From time to time I need to transport my Big Green Egg(R). The standard nest is not very well designed for mobility, and the Egg is heavy and ungainly to move. I could not find plans for a basic handling crate. Here is my contribution for those who face the same challenge. This is not really a true “Upconfigured” project, but I did start with 2X4’s that I had left over from a past project.
I started with Sketchup (try it, once you get the hang of it you will be amazed. And, its free!) I wanted to be as efficient as possible with my materials. Here is where I landed after a few different versions:
This basic box design hugs the base of the egg. The sides are tall enough to hold the thicker portion of the ceramic near the felt line. I made the sides out of standard 2X4 stock and the bottom out of a 1/4″ square of plywood.
This style box allows 2 people to pick up and carry the large egg. It is also a great deal more stable when riding in the back of a pickup or van.
I made a cut list for the lumber – the plywood is cut to fit after. I used 2 1/2 inch deck screws (Do not use sheetrock screws, they snap) on most joints. The bottom is screwed on around the perimeter with 16 1″ screws. I also added some metal corner brackets, because I am an over-doer.
This was a simple project that sure made it easier to move the Egg!
Here are some photos of the final. I also carry a scrap of Cement backer board so that when you arrive you can flip the box and cook on it. Or, you can put a warm egg in the box.
Another helpful find is a flower pot lifter made of nylon straps. Wrap it around the egg and lift it out of the nest and then lower it into the box
This was my image of how the garden wagon looked that was stored under the porch.
Let me go back. I needed a way to transport my Big Green Egg(R) for events and for backyard pizza demos. I found out that my father-in -law had a cart like the one pictured above. He warned me that it had been outside for some time, but I was welcome to it. The price was right. (I was not thinking of an Upconfigured entry so my photography of the “before” is not very thorough)
There is one other challenge in this story. The wagon must fit on a scooter tray that fits in a trailer receiver – that means 28″ wide. So, I started with a survey and found that the cart was in pretty poor shape. I decided to persevere. Upconfiguring never starts pretty!
Turns out all of the plywood was a write-off. It was good material originally, but the years spent outdoors had compromised the layers. I pulled all of the metal off the cart and made a big pile. Most of the metal was in good shape, given a little hammered spray-paint treatment for aesthetics.
The wagon was 36 inches wide, so I took all the cross pieces and figured out where to cut them for the least impact. I mitered the corner of this piece shown below and bent it to make a smooth corner edge.
I purchased exterior plywood and a whole new set of nuts and bolts. While checking out at Lowes I realized that it probably would have been a better idea to buy a new cart! But – onward.
I now had a rusty pile of parts, a new sheet of plywood. and a bag of connectors. It was time to figure out how this cart should look. I did some Sketchup work. I arrived at this 3D drawing. (The BGE, umbrella and wheels are all imported drawings – thanks to the Sketchup community for making them public)
When cutting the sides out of the plywood, I discovered that there are two kinds of 1/2 inch plywood – the kind that is a little thinner than 1/2 and the kind that is a little thicker than a half. I picked a sheet that had a better face and better ply structure, not paying any attention to the specific thickness. Low and behold none of the metal edging would fit – I hate it when I feel like an amateur at DIY projects. So, now I needed to break out the router and trim a small edge wherever there would be a metal border.
Dang
It added an hour or so, but in the end thicker plywood makes it a sturdier cart – right?
I began putting all the pieces together and the cart took shape. With my width requirement and the size of the egg, I had to raise the body between the spokes – a couple 2X4’s made a good riser. The axle is bolted to the bottom.
I could not build the front posts for the caster wheels until I knew the back height with tires. I assembled the big wheels with new tires and then created the appropriate height risers for my 5″ casters. The plywood was a left over piece from the other cutouts and gave it a better look than just the posts as in my initial plan.
A 600F degree BGE would be mounted on the back so I added aluminum flashing around the inside and under some Hardie-backer used to protect the floor board. I am hoping the aluminum will reflect the heat so that the plywood does not get too hot.
Finally it was ready for the BGE.
