Time for new kettle and a custom table


 

GChenworth

New member
I'm new here so if I'm missing anything obvious please forgive me...

Been running my performer with one touch start for 8 years. Noticed charcoal wasn't going out when I closed it which got me looking around and I found a couple of rusted out holes where the ash sweeper rubs against the bowl, so it's time for a new unit.

So I figured if I'm going to do it I want to do it right. Been looking at some of the custom tables online which lead me to this board. Pretty settled that I'm going to build about 92" table with a concrete top with a sink at one end, then space for food prep, then the grill and on the other side of the grill, counter space to plate cooked food.

So here's my question some of you may be able to help with... I've been planning to install a performer kettle because the flanges will make installation so darn easy. But the little voice in the background is whispering "go big or go home...". Considering installing the 26.75 kettle...

The pro's and con's are the 22 performer flanges make installation easy and relatively professional looking; I've got a rotisserie for the 22' that I use probably 15 times per year... every Thanksgiving because no one in my family will eat a turkey done in the oven based on the weber's results. Also I love the one-touch start... pretty sure I could hack the bigger bowl to cut opening and drill holes for the burner tube, but not sure I want to if I'm not getting a big upside from the bigger bowl... But there are times when a little more grill real estate would seem nice to have.. hasn't been a big problem for me, but it has me wondering if I had the bigger kettle, would I suddenly realize everything I've been missing in life for the past couple decades.

A side note... reading through some posts yesterday before I could post, I saw someone suggest calling Weber about their kettle bowl that needed repair. Didn't occur to me but figured what the heck... called customer service and they were shockingly quick to answer the phone with a live person... that NEVER happens these days... and they were very helpful trying to help me figure out the age of my performer and whether the bowl is under warranty. Their research suggests is 8 years old (I would have guessed 11 if it's warranted for 10). They had me upload a photo showing a hole and they're going to get back to me about a new bowl... a real wow customer experience so far!

Obviously if they send me a new bowl, that may influence my decision about going bigger, but I'd love to hear from anyone who may have insight about how my life may be different with the bigger bowl...

Thanks in advance for any insights you might offer!
 
Wow... just head back from Weber and they are sending me a new performer deluxe black bowl. expected delivery is a week or two. Already profited from scanning this board!
 
So, since you’re not out anything for the new 22 bowl, why not make a double barreled set up with the 26 at one end and the 22 at the other so you CAN use the spin and grin whenever you feel like it or you just don’t need the extra space.
Having a second kettle is unbelieveably handy when you have a bunch of folks waiting for a feast! If you take the time to do the custom build, do it as grandly as you can!
I’m lucky, I have a cabinet maker buddy who had a load of leftover cypress stock from a project and we built mine over the course of two afternoons after he had finished the big project. This is going to be the second winter and it looks just fine after a washdown and re treating with tung oil.
Make it the way you WANT it, I’m looking t the dropping price at Wally World for a JJ to convert to a dedicated Pizzaque unit, and I will build a second double barreled set up for that and the WSM! I’m not sure where in blazes they will live but, hey, I’ll work it out.
 
I have a Performer and a 26er. I use the Performer about 4 times a week. I only break out the 26er maybe once a month. It has a lot of real estate and is great to cook on but the Performer can handle most of my cooks. That being said, I store the 26er in the garage to save space on the patio. The Performer is on the patio full time. Would I cook more on the 26er if it stayed on the patio, probably so, but the Performer would still be my go to. Also keep in mind how much charcoal you like to go through, the 26er is a beast that needs to be fed.
 
So, since you’re not out anything for the new 22 bowl, why not make a double barreled set up with the 26 at one end and the 22 at the other so you CAN use the spin and grin whenever you feel like it or you just don’t need the extra space.
Having a second kettle is unbelieveably handy when you have a bunch of folks waiting for a feast! If you take the time to do the custom build, do it as grandly as you can!
I’m lucky, I have a cabinet maker buddy who had a load of leftover cypress stock from a project and we built mine over the course of two afternoons after he had finished the big project. This is going to be the second winter and it looks just fine after a washdown and re treating with tung oil.
Make it the way you WANT it, I’m looking t the dropping price at Wally World for a JJ to convert to a dedicated Pizzaque unit, and I will build a second double barreled set up for that and the WSM! I’m not sure where in blazes they will live but, hey, I’ll work it out.

Thanks for the advice Tim. Yeah, that's the benefit of building it custom... I can steal ideas I like from lots of different designs. If I get the 26, I'll just buy the after market spinner for it and bite that bullet... I mostly want to stop running in the house to wash my hands, grab plates, take dirty stuff into the kitchen... to develop a better work flow area so I can stay there and crack a beer while cooking....
 
Thanks for the insight Pat... if you told me you used the big boy everyday and can't live without it, I'd have to pause. But leaning toward the 22 since they've sending me a new bowl... but now I'm gonna want a new lid, ash system, etc. I'll tell the wife that the other stuff was almost free...
 
