BBQ Grill Tray Handle

With the barbecue grill that I made, I found that I would finish grilling and then want to use the fire pit - which meant that I would need to remove the grill whilst it was still hot.

This gave me an idea for another welding practice project.

Grill tray handles are simply handles which clamp onto the edge of an oven tray so that it can be moved whilst it is still hot.

 

Basically I intend to make the same thing for the grill. 

Using some left over angle bar from the grill, the plan is to create a C-shape, with a bit of flat bar for the lip.

This will latch onto the angle bar that creates the frame of the grill.

This will be connected to a rebar handle, which will provide some mechanical retention by being put through a drilled hole in the angle bar (the translucent bit in the diagram).

I turned some ash wood to go over the rebar, and secured it by welding a thread from a bolt to the back of the rebar, and adding a washer and end nut to secure it in place.

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BBQ Grill and Coal Tray for the Firepit

BBQ Grill
 

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This project doesn't look like much, granted. However it's a bit of a milestone for me as it's the first real welding project I've done.

It's pretty basic - a frame made of angle iron with bar stock as support, with a steel mesh as the grill itself. The mesh is sandwiched in place to the frame by bar stock - because the mesh itself was too thin to weld (at least, not at my current skill level.)

The cross section looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

The welding was done with flux-core wire (FCAW - Flux Core Arc Welding, sometimes also known as 'gasless MIG')

Although the welds aren't the prettiest, particularly due to the spatter from the wire (lesson learned - use anti-spatter spray), the frame is plenty strong and sturdy enough for it's purpose, and has been used for several barbecues already.

Coal Tray

 
Because the firepit itself is quite deep, it's not practical to have the coals at the bottom of the pit - they're too far away from the grill. It's also a good idea to have more control over what is being burned when cooking food, so having a separate tray makes sense.

I made this quick tray from aluminium that was left over from the greenhouse that was removed earlier this year.

I had read a few articles warning of aluminium use in food because of health concerns, but this a) seems to relate more to food in direct contact with the aluminium and b) aluminium foil is extensively and commonly used, so one would expect there to be a bigger outcry about it if there was anything to worry about.

Some other aluminium parts from the greenhouse were used to create legs for the tray so that it stands a couple of inches blow the grill.

Straight razor from table saw blade

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So a while back I replaced the table saw blade in the workshop and got the idea in my head to try and make a straight razor out of it.

I sketched out a quick design and then cut it from some scraps of redwood (the same stuff I used in the ring box project - not sure if that's the correct species, but it's wood, and it's a red-ish colour, so close enough.) on the bandsaw. Fortunately I had two scraps the same thickness, so I needn't worry about the thickness of each of the scales (sides) being identical.

The blade itself was sketched out in marker on the old table saw blade and cut out with an angle grinder. Once the rough shape was done, a mix of bench grinder and rotary grinding tools were used to refine the shape.

The gap between the 2 scales of the handle was padded out using some brass sheet, cut to match the shape of the scales, whilst including cut out space both for the blade to fold in to, and to allow the tang to rotate into when the blade is opened.

This, and the scales were both epoxied together, and then two holes were drilled and brass pins added, for additional strength and their own aesthetic quality.

The third brass pin provides the hinge that the blade will pivot from to make the opening and closing mechanism.

Before the blade and handle were put together, it was easier to finish each part separately.

In the case of the handle, this meant sanding to round off the edges and make it more comfortable to hold, and a wipe out with danish oil.

In the case of the blade this meant a lot of grinding, sharpening and honing to get it to a sharp enough edge to cut hairs. With hindsight although it probably isn't the best steel to use for a blade, it is sharp enough to shave with - it just requires frequent honing.

But, at the end of the day it works, I'm pleased with how it's turned out, and I learnt a bit more about blade making and the dark arts of sharpening and honing along the way. I also now totally get why some people fall into this particular niche rather than just more general metalworking... I'm actually quite tempted to go find some better steel and make another already.