Custom cut metal shelf for worktable?
June 27, 2022 10:49 AM   Subscribe

I purchased this worktable for the Weber Q grill on my outdoor patio. One of the reviewers on Amazon posted a photo of theirs modified to add a second metal shelf. It seems straightforward and I'd like to do the same. I've seen a few 'online sheet metal fabricators' (e.g. here), but wondering if anyone has any other ideas on how to easily do this?
posted by casaubon to Home & Garden (6 answers total)
 
I'm a woodworker in a climate with a relatively long dry season, so I'd just put a wood shelf on top of the supports there, but...

That shelf looks to me like it's got bends at the ends to hook over the cross-pieces, and then some longitudinal bends on the sides for stiffness. I think if you did the longitudinal bends first, and then cut out notches for the cross-pieces, you'd have enough space with a basic sheet metal brake to then do the end pieces.

If you lived closer to me, I would use this as an excuse to finally get the cheap and I'd probably regret buying something so lightweight Harbor Freight 30" brake that I've been saying I should get for a while, rather than just trying to cobble together bends from pieces of wood clamped on either side of the metal I'm trying to bend...
posted by straw at 11:01 AM on June 27, 2022 [1 favorite]


Front Panel Express is a surprisingly cheap place to get big metal plates with custom routing that might be worth a try. They won't do sheet metal with bends, as far as I know. (The local auto body shop might another option.)
posted by eotvos at 11:07 AM on June 27, 2022


Best answer: You can get large sheets of steel from Lowes (the kind used for making furnace vents) and you can get a small metal folder at harbor freight. If it were me I'd be comfortable bending the edges to add some stability and cut the notch so it can clip over the cross beam.
posted by AzraelBrown at 11:15 AM on June 27, 2022 [2 favorites]


Lots of duct work is made locally; a duct worker would be able to make this in like 10m. I have a local HVAC place that will do work like this for me when I need metal bent in fairly simple ways for projects like that.

Normally I do not tip trades folks, but for weird, custom work like this, I sure do.
posted by furnace.heart at 1:36 PM on June 27, 2022 [3 favorites]


Also, most metro areas have large, well stocked Maker Spaces as well, which, for odd items like this, staff can often help you directly in making it, or do it themselves, or hook you up with someone who can do it in their space (it depends on how the actual maker space is structured).
posted by furnace.heart at 1:47 PM on June 27, 2022


Response by poster: Thanks all! Marking AzraelBrown's answer as the Metal Folding Tool is a reasonable enough purchase to try out for this. If I'm not satisfied with my handiwork will certainly track down some help.
posted by casaubon at 6:41 PM on June 27, 2022 [2 favorites]


« Older Painting of Naples from the air?   |   So soft, so cool Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.