# Kamado Joe Cedar Grill Cart



## cabomhn (Aug 6, 2020)

Figured I would post something that I recently completed. This isn’t “Fine Woodworking” by any means, but the result was something that I thought turned out pretty well. The overall construction is made from 4x4 and 2x4 cedar, with a lap joint construction to stand up to the weight. Between the concrete countertop and the two ceramic grills, this cart weights around 1,100 lbs, so the structure had to be strong. 

After the frame was built, a facade of 1x4 cedar was added all the way around to help with the aesthetic. This was my first time building drawers, and was happy that they actually fit! The concrete top was an adventure, and involved making a custom melamine form with foam inserts in order to pour the concrete. Inside the concrete is a wire mesh, plus ½” rebar in the narrow parts for strength. The top is finished with 6-7 coats of tung oil for a waterproof finish. 

I’ll add some additional replies with some of the build process.

Reactions: Like 4 | Way Cool 11 | Creative 1


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## cabomhn (Aug 6, 2020)

Some additional process photos:
















Just to clarify, I am NOT using this ladder to stand one

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## cabomhn (Aug 6, 2020)



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## Wildthings (Aug 6, 2020)

AND ya'll see why we're excited he's back on the forum!! Just something he threw together!!

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 5


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## rob3232 (Aug 6, 2020)

Looks great Matt! I did a much simpler version but love the big green egg.

Reactions: Like 3 | Way Cool 3


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## Tom Smart (Aug 6, 2020)

Whoa, that’s a heck of a project and it sure came out great. I have a Big Joe (mine is black which gives you an idea how long I’ve had it) and I can’t imagine just lifting those beasts into the grill cart.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## cabomhn (Aug 6, 2020)

Wildthings said:


> AND ya'll see why we're excited he's back on the forum!! Just something he threw together!!



Ha, it was a lot of work, and thankfully had some help from my wife during the project to keep things moving along quickly. I’m always a fan of trying new things, so it was a fun project!


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## cabomhn (Aug 6, 2020)

rob3232 said:


> Looks great Matt! I did a much simpler version but love the big green egg.
> View attachment 191744



Nice! I don’t know how long you’ve had yours, but I’m relatively new to kamado cooking and can definitely say that it’s been great. I started with a cheapo offset and the kamado has been so much simpler and consistent.

Reactions: Like 1


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## cabomhn (Aug 6, 2020)

Tom Smart said:


> Whoa, that’s a heck of a project and it sure came out great. I have a Big Joe (mine is black which gives you an idea how long I’ve had it) and I can’t imagine just lifting those beasts into the grill cart.



Thanks! It wasn’t TOO bad with some help from some friends. All of the internals were removed, but it was still challenging to set it into place without holding onto the hinge, or losing a hand when setting it into the hole. People who weren’t doing the main lifting had to reach under to help gently set it down. It wasn’t easy, but with help was pretty manageable

Reactions: Like 3


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## ripjack13 (Aug 6, 2020)

Holy cow. Now thats a grill set up! Nicely done sir....

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Agree 2


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## Nature Man (Aug 6, 2020)

Impressive and practical! You should get a whole lot of use from that setup! Chuck

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## woodtickgreg (Aug 7, 2020)

The ultimate grill set up!

Reactions: Like 1


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## cabomhn (Aug 7, 2020)

woodtickgreg said:


> The ultimate grill set up!



Lots of briskets and other assorted smoke meats ahead

Reactions: EyeCandy! 4 | Way Cool 2


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## cabomhn (Aug 7, 2020)

ripjack13 said:


> Holy cow. Now thats a grill set up! Nicely done sir....





Nature Man said:


> Impressive and practical! You should get a whole lot of use from that setup! Chuck



Thanks!! Hoping once we can have some larger gatherings again in the future to do a lot of big cooks for friends and family


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## Bigdrowdy1 (Aug 7, 2020)

Nice work. Now to add to my to do list


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## Brandon Sloan (Aug 7, 2020)

Did you wet polish the countertop?


