Big green egg BBQ cart

[HowardH]

For all you Big Green Eggs, you know who you are, I took their design and expanded on it a bit.  Dominoed the legs and the top.  MFS to cut the hole.  Pretty good for first attempt, I believe.  Sprayed 4 coats of Helmsman spar urethane and used the RTS 400 with 220 and 320 between each coat.  I sprayed the last coat this evening and will use OOOO steel wool with some Renaissance wax to finish it.  I'm giving it to my brother for his birthday.  Of course, it took me twice as long as I figured but isn't that almost always the case?

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[Doug Anders]

Very nice...I've been eyeballing the big green eggs for quite a while...

What kinda wood is the cart?

What spray rig did you shoot it with?

Excellent!

 

[HowardH]

Thanks, Doug.  It's kinda a hodgepodge but not on purpose.  The legs are white oak and the top and bottom are cypress.  I had wanted to do the entire cart out of cypress but my local hardwood dealer didn't have any 8/4 cypress available and I wanted the legs to be one piece, not a lamination.  White oak was the next best choice.  As it turns out, I probably should have done the entire thing in white oak because I didn't realize just how hard a wood it is.  A very tough wood, indeed.  Much more expensive, though.  I recently got a Fuji Q4 sprayer and it handled the job with ease.  It's a great unit, very easy to use and adjust.  BTW, about the Green Egg.  Easily the best BBQ I have ever owned.  Ended up giving my Bro-in-law my weber gas grill.  It will hold its heat precisely all day for smoking briskets, etc and the flavor is out of this world.  Once you try one of these, you will never go back to gas. 

 

[clintholeman]

So when do we get invited to: a)  look over your new cart [which looks very nice!!], and b) sample your Tejas BBQ?  ;D ;D

 

[HowardH]

my wife has a mean recipe for a flank steak that keeps 'em coming back for more!   ;D  I just have to make sure I don't burn it.     BTW, if you look closely, the CT 22 hiding under the MFT can be seen.  I just got the boom arm and I can see why everyone has been raving about it.  Sure keeps everything out of the way!

 

[HowardH]

I have a question for you guys regarding the final finishing process.  I have the wax ready to go and wondered which pad(s) should I use with my RO 150 to buff it to a high shine?

 

[Jerry Work]

Hi Howard,

Just a cautionary note.  Wax and outdoor don't play very well together on furniture.  If you do want to wax the piece, I have found microfiber pads work well.  I don't have the reference at hand at the moment but can get it if it is of interest.

Jerry

I have a question for you guys regarding the final finishing process.  I have the wax ready to go and wondered which pad(s) should I use with my RO 150 to buff it to a high shine?

 

[HowardH]

I went to my local Woodcraft and spoke to their resident pro, who is a craftsman in his own right.  He suggested using Rottenstone and paraffin oil as a lubricating agent.  I'll have to get some 150mm sponges/pads to apply and then polish.  I was told that wax wouldn't be needed after this process. 

 

[HowardH]

My father was going to transport the finished cart from the Dallas area to Atlanta to give to my brother.  We wrapped it carefully in a quilt and set it top down in the back of his Tahoe.  As luck would have it, a day or so before they were going to leave, my mother took ill and they had to postpone the trip.  I was going to help him unload the cart a couple of days later and leave it in his garage until they could actually go.  Imagine the look on my face when I saw the quilt was gone and the unit was still sitting face down on the hard plastic rails in the back of the truck!    Yep, it was pretty dinged up.  He had taken the quilt out to use to cover some plants up when he had a cold snap last week.  Got the screwdriver out, removed the top and transported back to my house for a complete sanding and re-spraying.  I'm not a happy camper...

 

[Terp]

Oh no,
  Now I gotta have a Green Egg.  Why did you share that, I'm weak.  Well that tax check is coming.  Oh wait Festools got that, I'll be sticking with the Hibachi this year again.   At least it's a cool old Hibachi, an old cast iron one, hard to find yet no Green Egg.  I'm green with envy.  ;D  They sure are pricey!

