Grill Table for the deck

This all started when earlier this week I really had a craving for some onion rings. But not the fat, thick, heavily breaded onion rings you might be thinking of. The thin, stringy, flaky ones that I used to get as a kid when my parents would take me to this great old steakhouse in Kansas. Something like on top of this burger:

This recipe from the Pioneer Woman looks exactly like what I'm going for.

All this to say, I want to deep-fry some onion rings, but don't want to do it in the house. I got to thinking that I could just hook up my portable camping stove out on the deck, and do my deep-frying there while the weather is nice. However I didn't have anywhere to actually do this cooking; my grill doesn't have a side-burner, and I'm not going to run a burner on our outdoor dining table. I set out searching, and I came across these plans from Andrew Harris Woodwork that looked like exactly what I needed!

I put this table together over the course of 2 of the hottest days we've had in Omaha so far, here are some progress pics.

Everything started with a trip to Menard's to pick up the lumber. The table is made from about $90 in western red cedar boards.

Boards for the table frame were cut to size and put together. Everything is held together with glue & pocket screws.

Here are the two end frame pieces.

And the entire frame put together.

Then I cut & attached the slats to the bottom shelf. They're supported by two 3/4" x 3/4" runners glued and nailed to the frame. Each slat is glued and nailed to the runners.

It was time to make & attach the table top. I kind of forgot to take any progress pics here, but let's just say it involved a lot of sanding.

Once everything was assembled, I sprayed down all surfaces with a generous coat of Thompson's WaterSeal. I had never used this product before, and I'm really happy with how much it made the cedar pop after it went on. We'll see how it ages exposed to the sun & elements.

I had to run the table inside one more time though because it needed 48 hours before being exposed to rain. Doesn't look too bad in the house! Maybe it can serve double-duty as a buffet table in a pinch.