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## cabomhn (Aug 7, 2020)

Brandon Sloan said:


> Did you wet polish the countertop?



The top was wet sanded up to around 400 grit prior to finishing with tung oil. The 400 grit finish was smooth enough for what I was trying to achieve with the top

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## Brandon Sloan (Aug 7, 2020)

cabomhn said:


> The top was wet sanded up to around 400 grit prior to finishing with tung oil. The 400 grit finish was smooth enough for what I was trying to achieve with the top


I have a set of diamond polishing pads I could have loaned you. My brother has a granite fabrication shop. He gave me a set of lightly used pads. I haven’t put them to use yet. Great build!!

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | +Karma 1 | Useful 1


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## DLJeffs (Aug 7, 2020)

Beautiful and functional, nice project. That's some serious weight on those casters.


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## cabomhn (Aug 7, 2020)

DLJeffs said:


> Beautiful and functional, nice project. That's some serious weight on those casters.



Thanks! Yeah, I wanted to make sure they were strong enough, so with 8 casters, I assumed at any given time 2 may be off the ground during transport, so each caster is rated for 200 lbs. It did well enough during the transfer to the backyard!


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## cabomhn (Aug 7, 2020)

Brandon Sloan said:


> I have a set of diamond polishing pads I could have loaned you. My brother has a granite fabrication shop. He gave me a set of lightly used pads. I haven’t put them to use yet. Great build!!



Ha, that would have been nice for sure! I think if this was a top that was going inside my house somewhere, I probably would have pursued a finer polish. For an outside grill cart? It’s probably just right

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Brandon Sloan (Aug 7, 2020)

cabomhn said:


> Ha, that would have been nice for sure! I think if this was a top that was going inside my house somewhere, I probably would have pursued a finer polish. For an outside grill cart? It’s probably just right


Well keep me in mind if you pour more concrete. I think I have 36 up to 5000.

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## sprucegum (Aug 7, 2020)

Thanks for posting that, I have been considering a similar project. We recently had a stamped concrete patio built and I would like a outdoor kitchen.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## DKMD (Aug 7, 2020)

Fantastic! I’ve been wheeling my BGE out of my shop for each use, but I need to do something similar. For those who leave them outside, do you have to worry about the metal parts rusting? My top vent cover looks different from Rob’s... mine is all cast iron.

Reactions: Like 1


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## cabomhn (Aug 7, 2020)

sprucegum said:


> Thanks for posting that, I have been considering a similar project. We recently had a stamped concrete patio built and I would like a outdoor kitchen.



A cart is cool, but doing a full outdoor built in would be awesome. Definitely post pics if you start on that!

Reactions: Like 1


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## cabomhn (Aug 7, 2020)

DKMD said:


> Fantastic! I’ve been wheeling my BGE out of my shop for each use, but I need to do something similar. For those who leave them outside, do you have to worry about the metal parts rusting? My top vent cover looks different from Rob’s... mine is all cast iron.



I’m not as familiar with the BGEs, but are they normally on a roller cart like the Kamado joes? Before, I had a generic Kamado waterproof cover for mine that stayed on it when it wasn’t in use. I don’t need it any more since mine is now in a table, so if you’d like it I can send mine to you! It’s in nice shape since it’s not that old.

For the cart, I got a huge grill cover that keeps everything dry. I know some people don’t keep them covered, but I‘m sure for lengevity’s sake it‘s better for the cart and the grills.


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## sprucegum (Aug 7, 2020)

cabomhn said:


> A cart is cool, but doing a full outdoor built in would be awesome. Definitely post pics if you start on that!



Pretty sure it won't be this year, if I get my shop buttoned up before winter I'm calling it good. I ran a conduit for power along with LP gas, water and a drain under the slab so I could do it when time and money allows.