Just remember, it’s easier to have a little more room most of the time, than to not have it when you really do need it. I got my maroon 18 for $20 at a yard sale, it sat for 2 years before the carriage was designed and built for the pair. I started seeing things that I would have done differently the minute I lit the kettle! There will be another project soon enough. The kettle gets used year round, the WSM? Too soon to tell. If it was on a Pizzaque smoker tandem? Maybe but, again all the components have not been assembled. We shall see...
After a full season, I have found that I really don’t use the 18 as much as I had expected but, when you need the space, you need the space! I have a new in box Smokey Joe silver and a never fired “Go anywhere” sitting on a shelf in the garage, I use the 22 four or five times a week until the snow gets bothersome or temperature stays -10 or so for three or four days.
 
Last edited:
Project Mostly Done

It's been a while since my original post about what I was planning to build... so I built the frame based on someone's build for a BGE but made it a little longer to accommodate a sink. During the summer I'll attach a hose to the sink faucet and keep a bucket underneath to collect water which I'll simply dump in the grass. Really just wanted to be able to wash my hands instead of running in the house. in the final picture the cabinet doors are done but pulls not installed yet. Waiting for a drawer from Barker Doors. I'll stain to finish it when the weather gets nice. Not shown here, but I also took the cover from a damaged 12x12 canopy, cut to size and added grommets and rope to make a customer cover... Concrete was a learning process. Used a concrete counter top mix but added 50 lbs of glass so when ground and polished would add a little glitter... made the mix really hard to work with. Ultimately a DIY project, not perfect by any means, but better than anyone else's in the neighborhood (no one else has one).

Not sure how to upload photos... so I made a slideshow and uploaded to YouTube.

 
Been considering a concrete workstation for a double barreled WSM station, I’m thinking about making a dedicated zone for that with adjustable windscreens but, the only place I really have room is way back behind the garage and in really cold weather, like last weekend, it would feel like a long trek! I have all winter to design, no rush, no worry.
 
Glad I did it but the concrete top is one of those things that you don't do a lot unless you're making them to sell and all the lessons learned don't get to be applied on an improved model... Here are things I learned. 1. It's really heavy... about 340 lbs. so moving it around isn't like my old performer. I put it on casters but still. 2. I used countertop concrete mix because it has additives that allow you to make a dry mix (to maximize strength) but still be workable... that was the right decision but I added about 50 lbs of broken glass which I didn't anticipate would make the mix really, really stiff. I used a rented mixer from Home Depot... good decision... but I put the dry stuff in first and added the water second. Should have gone the other way. The third bag was much easier to mix well when I figured that out but since this was poured in a mold, the first bags are the top of the table. So I had a million pin holes from air bubbles even though I vibrated the dickens out of the mold. 3 No matter how well you do it, you're going to get pin holes that need to be grouted. I tried to match the grout color to the concrete. It looks like I tried to match it and didn't do a perfect job... bothers me more than anybody else I think, but if I were doing it again I'd probably use a contrasting color so it looks like an intentional effect. Check out Buddy Rhodes youtube videos. 4 Grinding and polishing can make concrete really shine... I went all the way to 3200 grit diamond pads only to learn that pretty much any sealer I needed to use would need to be roughed back to a 400 grit. 5 Sealers are a pain in the neck to figure out... I would have loved a glossier look but settled on a tried and true easy to apply and maintain combination product that cost way more than I expected from Buddy Rhodes.

Now I know more about concrete counter tops than 99% of the people out there... and it's completely useless information to me since I'll probably never make another one!

Good luck with your project. If I can help you do it easier and smarter than I did, let me know.
 
Last edited:
Glad I did it but the concrete top is one of those things that you don't do a lot unless you're making them to sell and all the lessons learned don't get to be applied on an improved model... Here are things I learned. 1. It's really heavy... about 340 lbs. so moving it around isn't like my old performer. I put it on casters but still. 2. I used countertop concrete mix because it has additives that allow you to make a dry mix (to maximize strength) but still be workable... that was the right decision but I added about 50 lbs of broken glass which I didn't anticipate would make the mix really, really stiff. I used a rented mixer from Home Depot... good decision... but I put the dry stuff in first and added the water second. Should have gone the other way. The third bag was much easier to mix well when I figured that out but since this was poured in a mold, the first bags are the top of the table. So I had a million pin holes from air bubbles even though I vibrated the dickens out of the mold. 3 No matter how well you do it, you're going to get pin holes that need to be grouted. I tried to match the grout color to the concrete. It looks like I tried to match it and didn't do a perfect job... bothers me more than anybody else I think, but if I were doing it again I'd probably use a contrasting color so it looks like an intentional effect. Check out Buddy Rhodes youtube videos on youtube. 4 Grinding and polishing can make concrete really shine... I went all the way to 3200 grit diamond pads only to learn that pretty much any sealer I needed to use would need to be roughed back to a 400 grit. 5 Sealers are a pain in the neck to figure out... I would have loved a glossier look but settled on a tried and true easy to apply and maintain combination product that cost way more than I expected from Buddy Rhodes.

Now I know more about concrete counter tops than 99% of the people out there... and it's completely useless information to me since I'll probably never make another one!

Good luck with your project. If I can help you do it easier and smarter than I did, let me know.
 
Gchen,

Classic do-it-your-self experience and understanding. I've done many projects that I now have a bunch of tools that have only been used once or twice since they were purpose bough for unique jobs.

You never know when this knowledge might come in handy. Probably never, but you never know.
 

 

Back
Top