Big Green Egg Tables

[fignewton]

Finally completed!  Made this for my neighbor/friend.  Wood is sapele, which works beautifully.  This is for a XL BGE, which weighs about 250 pounds.  Bought the plans and templates from the Wood Whisperer and followed his video XL big green egg table
Took the cutouts from the circle and made another side table to go with it. 
Used lots of my Festools.  Used the poly glue for the bottom shelf and frame.  Tried to keep up with the foam, but it is messy stuff.  Spent about 1.5 hr the next day cleaning it up.  Had about 90 hours in the project including trips to get wood.  Had to buy the tool and drill bit to do the EZ-lock inserts for screwing the casters into the legs.  WW used his Domino 700, and the long 10mm dominos.  I only have the 500, so used the 10x50mm dominoes.  Shelf is 6/4 stock, so, I added a rail on the inside under the slats on both bottom rails for reinforcement.  Finish is Penofin oil.
My neighbor says demand will be high for these just from people he knows who have BGEs.  Think I could do the next one in about 3/4 the time.  A lot of time was spend just in cutting and milling the pieces.

 

[Sparktrician]

Nice!  What time is dinner?  [big grin]

 

[Rick Herrick]

That is extra very nice.  You may have to quit your day job and find a good source for sapele.

 

[Birdhunter]

I want a big Green Egg. My brother in law is a fanatic. He has a computer controlled gadget on the top that controls the temperature. He is constantly on a web site for GreenEgg recipes. .

 

[tdwilli1]

Thought I would show one that I made for my neighbor. He is also a fanatic with it. Uses it 4-5 times a week.

 

[mkasdin]

What was the board footage used for the build? Nice looking Sapele. You had about 40 hours into the build, all inclusive. The large green egg table is nice, but you need a lot of space. 

 

[tdwilli1]

Just used Sapele for the panels. Used Marine Ply for the carcass. Didn't track the BF. I get all my wood from a distributor for local contractors, so I paid ~ $3/BF for the Sapele. They had it on a special and picked up a bunch for a couple projects.

 

[jarbroen]

How do you guys feel the sapele holds up outdoors?  I'm a big fan, but have only used it on indoor projects so far.
I have a few exterior projects next Summer and can source sapele for a decent price(way more reasonable than teak!)

Digging the BGE cart, fignewton!  I also like how you made a good use of the center cutout instead of it ending up in the scrap bin.

 

[fignewton]

I went with it because I couldn’t find good cedar or cypress locally, and because at the start of the video, Mark says it’s good for outdoor projects.  I’ll know better at the end of next season when he has left it outside.  One good thing about the Penofin is that supposedly, you just wipe on another coat with no stripping or sanding. 

 

[tdwilli1]

My neighbor has had it for almost 2 years now and the finish is still holding up. But our backyards don't get a lot of sun as there are 2 tall Pine trees that block the sun. Probably only gets about 1 hour of direct sunlight. I used General Finishes exterior poly.

 

[jarbroen]

The Penofin for exterior hardwoods is a great product.  I used that on my Batu deck build a couple years ago and on a Batu fence this year.  On the vertical surfaces, like railings, the finish is still going strong - even with quite a bit of sun exposure.  On the decking and top rails I really only got a year of appearance protection.  I say appearance because the Batu will last quite a long time bare, but went gray just past the year mark with Penofin.

I'm in the Pacific North'WET' which I bet has a lot to do with horizontal surface protection longevity.  I'll probably do a sand and re-coat with Penofin next year and try to keep up on that yearly.
No stripping or sanding needed, but at least a good wash/scrub and let it dry out.

Maybe I'll just have to build that backyard BBQ shack to protect the BGE and pizza oven cart I want to build.

 

[fignewton]

Thought I'd give an update on an issue my friend had with this table.  He put the BGE XL in it, and then went to move the whole thing over rough pavers, which weren't exactly smooth.  When he did, the threaded inserts holding the caster stem bolts pushed over sideways in the legs from the lateral force.  He disassembled the Egg and brought the table back up to me.  After looking at it, we determined that the threaded inserts, which are less than an inch long, don't have a lot of support even though they are threaded into the legs.
My best answer, and I coordinated this with Marc, The Wood Whisperer, was to order some 4" long threaded connectors in the 1/2-13 thread size.  After removing the original connectors, I plugged the holes and redrilled in the center using my 1" Forstner bit, which was perfect for a good fit in the leg.  Had to finish the depth with a spade bit, but worked well.  Then, we epoxied the connectors into the legs.  This should be super-strong, even if 4 inches may be overkill.  Could prob cut them down to 3", as the length of the stem bolts on the casters was only about 1 1/4 inch.
If I make another one, I'll drill the leg blanks on my drill press and go this route from the beginning. 
Got the connectors here, as most you find are only about 1.5 inches long. 
4 inch threaded connectors