New Egger and first post!
I just got an XL and decided to go the custom table route. Being a Texan I of course have to show my pride!
For the top:
I glued up yellow pine 2x8's after planing and generally squaring them. I was not after perfection, just something that would hold together well! After the glue set up I drilled pocket holes in the bottom and inserted trim screws in between each board to give them extra strength.
A blowtorch was used to char a few corners and burn the grain so that it stands out. I also had a piece of steel cut in the shape of Texas left over from another project so I laid it on the wood and torched around it. That is actually my favorite touch that I gave the table!
For sanding I used a belt sander with 60, 150, and 220 grit then used an orbital sander with 220. I didn't worry about getting everything perfect because I was going for a weathered, rustic look. I even mashed down the edges of the sander in a few areas to give some gouges and unevenness.
I then bought Minwax stain mixed to the red, white, and blue colors that you see and applied blue tape to the piece so the color borders would be crisp.
For the base:
I used cedar and treated pine. I had some leftover tongue-and-groove treated pine flooring which I used for the lower paneling and drawer fronts. The drawers are about 28" wide by 10" deep and I'm using them for charcoal and accessory storage.
This thing is HEAVY! Me and another guy could barely pick it up once the Egg was installed. It definitely has the look I was going for. I will be adding wrought iron drawer pulls, towel hooks, and bottle openers this week.
I am looking forward to getting to know my Egg and learning from this excellent forum. My first meal was a success (chicken breasts, thighs, veggie skewers, and tri-tip with chimichurri sauce).