Fine Woodworking associate editor Anissa Kapsales' article in issue #208 inspires a design for a grill stand.
When Anissa Kapsales wrote the article on James Krenov’s Smart Sawhorses in issue #208 I realized that having a set for myself was in order.
For the issue, Anissa built a new set of sawhorses based on Krenov’s design. With that set of sawhorses lingering around the office for a spell, it was clear that I wanted to build a set for myself.
So some time ago I took some white oak and basswood scraps that I had been hoarding for some time and made a pair. I’ve been using them here and there for some time now. At first they were my workbench with a scrap sheet of plywood bridging the span. They performed a wide variety of duties, including holding windowpanes at the right height for painting last fall and winter. Of course I had to cover them to keep the paint off.
Well, this spring I moved again and my nice set of sawhorses ended up becoming the stand for my little gas grill on the deck. We had company coming for a cookout one weekend and I just couldn’t grill on the picnic table anymore. Again with a piece of plywood spanning the gap between the horses, it was just about right for grilling on my Baby Q Weber. After about a week of moving the sawhorses in and out of the weather I started on a plan for making a grill stand out of this one piece of white cedar 6 by 6 that I had left over from making the top to my picnic table.
RELATED ARTICLES
Adjustable, Collapsible, Stackable, Packable Lights
Smart Sawhorses
Furniture Lab: Tech Cabinet
DKrenovian Clamp Rack on Wheels
The design is essentially the same as the sawhorses. The big difference is that I made one set of feet and mortised both pairs of uprights into them giving me a fixed span. I decided to make the height of the table just an inch or so shorter than the height of the sawhorses for a little easier grilling. I simply fastened the tabletop with some screws to the two top stretchers.
I just completed the stand this morning so we’ll have to see if all goes well this weekend. Sounds like grilling time to me. And the best part is; I now have my set of sawhorses back in position for shop duty. So where is that piece of plywood again? I need more work space. Some things never change.
-
Fine Woodworking associate editor Anissa Kapsales' article in issue #208 inspires a design for a grill stand.
-
The sawhorses I built in 2010 started out as a stand for the grill on the back deck. A piece of plywood across the top supports worked well for a while, but I lost the use of my sawhorses in the shop.
-
Finally, the grill gets its own stand. I made it completely from a single 6 by 6 of white cedar. Some resawing, jointing and planning made for some nice lumber for outside on the deck.
-
It's looking good and ready for some grilling. How about a burger and beer? Don't mind if I do.
Comments
Woah, fancy!
Great idea one set of feet for four uprights. When I was looking something up in #208 I saw these and made two. The next day I made two more. You can nest four, for storage, in just a couple of inches more space than one. Use them all the time. Downside: as you say, they are so beautiful you don't want to get paint on 'em. Now you have to worry about spatters from the grill.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in