Instructables.com - Weber BBQ Table

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Weber BBQ Tableby BillT69 on August 25, 2016

Table of Contents

Weber BBQ Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   Weber BBQ Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   Treat the wood and assemble the frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2:   Build internal frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3:   Plywood sub surface & heat shield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 4:   Cut the Hardi Backer tile board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 5:   Time to Tile! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 6:   Kettle handle cutting, insulation & trim ring support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 7:   Lid & towell rack & finishing touches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 8:   All because of this... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 9:   Tools & Materials you will need . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

http://www.instructables.com/id/Weber-BBQ-Table/

Intro:  Weber BBQ TableIf your just not happy with a basic Weber or Performer and have a few weekends and couple $$ to spare, come along for a fun ride with wood, metal, tile & brick.

Step 1: Treat the wood and assemble the frameBefore doing anything, I sat down on a sunny Saturday morning and stained all my wood. Waited a good 3-4 days then applied a nice coat of Thompson's Water Seal.

Determining the size of the cook top space will define the frame size. I'm using a full sized 22.5" Weber kettle and needed to keep 4" of clearance and wanted 22" of prepspace so the overall cook top dimensions ended up being 48" x 30"

I used 48" (R) & 30" (F) 4"x4" smooth redwood for the uprights and lower ties, 30" (sides) and 48' (F/R) 30" 4"x6" smooth redwood for the top frame & 56" 1"x6" roughredwood for the bottom slats. All help together with 6" x 3/8" lag bolts & washers countersunk 1/2" with a 1.25" wood bit.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Weber-BBQ-Table/

Step 2: Build internal frameSince I will be using mosaic tile for the surface I needed to build a frame for the 1/2" plywood and 1/2" Hardi backer tile board. Knowing that the tile is 1/4" I recessed theinternal frame (2"x4" plywood) 1.25" below the top of the frame. Using 3" deck screws secure the frame to the table. Remember, keep it LEVEL!

Step 3: Plywood sub surface & heat shieldRemember, HEAT is woods worst enemy. The hole in the 1/2" ply is 3.5" larger in diameter than the hole we will drill for the Weber. Secure into the sub frame with 1"wood screws. Using an 8"x6' roll of 22 ga. aluminum flashing secure it to the inside of the cutout with 1" wood screws, pre-punched into the flashing. Yeah, the flashing Ibought was stainless on one side & copper on the other!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Weber-BBQ-Table/

Step 4: Cut the Hardi Backer tile boardI wish I had a better picture of the Hardi Backer cut and installation...

Most important thing to remember, Hardi Backer doesn't like to be cut on a round edge. I could have used a router but opted for my jigsaw equipped with a rough toothblade. Expect to burn through two blades and wear breathing protection, concrete dust sucks. Because this cut must be PRECISELY the size of the Weber kettle,measure 5X, cut once and V E R R Y S L O W L Y... It's better to be a bit on the small or snug size than too large. Like I did unfortunately, but there's a fix for that. Secureonto the wood sub frame & plywood deck with 1" wood screws.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Weber-BBQ-Table/

Step 5: Time to Tile!Time to switch trades and do some tile work. As much as I would have loved to have gone down to my local kitchen & bath store and had them build a nice one piecegranite slab table top it was going to be $250-350+ more than tile. That and I like doing tile work.

To keep things clean I used a thin 1/4" trim piece around the entire table. Using both tile cement on the bottom and wood glue on their sides facing the wood. This justmade for cleaner grout work in the tile and wood contact area. The really tricky part will be doing the trim around the kettle. Using tile nippers you can trim/cut the tiles toalmost create a perfect circle. A little grinding with a Dremel with finish it off. After that a combination of smoothing tile cement and then grout with your fingers around theinside will create that perfectly smooth fit. Grout & seal.

Step 6: Kettle handle cutting, insulation & trim ring supportNow it's time to void the Weber warranty. pretty simple, use a Dremel or hacksaw and cut off the handles.

Because the lip of the Weber kettle will now be almost flush with the table top we need to raise it enough so that the lid will fit snugly. Remember how I said earliermeasure 5X, cut once...my cut was 1/16" too large. I would have used a section of 1/4" copper tubing secured to the kettle to raise it enough but needed to use 3/8" toproperly seal the enclosure as well as elevate the kettle. I flattened the ends of copper, pre-drilled a pair of holes in the kettle and tubing & secured it to the rear of thekettle. Drill a series of small holes every 6" or so into the copper tubing to allow any excess heat to escape.

To further insulate the kettles heat from the rest of the table I put a double wrap of auto exhaust tape (available at most auto parts stores) around the top of the kettle andtucked them into the copper tubing to secure.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Weber-BBQ-Table/

Step 7: Lid & towell rack & finishing touchesMost newer Webers come with a nice little hook inside the lid which is meant to hang on the side of the kettle. I needed to recreate this and quickly realized that mostevery towel rack, toilet paper holder, etc. are only 3" deep and to make this work you'll need a minimum of 4.5" It just so happened that I had a pair of 6" "L" brackets,some spare 1/4" smooth steel rod and some compression caps in my garage. A pair of leftover 3/8" lag bolts & washers secured it to the sides. Otherwise, feel free toimprovise!

From here it's all personal taste. I firmly believe that every BBQ requires utensils needed for a proper cookout. Also BBQing makes you thirsty, so a properly placed bottleopener and cap-catcher/utility pail is key. And come to think of it..who likes silver/stainless steel? I don't. So I painted anything that isn't wood, tile or a BBQ black. Finally,the cheap stainless steel BBQ that Weber give you, just doesn't quite cut it for something like this. Google "cast iron Weber grate", give them your credit card and installsomething of substance!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Weber-BBQ-Table/

Step 8: All because of this...Three years ago I saw THIS on the internet. It seemed cool but I had a nice gas BBQ at the time, and who wanted to go through all that work just for a nice grilled steak?

So I took some liberties with the accessories, color scheme and black bricks. In any case the whole project took three full weekends with a few spare hours here & thereand the cost breakdown is something like this.

Weber BBQ - $165

All wood & cement board - $205

Tile supplies, tools & accessories - $225

Bricks - $FREE!!!

Miscellaneous parts, tools etc. - $175

TOTAL - $770

http://www.instructables.com/id/Weber-BBQ-Table/

Step 9: Tools & Materials you will needTable sawJig sawCordless drill/screwdriverSocket wrenchShort & long levelT-SquareMeasuring tapeSandpaperWood stain/sealer & brushesUtility knife3/8" tile spadeGrout trowl & sponges

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Comments

1 comments Add Comment

 seamster says:  Aug 26, 2016. 8:37 AM  REPLYThis looks like a fantastic set-up. I need something like this :)

I'm feeling inspired, thank you for sharing!