BBQ Cart

In the move from Rye, VIC, to Moss Vale, NSW, in July 2025, the stand for my Weber Baby Q BBQ didn't survive the cut for obvious reasons. I needed a solution.

Old Weber Baby Q Stand.

Of course, I could go out and buy one, or adapt something found on the verge, but that's not the point. A Men's Shed bloke needs a project.

I decided a wooden BBQ Cart was the solution. It would be a bit oversized from the usual Weber Baby Q BBQ stand, but thus provide better stabilty. It would be designed to fit a BBQ cover available from Bunnings. And, it would have lips on the shelf for the gas cylinder, and the BBQ, to prevent them sliding off. For durability, it would be made from Merbau Decking. What could go wrong!

Planning

My brother Paul sent me the drawings for the wooden BBQ Cart he built in 1995 while working in New Zealand. It's a well travelled item, having gone from New Zealand to various Australian states, then to the Northwest Territories, Canada, and back to travelling around Australia. He also sent me current pictures. Those pictures showed he now has a LED light attached to his BBQ Cart, which became a requirement for mine as well.

Detailed measurements for the Weber Baby Q BBQ, the cover, and the wheels were determined. I wanted the cooking grill of the Weber to be at a height of 95 cm. I'm 185 cm tall, and I'm sick of benchtops and working platforms that are too short.

The dimensions of the Weber Baby Q BBQ with its wings out are:
Width: 105 cm
Depth: 44 cm
Height: 38 cm

Weber Baby Q dimensions.

The dimensions of the Jumbuck 2-Burner BBQ Cover are:
Width: 127 cm
Depth: 65 cm
Height: 90 cm

Jumbuck 2-Burner BBQ Cover dimensions.

The dimensions of the Easyroll 150 mm Black Rubber Tyres are:
Diameter: 150 mm
Wheel Width: 37 cm
Axle Diameter: 12.7 mm (1/2 inch)

Easyroll 150 mm Black Rubber Tyre dimensions.

The Merbau Decking is readily available in dimensions of 90 x 19 mm, and 140 x 19 mm. I decided to use 90 x 19 mm.

I took my workings so far along to the Moss Value Mens Shed. "Okay guys, what CAD or 3D modelling software do you use for your project drawings?", I asked.

It turns out, they don't.

But I need to work it all out with a project drawing. It's the way I work.

After looking around the web, I decided to give Google SketchUp a go. Lucky there were already components available for the Weber Baby Q, and the 9 kg LPG Cylinder. Win!

Now I just have to lean to use Google SketchUp. How hard can that be for someone who was on the leading edge of computer graphics software back in the 1970s? After all, I ported one of Australia's first 2D CAD systems (AutoDraft) to the Data General platform, and then incorporated it into BHP's Oil & Gas Exploration system.