Hey guys,
I'm gathering material and drawing/thinking about plans for a custom grill table I want to begin building. One thing that I just can't wrap my head around is mounting the kettle. I plan on using a OTG. I've seen some others do this too, but they weren't really clear on how they mounted it. Do you guys have any suggestions/recommendations? Can I just hang them by the handles? Should I use hooks? Brackets?
Any help is appreciated!
We have needed a thread like this for a long time. I too have been thinking about this for a long time. Here are ideas I have had and/or have seen here, each with it's own drawbacks. Hopefully, together we can perfect a method with a group thought process.
1) Drill holes in the bottom somewhere to place a few bolts, and support the weight of the kettle from underneath using the bolts.
2) Drill holes in the kettle sides, roughly where the Weber Performer has a flange welded on. Hang the kettle from bolts.
3) Create 3 metal "stub" legs a few inches long. Drill holes in the bottom of those legs to attach an eye bolt. Hang the kettle from chains mounted to the bottom of the table top that attach to the eye bolts.
4) create a tight fitting round table top that supports the weight of the kettle on the rolled over lip, with or without an extra metal band under the lip.
5) Find a material to cut an 18" hole in and settle the kettle into that hole. the material needs to be fire resistant and non abrasive. I have no idea what that perfect material is. I have though about using wood and using an over gasket to line the hole with.
6) Do not "mount" the kettle. Build a lower shelf that is wider than the table top and just let the kettle stand on it's own legs on the lower shelf. This is not too different than building a regular table right next to your free standing kettle.
7) Weld some sort of fabricated mounting flanges on the exterior of the kettle.
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10) Buy a Weber Ranch, whose straight legs seems better suited for mounting on a horizontal cross member of a table structure.
1 & 2 have the problem of drilling your kettle.
4 & 5 have the problem of the kettle touching potentially combustible material
7 - I don't weld
6 seems kinda silly
Which leaves 3 and 10 by process of elimination, but #10 is probable a $2000 proposition.