill, fire pit, pack of angry cats, two turntables and a microphone, my friend. Registered republican.
New Orleans, LA - we know how to eat
I have a harbor freight less than a mile from the house.. I'll stop by on the way home and take a look. I also get some magazines in which they advertise with coupons.
Thanks.
You might want to consider something like this, Michael. I had this table built for two eggs (a medium and a small) and made it convertible so that if I were to sell my small, which I was contemplating at the time, I could place a tile to use as a cutting board in the place of the small.
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This is my signature line just so you're not confused. Love me or hate me, I am forum Marmite.
Large and Medium BGE, Kamado Joe Jr, Akorn Jr, smoker with a 5k btu AC, gas grill, fire pit, pack of angry cats, two turntables and a microphone, my friend. Registered republican.
New Orleans, LA - we know how to eat
Ernie McClain
Scottsbluff, Nebraska
(in the extreme western panhandle of NE)