# Forum Home Renovation Pergolas, Gazebos, Strombellas & Rotundas  Hardwood BBQ cabinet...

## firebug454

This is my first attempt at any kind of cabinetry so go easy. We wanted a fixed BBQ cabinet with a drop in BBQ to add as a feature to out rear deck area. Didn't want to go down the store bought stainless outdoor kitchens as we wanted the whole area to tie together and have a bit of a conversation piece... 
I used Forest Reds hardwood decking to build the frame, doors and side panel. Oiled CD plywood make the dividers and cabinet backs. Everything glued and screwed with stainless screws. It works nicely with the Merbau deck and screen... 
Frame with steel braces for the BBQ to sit on...    
Made up some doors with a mini orb feature in the middle. Pretty happy with the first attempt...   
Fitted Hardiflex and Hebel blocks to protect the timber from radiant heat. Disguised the exposed front edges with a bit of timber oil. Another coat should do the trick...     
This is where I'm up to so far. Plans are to make an Iron Bark benchtop coated with some sort of marine UV stable finish, as this sees the morning sun. More pics as I get more done... 
Cheers Bill  :Smilie:

----------


## davegol

Looks great. I'm about to embark on the identical project, so interested to see feedback/reviews from the smarter people (than me) in this group...   
Sent from my Surface with Windows RT using Tapatalk

----------


## Gaza

Nice  
Hope the miters on doors don't move on you   
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## firebug454

Thanx guys...   

> Nice  
> Hope the miters on doors don't move on you

  I thought that too, so when building them I included backing boards from 12mm CD ply, glued, brass screwed and oiled. It made each door heavier but so be it...

----------


## firebug454

More progress... 
Put together the 3m benchtop made from 130x19 Red Ironbark boards onto 22mm CD ply. This pic was taken before I made up the edges from the same Ironbark. The guy I purchased the timber from was very helpful and picked out the pieces I needed so I had no end joins for a cleaner look. This was my first attempt at anything like this so I am pretty stoked at how it turned out so far.   
Now to figure out how to sand it flat correctly and seal it...

----------


## Uncle Bob

Great looking project. Well done  :2thumbsup:

----------


## METRIX

> More progress... 
> Put together the 3m benchtop made from 130x19 Red Ironbark boards onto 22mm CD ply. This pic was taken before I made up the edges from the same Ironbark. The guy I purchased the timber from was very helpful and picked out the pieces I needed so I had no end joins for a cleaner look. This was my first attempt at anything like this so I am pretty stoked at how it turned out so far.   
> Now to figure out how to sand it flat correctly and seal it...

  Sorry to be a party pooper, but I have a real concern for what your building, there are regulations about how close a combustible material is allowed to be with a built in BBQ as stipulated by AS5601. 
The minimum distance is 430mm, which your clearly does not comply with, this means you cannot have any timber or other combustible material within this distance because it can catch fire with the heat generated by the BBQ. 
The only exception is if the timber is not fixed ie: it is a bench seat on wheels, so if it catches fire it can be pushed away from any fixed structure, but you cannot have any fixed combustible structure closer than 430mm for obvious consequences, of it catching fire and burning the structure down it's attached to. 
This is why you see all built in BBQ frames made from steel or masonry, NEVER timber, I know this because I am currently designing an inbuilt BBQ setup for a client. 
If I was you I would redesign the enclosure BEFORE wasting any more money on it, and the timber top, don't waste your time oiling it, as it cannot be used.
The one we are designing will have masonry sides, with polished concrete tops, and a Pizza oven with timber storage below, but this can be done as the base plate the oven sits on is made from concrete. 
You have to remember a BBQ is not like an oven, there is NO insulation of the side panels so any heat generated from the burners is transferred straight to the sides of the BBQ and directly into whatever is next to it.
 I hear you saying I have put Hebel on the sides, this won't satisfy the standards, this includes the timber screen behind the BBQ, which is attached to your timber house, a disaster waiting to happen.
I would suggest you rectify the install, if something goes wrong and your house does inevitably suffer damage from this built-in catching fire, your insurance may or may not cover the damage. 
I have attached various manufacturers specifications below FYI.

----------


## Uncle Bob

Hey Metrix,
I've seen plenty of BBQ trolleys made of wood. Would those comply?

----------


## phild01

> Hey Metrix,
> I've seen plenty of BBQ trolleys made of wood. Would those comply?

  I think Metrix covered that by saying if on wheels and a fire happens then the thing can be wheeled away.
One thing that irks me is this comment that insurance won't pay.  Maybe so, maybe not and not for us to say, but let's stop lending weight to the big stick insurance companies can wield. They cause enough nuisance to the building industry already with their influence of what can and can't be.

----------


## METRIX

> Hey Metrix,
> I've seen plenty of BBQ trolleys made of wood. Would those comply?

  Yes, as it has wheels, and can be moved away if something goes wrong, The above is for Built-in BBQ as these are Fixed, and cannot be kicked over or rolled away if the catch fire. 
The main problem is when it is in proximity to combustable material directly beside or behind, and also above but this has a 1000mm clearance.

----------


## Uncle Bob

> I think Metrix covered that by saying if on wheels and a fire happens then the thing can be wheeled away.

