Building a Big Green Egg table comes down to three things: the right hole size, a base that carries the weight, and air and clearance all round the ceramic. A Large weighs 73 kilos, an XLarge 99 kilos and a 2XL a full 170 kilos. Add the weight of the table itself, and you’ll see why a little table knocked together with four screws per corner isn’t a good idea.
And then the point where home builds really go wrong: the underside of a kamado gets hot. Big Green Egg is clear about this themselves. Never stand an Egg directly on a wooden top or close to combustible material, because a fair amount of heat comes off the bottom of the ceramic base and that can start a fire. There should be a Table Nest or a similar metal stand underneath, so air can flow under the Egg, ideally combined with a slab.
Below you’ll find the complete plan: which hole size you need per model, how to build the base so it genuinely carries, which timber to choose and which to leave on the rack, how to make the opening heat-safe, which castors you need, how to lay the whole thing out sensibly, what it costs and which mistakes to avoid.
First, your model and its dimensions
The European Big Green Egg models, with grid diameter and weight:
| Model | Grid diameter | Cooking area | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| MiniMax | 33 cm | 855 cm² | 35 kg |
| Medium | 40 cm | 1,140 cm² | 51 kg |
| Large | 46 cm | 1,688 cm² | 73 kg |
| XLarge | 61 cm | 2,919 cm² | 99 kg |
| 2XL | 73 cm | 4,185 cm² | 170 kg |
Those weights are the foundation of your build. When you design it, don’t work with the weight of the Egg alone, but with the Egg plus charcoal plus a loaded plate setter plus the meat plus somebody accidentally leaning on the edge of the table. For a Large table you want a structure that easily takes 150 kilos, for an XLarge table more like 200 kilos.
Important for kamados from other brands: the figures above are for Big Green Egg. Kamado Joe, Monolith, Grill Guru and the rest have their own dimensions and their own outside diameters. The approach in this article stays the same, you just take the hole size and weights from your own brand.
The hole size: measure, don’t guess
This is the measurement you only get one shot at. Cut it too small and your Egg won’t fit, so you trim it back (fine). Cut it too big and your Egg drops too far in, and you need a new top.
Here’s how to get it right:
- Measure the widest point of your Egg. That’s usually at the height of the metal band the lid hinges on, not the base. Measure twice, in two places, because ceramic is handmade and there’s variation between individual units.
- Are you going to use a Table Nest? (Do.) Then measure the outside diameter of the nest and work from that, because that’s what goes into or onto the opening.
- Add clearance. Allow 1 to 2 centimetres extra all round, so 2 to 4 centimetres on the diameter. You want to be able to drop the Egg in without it binding, and you want to get a cloth round the edge.
A rough guide to what people use in practice: for a Large the opening tends to be around 53 to 55 centimetres, and for an XLarge around 66 to 68 centimetres. Use those numbers to check that your own measurement is roughly right, not to cut blind. Measure your own Egg.
How far does it sink in? You decide that yourself with the height of the support frame underneath. Two practical guidelines:
- Make sure the bottom vent (the draught door at the base) always stays completely clear and reachable. If it ends up partly behind your tabletop you can no longer control your temperature, and then the whole table is worthless.
- Set the Egg high enough that the cooking grid sits somewhere between 85 and 100 centimetres off the ground. Then you work upright instead of stooped.
The base: this is what carries it
The biggest mistake in home-built kamado tables: letting the weight of the Egg rest on the tabletop. That top will sag, the opening will go out of true and one day it will give way.
The rule: the Egg rests on its own support frame, not on the top. Build a separate frame directly under the opening that takes its load straight down into the legs and into the floor.
Here’s how:
- Make a frame from at least 45 x 95 millimetre timber (for a Medium or MiniMax) or 45 x 145 millimetre (for a Large and up), or use 70 x 70 millimetre Douglas fir beams or heavier.
- Fix that frame between the legs with proper joints: mortise and tenon, glued dowels, or housed joints that work in shear. Screwing through the end grain isn’t enough, because then everything hangs on withdrawal strength.
