Braai Cabinet

A braai cabinet with a difference

A handy surface next to your braai is always so useful, for meat, tongs, your
beer… Our DIY Dave designed this unique braai cabinet that is on wheels for
easy positioning on your patio, and has a heat-proof, spill-proof metal table
top that you can pop your hot pots or pans of meat onto.

What you need:
SA Pine cut to the following lengths:
2 x 500mm x 900mm x 22mm (sides)
2 x 446mm x 900mm x 22mm (front and back)
3 x 446mm x 446mm x 22mm (top, bottom and shelf)
1 x 540mm x 540mm x 22mm (table top)
2 x 400mm x 415mm x 22mm (doors)
4 x 900mm x 40mm x 4mm angle iron
2m x galvanised sheeting
2 x cabinet handles
2 x magnetic latches
4 x black Japanese hinges
4 x castor wheels
2 x utensil hooks
40mm and 20mm cut screws
Galvanised flat head nails
‘Straight-to-metal’ spraypaint
Undercoat
Enamel paint
Wood glue

Tools:
Screwdriver, angle grinder, jigsaw, tape measure, drill, hammer, rubber mallet, tin snips, pencil, carpenter’s square, sander

What you do:

1.Start by marking and cutting out the door openings in the 446mm x 900mm front panel, as per the diagram. Use a drill and then a jigsaw to cut out the doors.

2.Assemble the sides and back using 40mm cut screws.

3.Insert the top and bottom panels and secure them with the cut screws, then measure 450mm up the side and attach the shelf.

4.Attach the front panel, which has had the two openings cut out of it, in position, again with cut screws.

5.Drill three 4mm holes (with countersink) in each side of the four lengths of angle iron, making sure that the positioning will not interfere with the position of the screws in the edges of the assembled cabinet.

6. Sand off the corners of the cupboard to accommodate the curved inside corners of the angle iron, and then paint the cupboard with an undercoat before applying three coats of enamel, allowing drying time between coats. Clean the four pieces of angle iron, and then apply two coats of spraypaint with a ‘straight-to-metal’ paint.

7. Paint the doors and table top in the same manner. Once dry, wrap them with galvanised sheet. To do this, cut a piece of galvanised sheet large enough to cover the piece and wrap around the edges. Glue the sheet to your timber and, once dry, fold the sheeting around the edges using a rubber mallet to gently tap the edges square. Use more glue and the flat head nails to secure the sheeting to the sides. File off any sharp edges left on the corners and edges.

8. Attach two hinges and a handle to each door. Position the doors in place over the holes in the front of the cabinet, leaving a 10mm gap between the doors, and then attach the hinges to the cabinet.

9. You can now attach the angle iron to the corners of the cabinet using the 40mm cut screws.

10. Place the wrapped table top on the top of the cabinet and position it with an even 20mm overhang on each side. Attach the tabletop to the cabinet by driving a few 40mm screws through the top of the cabinet into the tabletop from inside the cabinet.

11. Lay the cabinet on its back and attach your castor wheels to the base. Our castor wheels required one 8mm bolt per wheel. Mark and drill a hole 80mm in from the corners of the base and attach the castors using a washer and nut on the inside of the cabinet.