  You're quite right Phil. You see I flunked the Evelyn Woodhead speed reading course  :Biggrin:

----------


## METRIX

> I think Metrix covered that by saying if on wheels and a fire happens then the thing can be wheeled away.
> One thing that irks me is this comment that insurance won't pay.  Maybe so, maybe not and not for us to say, but let's stop lending weight to the big stick insurance companies can wield. They cause enough nuisance to the building industry already with their influence of what can and can't be.

  It might urk you, but it's reality, I've gone to a lot of dodgy installs of various structures etc, these were insurance rejections, due to illegal installs / non code and rightly so, as some of them were so dangerous it's not funny. 
Sorry if it urks you, but if it can save someone having the misfortune of seeing these types of installs on a forum and thinking that looks nice let's do the same then I don't mind. 
I would hope other forum browsers can fully appreciate what a mistake this is to build something like that, and what could happen, irrespective of the outcome by an insurance company, after all when the shyte hits the fan, they may support you , and they may not, not for me to decide that, but always better to not have to go down that path, with a bit of knowledge prior
.

----------


## phild01

> You're quite right Phil. You see I flunked the Evelyn Woodhead speed reading course

  I'd flunk that as well, I miss bits too :Smilie:

----------


## phild01

> It might urk you, but it's reality, I've gone to a lot of dodgy installs of various structures etc, these were insurance rejections, due to illegal installs / non code and rightly so, as some of them were so dangerous it's not funny. 
> Sorry if it urks you, but if it can save someone having the misfortune of seeing these types of installs on a forum and thinking that looks nice let's do the same then I don't mind. 
> I would hope other forum browsers can fully appreciate what a mistake this is to build something like that, and what could happen, irrespective of the outcome by an insurance company, after all when the shyte hits the fan, they may support you , and they may not, not for me to decide that, but always better to not have to go down that path, with a bit of knowledge prior
> .

  Don't disagree with what you are saying , it's just how dogmatic the warnings come across.  I think these things can be expressed more suggestively and not make us feel we have little freedom anymore.  It's a subtle thing but I just don't like how much of what freedom we once had is now so controlled.

----------


## METRIX

> Don't disagree with what you are saying , it's just how dogmatic the warnings come across.  I think these things can be expressed more suggestively and not make us feel we have little freedom anymore.  It's a subtle thing but I just don't like how much of what freedom we once had is now so controlled.

  Fair enough, edited the original reply, to a more suggestive version.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## phild01

> Fair enough, edited the original reply, to a more suggestive version.

   :2thumbsup:  
edit unexpected
I think I am getting too old for this world, though my concreter today expressed dissatisfaction with TV viewing when I asked how he didn't know of the expected strong winds.  I am in complete agreement with him, shows that kids watch like the nonsense Home and Away expresses as normal. And all the insurance advertising now trying to scare the pants off us.
Anyway leaf litter all over my new driveway, hope it goes away.

----------


## METRIX

> edit unexpected
> I think I am getting too old for this world, though my concreter today expressed dissatisfaction with TV viewing when I asked how he didn't know of the expected strong winds.  I am in complete agreement with him, shows that kids watch like the nonsense Home and Away expresses as normal. And all the insurance advertising now trying to scare the pants off us.
> Anyway leaf litter all over my new driveway, hope it goes away.

  In relation to Home and Away, for many years I have thought who would want to live in Summer Bay, apart from it being an ideal small community beach location there is not a lot else attracting to the place. 
Every promo you see for this dodgy show revolves around someone getting shot, murdered, chased by the police, drugs or any number of disasters happening. 
Doesent sound like the ideal location to me  :Biggrin:

----------


## firebug454

> Sorry to be a party pooper, but I have a real concern for what your building, there are regulations about how close a combustible material is allowed to be with a built in BBQ as stipulated by AS5601. 
> The minimum distance is 430mm, which your clearly does not comply with, this means you cannot have any timber or other combustible material within this distance because it can catch fire with the heat generated by the BBQ. 
> The only exception is if the timber is not fixed ie: it is a bench seat on wheels, so if it catches fire it can be pushed away from any fixed structure, but you cannot have any fixed combustible structure closer than 430mm for obvious consequences, of it catching fire and burning the structure down it's attached to. 
> This is why you see all built in BBQ frames made from steel or masonry, NEVER timber, I know this because I am currently designing an inbuilt BBQ setup for a client. 
> If I was you I would redesign the enclosure BEFORE wasting any more money on it, and the timber top, don't waste your time oiling it, as it cannot be used.
> The one we are designing will have masonry sides, with polished concrete tops, and a Pizza oven with timber storage below, but this can be done as the base plate the oven sits on is made from concrete. 
> You have to remember a BBQ is not like an oven, there is NO insulation of the side panels so any heat generated from the burners is transferred straight to the sides of the BBQ and directly into whatever is next to it.
>  I hear you saying I have put Hebel on the sides, this won't satisfy the standards, this includes the timber screen behind the BBQ, which is attached to your timber house, a disaster waiting to happen.
> I would suggest you rectify the install, if something goes wrong and your house does inevitably suffer damage from this built-in catching fire, your insurance may or may not cover the damage. 
> I have attached various manufacturers specifications below FYI.

  Good point... 
/thread

----------


## Fuff

Hi Metrix, 
I am wanting to start a similar project, timer is what I want as I prefer the look & it's (mostly) easy to use & cheap(ish) over marble or granite 
Are there any types of fire rated timber coating or processes that would make this comply?  If not what materials would you suggest?

----------