- Put in diagonal braces or a panel to stop it racking. A table on four legs with no stiffening along its length will start to rattle the moment you wheel it.
- Make sure the legs sit directly under the support frame, not alongside it.
A practical check: stand on the support frame yourself before you put the Egg in. Does anything move, does anything creak, does it flex? Then it needs more stiffening. You probably weigh about the same as the Egg does.
Heat and safety: the part you mustn’t skip
Big Green Egg specifies this themselves and it’s the most important rule in this whole article.
Never stand the Egg directly on wood or close to combustible material. The bottom of the ceramic base gets hot, and that heat has to go somewhere.
What you do instead:
- Use a Table Nest (Big Green Egg’s metal stand for building into a table or outdoor kitchen) or a similar metal frame. It keeps the Egg clear of the wood and lets warm air escape underneath. It’s also the reason you shouldn’t replace a nest with a few wooden blocks: that traps the heat instead.
- Put a slab underneath. A concrete paving slab or a thick ceramic tile under the Egg gives extra protection. Slab plus metal built-in nest gives you the most peace of mind.
- Keep the space under the Egg open. No closed cupboard beneath it, no solid base panel directly under the ceramic. Warm air has to be able to get away. If you do want storage, leave the top and back well open and set your shelves low.
- Keep clearance to the walls of the table. At least a few centimetres of air all round the opening, and no combustible material touching the ceramic.
- Don’t put it under a plastic awning or a low wooden canopy. A kamado throws off a lot of heat upwards when you open it, and a solid roof just above the Egg is a risk.
And beyond that, just plain sense:
- Don’t store your charcoal directly under the Egg. Low down in a cupboard on the other side is fine.
- Keep a metal ash bin or bucket for the ash, and never throw ash away while it could still be warm. Kamado ash can smoulder for days.
- Stand the table on a non-combustible surface: paving, concrete or gravel. Not on timber decking without protection.
- Lock your castors. A 120 kilo table rolling away while you open the lid is not a funny moment.
Timber choice: what works outdoors and what doesn’t
This table lives outside, gets wet, sits in the sun and catches fat spatter. So the timber matters.
| Timber | Suitable? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Douglas fir | Yes, for the structure | Strong, affordable, reasonably durable. It does move, so expect shrinkage gaps. |
| Meranti / hardwood | Yes, for the top too | Stable, weather-resistant, handsome. Pricier and harder work to machine. |
| Larch | Yes | Reasonably durable, lovely colour, a touch softer than Douglas fir. |
| Treated softwood | Fine for the structure | Cheap, but moves and splits sooner. Not my choice for anything on show. |
| Scaffold board | Only if you accept the upkeep | Looks great, but it’s softwood and it deteriorates faster outdoors. |
| Plywood / MDF / chipboard | No | Even water-resistant plywood holds up badly on an exposed end grain edge. MDF and chipboard are finished outdoors within a season. |
| Composite decking | Only well away from the opening | Plastic and heat don’t mix. Don’t use it in or around the opening. |
Screws and fittings: stainless steel (A2, or A4 if you live by the sea). Galvanised screws rust in hardwood within a couple of seasons and leave black streaks. In hardwood, always drill pilot holes, and countersink too, or you’ll split the board or twist the head off.
Finish: an oil or stain you top up annually, or nothing at all and let the timber silver. Varnish on exterior timber looks superb for two years and then you’re sanding. Don’t do that to yourself.
Design and layout: dimensions that work
Table height. Reckon on a worktop between 85 and 95 centimetres. If you’re tall, go higher. More important still: you want the Egg’s grid between 85 and 100 centimetres, because that’s where you’ll actually be working.
Worktop width. On at least one side of the Egg you want 50 to 70 centimetres of clear top to set down a board, a dish or the plate setter. Two sides is nicer still. A table that only wraps around the Egg turns out too tight in practice, because with a kamado you’ve always got hot accessories that need somewhere to go.
