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