We've got WOOD to look forward to....


 

Darrel Williams

TVWBB Super Fan
I was thumbing through my latest edition of Wood magazine, which is woodcraft and woodworking stuff in general. The last page is always a preview of the following issue. The September issue, available July 1st (i think they skip an august edition) has a table/cart that they have built for a 22.5 OTG. There is a pic of what it will look like, but the next edition will come complete with plans.



I wonder how they hang the weight of the kettle. It seems maybe they have cut a hole in the table top and rest the weight of kettle on the rolled lip of the kettle's bottom section.
 
I wonder how they hang the weight of the kettle. It seems maybe they have cut a hole in the table top and rest the weight of kettle on the rolled lip of the kettle's bottom section.
I don't think you would want to do that...you would get direct heat transfer to the wood.

They probably chose the OTG because of the two bowl handles that are featured on that model (OTS has only one).
Suspension of the bowl probably utilizes those two handles somehow.
Doing that would allow an air gap separation between the bowl and wood.

Got any pics ?
 
I look forward to seeing their table/cart article. Always enjoy a new take on an idea.
 
I have not subscribed to Wood in a few years now as it was becoming repetitive. Any chance you can give us a picture or link to this upcoming article?
 
I don't think you would want to do that...you would get direct heat transfer to the wood.

They probably chose the OTG because of the two bowl handles that are featured on that model (OTS has only one).
Suspension of the bowl probably utilizes those two handles somehow.
Doing that would allow an air gap separation between the bowl and wood.

Got any pics ?

Yep, I will totally agree. Hanging in direct contact with the lip could cause a problem, better to have a 1" airspace from the heat source to any combustible material. Granted the transfer heat is not that extreme around the upper perimeter of a kettle, but I would think you would want some room for expansion/contraction between the metal and wood.

Tim
 
Workbench magazine featured a project over ten years ago where they built a cart for a Weber kettle. I've got the original issue somewhere but when I looked for the plans for the project online I couldn't find it anywhere. I'm thinking they got some flak after it burned up or something and pulled it. They suspended their version from the handles, which I thought was pretty cool. They also designed it so there was enough separation between the kettle and wood.

Here's a link to a copy of that issue you can buy from Amazon. That's the only photo I can find of it anywhere on the web.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B005O28B78/tvwb-20
 
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They designed it with a honduran mahogany top. They must have put a spar varnish on it so it looks shiny. I think a copper top, or even a marble or some kind of stone would be great, maybe even a polished concrete top. The polished concrete would be the cheapest version for a DIYer I suppose, and much safer too.
 
I seen this issue at the store today. The upcoming project isnt what I was expecting. Anyway, here is a quick photo I grabbed with my phone for anyone interested.

weberwood.jpg
 
Hmm... why would we want to put the lid down there?

Yeah, my thinking exactly. Just what a I want, a burn on my arm from reaching down to get my lid and all my hair burned off while I'm trying to reach that lid to put out a flare up.

I'm looking forward to seeing this just to get some building ideas, there are some good things here, especially the seeing how to put a concrete top on it. But at least, as far as the lid thing goes, I'd say this was designed by someone who doesn't grill much with a kettle.
 
Thanks Timothy, I appreciate the picture.

Hmm... why would we want to put the lid down there?

Yeah, not a very good design in my book.

I have had an idea of a cart that hooks onto the handle of the kettle like some of the tables I have seen. As muck as I love my Performer, it doesnt offer enough storage.
 
Thanks for providing these files Mark. A brief look tells me that this definitely has promise for my project. Thanks again.
 
I was going to start a new thread, but I did a search and found this. I saw this in Wood Magazine a couple years ago and I wanted to build it, but I didn't have a place to put it. Fast forward to this year when we put in a new patio and I had a dedicated grilling/smoking area and I decided to build a cart for my kettle. I looked at some different options, but I really wanted this one because it has storage and is really cool looking.

I followed the plans (for 22 inch kettle) which requires a lot of boards and cutting. This is a lot of Cedar in this plan, so it is definitely not cheap to build. There is a lot of cross cutting (probably 50 + cuts) and then most of the 3/4 x 3 1/2 cedar needs to be ripped down to 3 or 3 1/4 wide.

I had never done a concrete countertop before, so that was the most difficult piece of the job. You need to create and prep a form. Then mix and pour the countertop mix. I have done other concrete work before, but this mix is very different. I sanded my form a lot, but it still did not come out as smooth as I wanted. I used a conrete countertop sealer on it and it looks halfway decent.

Finished with just three coats of Spar Varnish.

I made a few mods to the plan - first I did not include the cover holder at the bottom. I would not use it as everyone suggested. It is stupid. Instead, when I lift my cover off, I just set it on the concrete countertop. I don't keep the lid off for long periods of time which cooking, so no big deal.

Second mod is only placing shelves in one side of the storage area. that way, I could have a standup holder for my lump charcoal. Then KBB stays in the bag on the other side along with other grilling accessories.

Front.jpg


Side.jpg


Door1.jpg


Door2.jpg
 

 

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