DIY Grill Bench

[Samps]

Hey All.  I want to thank all the folks that have posted their DIY tables and benches.  I've been lurking and saving pics for a long time- and you provided great lessons and inspiration.  So, I'll take my turn and share what I did and what I might do differently after trying it.

Here's my table:




The basics:

18.5 kettle off craigslist.  Added aftermarket ash pan and wooden handles from Brian (love them, btw.  And he was excellent to deal with). *just noticed these pics were before the handle arrived.
treated lumber.  Will stain after a bit.
Flashing for heat protection around kettle cut-out
corrugated panels in back (painted with Rustoleum)
hooks and bottle opener
Flag art from ebay
solar light added to top

Another View:



For the kettle, my research suggested that a 1 inch gap would be sufficient.  screwed brackets into the side of the kettle and added a ring of metal flashing for further protection.  a fire extinguisher has been added to one of the legs.  If I really want to get hot, I use the performer.



This pic was before the back was added and the grill suspended, but it shows the solar light added to the top.  I had figured a few lights would be necessary, but this one small light from HD was sufficient.  The cell phone pic makes this look more harsh than it does in reality.




The one regret I have is that I didn't dry the lumber out a bit before putting it together. I clamped the heck out of the table top, and the emerging gaps have exceeded what I expected (and warped the top left a bit).  Also, I stapled the flashing into the cut-out, and the dried out lumber has caused it to be a little less flush to the circle. 

While I thought a good bit about the measurements, I neglected to consider the width of corrugated panels.  The top section left a gap, which I filled by adding and extra 2x4 and the small shelves.  I thought it would throw off the symmetry, but I actually like the resulting shelves. (the night picture is how I thought I'd leave it.)

Next steps, stain the whole thing and add some kind of bar or hook to the end to hold the lid when I take it off.  I also need to swap out the blue rhino tailgate grill with a Weber Q.  Need the quick grill for busy weekday evenings.

Thanks again to all for the inspiration.  This was a really fun project.

Steve

[MikeRocksTheRed]

Awesome build!   Love the lit flag!

[Darko]

Wow! That's an awesome looking table. Very nice work.

[Mr.CPHo]

Very nice.  This gives me just a little more confidence to create my own table/cart for my WSM


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[MikeRocksTheRed]

I might have to do something like this.  I'm in an apartment right now, so I don't want to make anything too permanent, but I know my girlfriend would like it if some of my grills were built into a table or tables in stead of just sitting on the patio.  I'm thinking I could do a few of these that would all fit together in several different arrangements in case I move and end up with a different patio configuration.

[stellato1976]

nice work

[WhaleinaTeardrop]

Great looking table; how long did it take you to find such straight boards?  The Lowe's and HD closest to me are hit or miss....

[Travis]

Very nice work, bud! Love how it lights up.


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[1ROW]

That's a great build, very well done! Where did you pick up the solar light?

[jcnaz]

Very cool!

Sent from my SM-G900V using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[captjoe06]

So functional.  I see the Performer getting neglected or relegated to start the chimney with the gas-assist duty only.

Great job!

[Geezer]

Great looking table.

[Samps]

Thanks.

Whale, I was picky on the boards. probably passed two for every one I took, and they still aren't all right.  Used reward points for a HD card, so it made me stick to the box store.

1ROW: the solar light is Home Depot.  $19.97 "Outdoor Solar Powered LED Black Flag Light" by Hampton Bay.

CaptJoe: You'd think this would be my go-to, but I find that I tend put all the stuff on this bench, but still grill on the performer right next to it. Probably because the one in the table is an 18.5.

[Samps]

BTW, does anyone have a bright idea for hanging the kettle hood?  I could just put a bar on the end.  Although since I added Brian's wood handle and cut the side handle completely off, I was thinking of finding a way to use original weber kettle handles in some way.  I'm definitely not pitching them, and they need a purpose.