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## whitewaterjay (Aug 7, 2020)

Very cool, and very nice build. I've built 2 of these before for the BGE XL, and I understand they are a lot of work and time. I did one with a concrete top as well and I underestimated in about every way on material and labor but it was a fun learning experience. Very well executed and I think it will give you years of enjoyment!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## Gdurfey (Aug 7, 2020)

Nice Build Matt; will definitely bookmark this!!!!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## DKMD (Aug 7, 2020)

cabomhn said:


> I’m not as familiar with the BGEs, but are they normally on a roller cart like the Kamado joes? Before, I had a generic Kamado waterproof cover for mine that stayed on it when it wasn’t in use. I don’t need it any more since mine is now in a table, so if you’d like it I can send mine to you! It’s in nice shape since it’s not that old.
> 
> For the cart, I got a huge grill cover that keeps everything dry. I know some people don’t keep them covered, but I‘m sure for lengevity’s sake it‘s better for the cart and the grills.


Yep, it’s on a roller stand.

I appreciate the offer, but I’ve already got a cover for mine. Even with the cover, I still got some rust on my vent cover, so I went back to storing it in the shop. Maybe it’s the humidity here?

Of course, it’s seasoned now from all the grilling and smoking, so maybe it would be OK. The rust I noticed was when I first got it a few years ago.

Reactions: Like 1


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## rob3232 (Aug 7, 2020)

Hey David @DKMD Ours Came with these two caps. One for cooking and one for storing.







We have left the cast iron one outside a couple of times on accident and it did show signs of rust after one night. I personally wouldn't use that for cover outside either.

Rob

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## Barb (Sep 10, 2020)

I’d call that “Very Fine Woodworking”! Amazing build!

Reactions: Thank You! 1


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## cabomhn (Sep 10, 2020)

Barb said:


> I’d call that “Very Fine Woodworking”! Amazing build!



Thank you! It’s getting a lot of use these past several weeks

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## Mrfish55 (Sep 10, 2020)

Fantastic job, I love my kamado joe, one day I’ll build a cart like that for it

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## Maverick (Sep 10, 2020)

Nicely done. Definitely a project to be proud of.

Reactions: Like 1


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## djg (Sep 11, 2020)

I agree with all that was said above. Why did you use tung oil on concrete? Why not use a concrete sealer?

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## cabomhn (Sep 11, 2020)

djg said:


> I agree with all that was said above. Why did you use tung oil on concrete? Why not use a concrete sealer?



I went with tung oil after reading a ton of mixed reviews on various sealer brands and their effectiveness. I came across a channel on YouTube that does kitchen counters professionally and they only use tung oil finishes on them.

I’m really happy with the tung oil performance and the top is completely water proof, with water beading well over many hours. Drippings from meat or sauce don’t stain at all. Plus, re application will be simple over time without a lot of fuss.

My verdict is that tung oil is a suitable finish for concrete when applied properly

Reactions: Thank You! 1 | Way Cool 2 | Informative 4


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## sprucegum (Jun 3, 2021)

cabomhn said:


> Figured I would post something that I recently completed. This isn’t “Fine Woodworking” by any means, but the result was something that I thought turned out pretty well. The overall construction is made from 4x4 and 2x4 cedar, with a lap joint construction to stand up to the weight. Between the concrete countertop and the two ceramic grills, this cart weights around 1,100 lbs, so the structure had to be strong.
> 
> After the frame was built, a facade of 1x4 cedar was added all the way around to help with the aesthetic. This was my first time building drawers, and was happy that they actually fit! The concrete top was an adventure, and involved making a custom melamine form with foam inserts in order to pour the concrete. Inside the concrete is a wire mesh, plus ½” rebar in the narrow parts for strength. The top is finished with 6-7 coats of tung oil for a waterproof finish.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the inspiration, not as fancy as yours but the wife likes it. I poured my tops in place, haven't sealed them yet I'm waiting a few day for the concrete to fully cure. I opted to leave it open as I rains a lot here and any enclosed space would turn into a moldy home for field mice.

Reactions: Like 4 | Way Cool 5


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