I placed “the Egg” in and added some small steel angle brackets bolted to its hinge ring. I added turnbuckles to the four corners and tightened it in. This suspension should keep the egg from tipping out of the cart.
The sides are obviously not strong enough to hold the weight of the egg, so I cut one of the wagon parts to span the opening by the eyelets. This will support the edges and the cable fittings with turnbuckles will hold the BGE in place. Note that I glued a cement block to the floor. After further thought I will be adding a small ledge around the egg base so there will be even less chance of movement.
The flat surface behind the BGE is a 23″X23″ ceramic tile glued to a Hardie-Back panel. I simply glued the whole assembly on to this cart.
One final design point. This cart may seem to have a weird configuration. The prep side is on the other end from the business side of the BGE. The 28″ requirement kept the cart narrow, and the extra weight of the egg needed to be over the big wheels, not the casters. For my pizza cooking, this works pretty well since pizza prep is separate from putting things in the oven, but for basic BBQ operations the table seems in the wrong place when you want to set down a tray. Something to think about if you are making a cart.
So, that is it. An old rusty, rotten cart upconfigured to an event trailer for the Big Green Egg. I added an umbrella holder, made some chocks, and will be putting in some shelves. I did a pizza cook test and the aluminum flashing is amazing at protecting the wood from heat. The edges closest the the base reached only 130F degrees after 2.5 hours of a 600F degree cook. I am excited that this worked so well.
One final consideration – I will be removing the fragile ceramic internal bits inside the Egg before I push this across a large expanse.
Thanks for reading, Here are some final pictures. Subscribe to see more projects in the future!
I came across a Nextdoor post of a neighbor who had some granite from a kitchen remodel. I have been looking to make a pizza table for my Big Green Egg. A granite top would be perfect for making pizza. I responded and found two pieces with nice edges. I have a tight space on my deck, so a traditional long BGE table with a hole cut for the egg would not make sense. I used these pieces as the starting point of the design.
I drew up a couple of different plans with dimensional lumber – and then remembered that I have a couple garage door parts left over (See my first blog). It turns out I have just enough for this project.
Gathered up parts
I took the dimensions and did a little Google Sketchup work to get to this design:
Now to begin the process:
I used my Circular saw guide to square up the panels.
Some galvanized staples to firm up the panels.
I cut full width pressure treated boards to screw in from the bottom, and then inserted and screwed and glued cross braces at the top corners. The door panels have siding on one side and framing on the other. I chose to put the siding on the inside so that the raised panels showed on the outside.
Straight rolling wheels in the back and locking swivels in the front.
The back could have been any number of materials. I chose to use cement siding so that water is never an issue since this will live outdoors. I cut three sections and attached them to the back of the cabinet.
Sometimes luck trumps skill. I designed and built the box tied to the dimensions of the garage door panels and with the granite top. I wandered down the aisle of Lowes and found this ceramic tile on clearance (yes it is ceramic) tile. I expected to be cutting ceramic, or caulking a gap on the side. They dropped into the space perfectly – I mean 1/16 of an inch clearance on all sides kind of perfect. Glued them into place and moisture won’t affect this cabinet.
A dry fit of the door – with a cabinet handle added.
This is the base cabinet, but since I had the other granite piece I devised a prop to have it fold up for more counter space. A couple of hinges and some figuring led me to this layout. The supports needed to fold into the panel section, and the support needed to hold up a pretty heavy piece of granite. This was not in the Sketchup, but a compass and few scenarios helped me figure out the chord lengths. I was off by about 1/4 an inch and it did not work the first time. Pretty specific combination of lengths to make this work.
The wooden top piece will glue to the granite – I am testing the new Gorilla adhesive in a caulk tube.
I added some shelves inside, a magnetic catch and here is the final cabinet. These shelves can take heat and will not warp with moisture and weight.
All completed and in place, the cabinet holds all of my Egg accessories out of the weather, and more importantly out of my wife’s sight!
I received a great recommendation of adding an umbrella support. I think I need some hooks on the side and a holder for the pizza peel. – Next week.
Thanks for reading this entry – subscribe to see more in the future.
Upconfigured. Same stuff - Higher use 