Overall size. A table for a Large with a worktop on one side often comes out around 150 by 75 centimetres. With a worktop on both sides, more like 180 to 200 centimetres wide. Mark it out with some cardboard where it’s going to stand, then walk past it for a day. Within a day you’ll know whether it’s in the way.
Clever details you’ll thank yourself for later:
- A removable or folding shelf on one side, so the table still fits through the gate
- A drawer or tray for your thermometer, gloves and lighter, because otherwise you hunt for them every time
- A hook or magnetic strip for the tongs and the ash tool
- A rack or open shelf for charcoal bags, so moisture can get out
- A recess or small channel in the top so rainwater doesn’t sit
- A lid or cap over the opening when the Egg isn’t in it, or just a cover over the whole thing
Castors: which ones do you need?
A table for a Large with charcoal and accessories easily reaches 120 to 150 kilos. For an XLarge you’re looking at 180 to 220 kilos.
- Get swivel castors with brakes, at least two braked, preferably all four
- Choose castors with generous load capacity: four castors rated at 100 kilos each gives you 400 kilos on paper, and that’s exactly the safety margin you want, because the load is never evenly spread
- Wheel diameter at least 100 millimetres, preferably 125 or 160 millimetres if you have to cross paving with joints, gravel or a threshold
- Rubber or polyurethane tread, not hard nylon. Hard nylon won’t roll over joints and it damages your paving
- Fit the castors to a cross rail or a solid plate, never just into the end grain of a leg
How to build it: step by step
- Measure your Egg (widest point) and settle your hole size including clearance. Write that figure down and check it once more.
- Draw your table out full size, at least the plan view with the opening in it. That way you see straight away whether your worktop is wide enough.
- Cut the four legs and the rails to size, using the joints you’ve chosen. Glue up and stiffen the base completely before any of the top goes on.
- Build the support frame for the Egg into the base, at the height you want the Egg to sit. Use heavier timber here than you think you need.
- Test the structure by standing on it yourself.
- Fit the castors with the table upside down, onto cross rails or mounting plates.
- Lay the top, with a gap of a few millimetres between the boards so water can drain and the timber can move.
- Cut the opening. Scribe the circle with a length of string and a nail, or with a circle guide for the jigsaw, drill a starter hole and cut with a jigsaw and a fine blade. Cut half a centimetre inside the line and finish the edge with a sanding block or a router.
- Seal the end grain of the cut. End grain soaks up water like a sponge. Two coats of oil or an exterior paint on the sawn edge stops your opening rotting within two years.
- Fit the Table Nest or metal frame and the slab if you’re using one.
- Put the Egg in. Two people, and lift by the lower ceramic base, never by the metal band. That band is for the hinge, not for the weight of the entire Egg.
- Check the bottom vent. Clear and reachable? Good. If not, adjust the top before you light it.
- Give it one gentle first firing and after an hour feel the timber around the opening with your hand. If anywhere feels genuinely hot, it needs more air or more clearance.
What does it cost?
Ranges for the table, not counting the Egg itself.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Douglas fir for the structure and top (table roughly 150×75 cm) | €150 to €300 |
| Meranti or other hardwood, same size | €300 to €600 |
| Stainless fittings, screws, dowels, glue | €40 to €90 |
| Braked swivel castors (4 off, heavy duty) | €40 to €120 |
| Table Nest (or comparable metal built-in frame) | €100 to €200 |
| Concrete or ceramic slab under the Egg | €5 to €25 |
| Oil or stain | €25 to €60 |
| Total to build it yourself | roughly €350 to €1,100 |
| Ready-made table or modular system from the manufacturer | €700 to €2,500 |
The big variable is the timber species. In hardwood it comes out better looking and lasts longer; in Douglas fir you finish sooner and pay half.
Eight mistakes you want to avoid
- Cutting the hole to a factory figure you found online. Measure your own Egg. Ceramic varies.
- Letting the Egg rest on the tabletop. It belongs on its own support frame that carries straight down into the legs.
- Not using a metal nest, or replacing it with wooden blocks. That’s precisely the scenario the manufacturer warns about.
- Building a closed cupboard under the Egg. Heat has to be able to escape.