 

[Dave Ronyak]

I went to my local Woodcraft and spoke to their resident pro, who is a craftsman in his own right.  He suggested using Rottenstone and paraffin oil as a lubricating agent.  I'll have to get some 150mm sponges/pads to apply and then polish.  I was told that wax wouldn't be needed after this process. 

Howard,

I haven't tried rubbing out spar varnish, but I have a little experience rubbing out alkyd and polyurethane varnishes (and nitrocellulose lacquers) by hand, not by machine.  To quickly knock down any "orange peel"in the finish as applied and dried, I lightly wet sand with 320 - 400 - 600 grit silicon carbide paper on a rubber sanding block (like those sold for automotive finishing).  This knocks off the high spots, and as soon as the surface is uniformly dulled by the sanding, you know you have leveled the finish.  A low level light shining somewhat toward you is a big help in seeing how your sanding/rubbing of the finish is progressing.  Check frequently to avoid rubbing through.  After wet sanding, I switch to pumice (coarser) or rottenstone (very fine, with rubbing oil (light mineral oil) if I want a satin finish, or water if I want a high gloss finish.  Others on this forum undoubtedly have far more experience than I, perhaps they will comment.  Per Swenson has posted an example of rubbing out a gorgeous bar that he and his father built.

Dave R.

 

[Greg B]

"...,mmmm, barbeque!" This, to me, is interesting. I own a ceramic BBQ as well, and they fall into the same performance/price category as Festools. Plus, like Festool, they embrace a slightly different way of accomplishing a common goal (mmmm, barbeque!). I have found several other members of forums that I haunt frequently, who enjoy using these cookers, as well. In fact, I would estimate a much higher incidence than in the population at large. Could it be that those of us who are finicky about tools for wood are the same way about tools for food? I won't even start about choosing knives for the kitchen! Eh, eh? Can I get an amen? Or have I said too much about my other little obsession?

GB

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[Ned]

Amen, brother.  ;D ;D ;D

 

[poto]

Amen, Brother! My cooking equipment cost more than my Festools - and that's saying something! As I think we've all discovered, you get what you pay for. It's simply worth it in the long run to pay more for a better product. You won't have to replace it every year.

On the other hand, my grill is (gasp!) gas. I like the convenience of not having to wait for charcoal to reach the right state.

 

[Greg B]

Poto,

GAS!?! (makes sign of cross while mumbling anti-hex spells) Don't do it brother! If you want to be right with the meat, don't do it! Of course none of us card-carryin' lump charcoal burners even know what gas is, or even has a burner that fits in they ceramic bbq, that they uses to light they charcoal, unless they's in a hurry and might even dispense with the charcoal when nobody is looking. None of us, not one!  ..., I've said too much agin' ain't I?

GB

 

[tallgrass]

ok i am all about the sacred act of fire and meat, so what are these things and can one make it from scratch, i love making my own stuff. enlighten me.

 

[colinw]

Oh I WANT one of these soooooo bad that I spent two hours checking them out at my local dealer. (just need to convince my wife we need one) sorry about the drooling !

 

[tallgrass]

are you guys saying that WE can not make these ???????????????

 

[poto]

GB

Did I say gas? I meant ... uh ... grass! Ya - that's it. Grass. I use grass. For smoking - meat I mean. On my all-charcoal-burning BBQ. That might give you gas. But doesn't use gas. Except oxygen. Nope. No gas here. Sacrilege.

Poto

 

[Greg B]

Well then, (harrumph!) no gas you say? Grass you say?
Well then, I suppose a little oxygen is all right. Provided you use it with discretion! You may be readmitted to the abundant chest hair, he-man, don't need no matches to make fire, Meat and Smoke club. So, smoke 'em if you got 'em!

tallgrass,

Eh, you COULD make one of these, but I doubt it would survive a couple of hot fires. Secret ceramic recipes, refractory materials, insulative cement, and all that dontcha' know. Big Green Eggers, Kamado-ers, Primo Grillers, and all can cook low and slow for hours or at over 700 degrees for as long as the charcoal holds out. That takes a toll on on your cooker.

(BTW, Howard, sorry for the hijack)

GB