- Blocking the bottom vent with a top that sits too deep or a build-in that’s too low.
- Using plywood or MDF for the top or the structure. Outdoors, that’s borrowed time.
- Fitting castors that are too light. 120 kilos on four cheap furniture castors works exactly once.
- Leaving sawn end grain untreated. That’s where the rot starts, and it’s the spot you’ve just created yourself.
Maintenance
- Annually: clean the top and put on a coat of oil or stain, with extra attention to the sawn edge of the opening and every end grain face
- Twice a year: go round the screws and joints, because timber moves and fittings work loose
- After each season: clear out the ash completely, including under the nest
- In winter: a cover that breathes, not a sealed tarpaulin, because things go mouldy underneath one
- Castors: a drop of oil on the axles once a year keeps the brakes usable
Frequently asked questions
What hole size do I need for a Big Green Egg table?
Measure the widest point of your own Egg, usually at the height of the metal hinge band, and add 1 to 2 centimetres of clearance all round. As a sanity check: builders usually work to an opening of around 53 to 55 centimetres for a Large and around 66 to 68 centimetres for an XLarge. If you’re using a Table Nest, measure the outside dimension of the nest.
Can a Big Green Egg simply go into a wooden table?
Only with a metal built-in nest or a similar frame underneath. Big Green Egg warns explicitly against standing an Egg directly on wood or close to combustible material, because the ceramic base gets seriously hot. With a Table Nest, air flows under the Egg and the timber stays at a distance. A slab underneath gives extra protection.
How heavy is a Big Green Egg?
According to the manufacturer, a MiniMax weighs 35 kilos, a Medium 51 kilos, a Large 73 kilos, an XLarge 99 kilos and a 2XL 170 kilos. When you design your table, work with that weight plus charcoal, accessories and the table itself. For a Large table you want a structure that carries 150 kilos comfortably.
Which timber is best for a kamado table?
Douglas fir for the structure is strong and affordable; meranti or another hardwood is more stable and better looking for the top, but costs more. Outdoors, don’t use plywood, MDF or chipboard, and keep composite and plastic away from the opening. Work with stainless steel screws and treat every sawn edge.
How high should a Big Green Egg table be?
Aim for a worktop between 85 and 95 centimetres, and make sure the Egg’s grid ends up between 85 and 100 centimetres off the ground. Then you stand upright while you work instead of stooped. Always check as you go that the bottom vent stays completely clear and reachable.
Which castors do I need under a Big Green Egg table?
Swivel castors with brakes, at least 100 millimetres in diameter and preferably 125 to 160 millimetres if you have to cross jointed paving or gravel. Choose a generous load rating: four castors at 100 kilos each is a healthy margin for a Large table. Rubber or polyurethane tread, and mount them on a cross rail rather than into the end grain of a leg.
Can I use the same plan for a Kamado Joe or another brand?
The approach is identical: support frame under the opening, metal frame under the kamado, open space beneath and plenty of worktop alongside. The dimensions aren’t. Outside diameters, weights and vents differ by brand and model, so measure your own barbecue and ask your brand whether a built-in frame exists for it.
The short version: measure your own Egg before you cut, let the weight rest on its own support frame and not on the top, always use a metal built-in nest with air underneath, choose exterior-grade timber with stainless fittings, fit heavy braked castors and treat every sawn end grain edge.
Do that, and you’ve got a table that lasts as long as the Egg does. And the Egg lasts a lifetime.
Don’t fancy working out the joints and dimensions yourself? At Fred’s DIY Plans you’ll find worked-up plans for garden furniture and outdoor kitchens, with a materials list, a cutting list and a step-by-step plan, so the dimensions are already right before you cut the first board. Take a look here.
Cheers from Fred Schouten, handyman and DIYer through and through
PS: cut your hole size out of a piece of cardboard first and lay it on the top with the Egg beside it. You’ll see straight away whether the opening is in the right place and whether you’re left with enough worktop. Five minutes with cardboard against one top sawn through in the wrong spot. Small tip. Big difference.