BBQ Grille Grates - Anyone made any?

larry4406 · Jul 21, 2018

I need new grates for our Wolf BBQ362-2. I refuse to pay near $700 for new grates.

When the originals crapped out, I used a simple piece of expanded metal, but that has now rusted out.

Wife wants grates with round metal type rods.

Was thinking of welding 3/8" steel rod similar to these example pics from the net (which are stainless steel and still $$$).

Any thoughts from the brain trusts here and grilling aficionados?

I have a Lincoln 240V mig, chop saw, etc.

ndnchf · Jul 21, 2018

I've thought about doing the same thing. The crappy cast iron grates erode quickly. A couple weeks ago I lost a beautiful brat when it rolled to a gap where a bar was gone and fell into the flaming chasm

The FIB · Jul 21, 2018

ndnchf said:
I've thought about doing the same thing. The crappy cast iron grates erode quickly. A couple weeks ago I lost a beautiful brat when it rolled to a gap where a bar was gone and fell into the flaming chasm

Sorry for your loss. :lol_hitti

EOC_Jason · Jul 21, 2018

For my weber grill those cast iron grates are usually like $70 but I found them on clearance searching around Lowe's stores for like $5... lol For that price they can sit in the garage until I need them!

Have you checked eBay? There are usually a lot of knock-off grates and other consumable grill parts for a fraction of the cost of the brand name....

If you want to DIY, the preferred steel to use is A36 for food-grade applications. Just clean off the mill scale first, weld it up, then season with oil on the grill a couple times before cooking.

I'm not sure what material is preferred for stainless... 304?

lis2323 · Jul 21, 2018

Here's my story

Ten plus years ago:

I wanted to be able to use my barbecue year round by standing inside my kitchen. I needed to make it swing 90 degrees so I still had door egress and have the option of outdoor use.

I scrapped the original mobile stand, built a new subframe and used an old tv swivel wall mount bracket and lagged it to a post.

Fast forward to today

A combination of reduced meat consumption, BBQ needing new burners and grates, and running out of propane (for the LAST frickin time) convinced me that my grilling days are OVER!

I bought myself a cast iron fry pan to sear the odd steak (and finish in the oven) so stick a fork in me as I'm DONE.

larry4406 · Jul 21, 2018

EOC_Jason said:
...If you want to DIY, the preferred steel to use is A36 for food-grade applications. Just clean off the mill scale first, weld it up, then season with oil on the grill a couple times before cooking...

Thank you - this is my thought as well. I have a blast cabinet so getting the rods to white metal condition is no problem before welding.

Looks to me that a stop on my cutoff saw gets all rods to proper length, use the grinder to bevel the ends, blast loose parts, place rods in a welding jig, weld away, season similar to what one does on an iron pan, and then grille away.

larry4406 · Jul 21, 2018

lis2323 said:
Here's my story

Ten plus years ago:

I wanted to be able to use my barbecue year round by standing inside my kitchen. I needed to make it swing 90 degrees so I still had door egress and have the option of outdoor use.

I scrapped the original mobile stand, built a new subframe and used an old tv swivel wall mount bracket and lagged it to a post.

Fast forward to today

A combination of reduced meat consumption, BBQ needing new burners and grates, and running out of propane (for the LAST frickin time) convinced me that my grilling days are OVER!

I bought myself a cast iron fry pan to sear the odd steak (and finish in the oven) so stick a fork in me as I'm DONE.

Pretty clever swivel setup.

jeepinerdeep · Jul 21, 2018

lis2323 said:
Here's my story

A combination of reduced meat consumption, BBQ needing new burners and grates, and running out of propane (for the LAST frickin time) convinced me that my grilling days are OVER!

I bought myself a cast iron fry pan to sear the odd steak (and finish in the oven) so stick a fork in me as I'm DONE.

Wut? You can't just quit and go from grill on swivel to cooking in the oven. It's verboten.

Adk Mike · Jul 21, 2018

I have had a Broil Master since 1996. I just replaced the burner yesterday. 3d one
Nice grill all the replacement stuff handles and side shelf’s i’ve Fabed up over the years. I just made a new grate for mine out of 1/4 inch round stock. Bets the 150.00. After your done I just clean it up and season it works fine.
I watch a guy on u tube Allen’s woodworking and welding. He’s always making cooker and smokers. I just make them like he does.

EOC_Jason · Jul 21, 2018

larry4406 said:
Thank you - this is my thought as well. I have a blast cabinet so getting the rods to white metal condition is no problem before welding.

Looks to me that a stop on my cutoff saw gets all rods to proper length, use the grinder to bevel the ends, blast loose parts, place rods in a welding jig, weld away, season similar to what one does on an iron pan, and then grille away.

You might also want to see how thick of expanded metal your local supplier might have in stock. Nothing says you have to make the grates exactly the same as OEM.

If you do go like the pics, take some time to make a decent jig, and make yourself an extra set since it's a very repetitive process.

ndnchf · Jul 21, 2018

A few weeks ago at a flea market I saw one of those heavy duty grills you see in state parks. Made of thick steel with grates made of 1/2" round bar. I wish my home grill was that heavy duty.

m.breen · Jul 21, 2018

carefull... I knew a guy who was bbqing through his sliding door, wind caught the curtain and pulled it out long enough to catch fire, then blew it back inside to burn half his living room.

Modern Garage · Jul 21, 2018

A while back I was watching a cooking show and the host was pretty emphatic that he preferred heavy cast iron grates over the chromed steel rods.
(Holds heat like a good frying pan. )
So I got to thinking I can't cast iron in my shop but I can weld pretty thick steel so I'm thinking about this project too
It seems like flat steel would be easier to clean than round rod. Does anyone have an opinion or experience on round vs flat?
Joe

Kaizen · Jul 21, 2018

I use Weber cast iron grates. Try leave a couple inch gap on the side but for the price they are great. Treat them and cast will last forever.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Paycheck · Jul 21, 2018

https://www.grillgrate.com

ducksface · Jul 21, 2018

Here's the last ones I was involved with.
Two pieces Square one inch barstock.
Drilled with 3/8th+ holes, a half inch deep, all along in a row.
3/8round stock inserts as the grill.
Here's the kicker:
ONLY THE TWO END PIECES OF ROUND STOCK WAS WELDED.
This allowed for the grill to 'roll' allowing for easy scraping and cleaning without flipping it over.

Easy to build easy to clean, you'll never need another.
This one was all stainless. Yours doesn't have to be.
So, damn, heavy.

Bigblue&Goldie · Jul 22, 2018

When I was in college I built a campfire BBQ grate that I kept in the back of my truck. It was built so well I always kept it back there in case I needed to use it for traction if I got stuck in the mud. :lol_hitti

larry4406 · Jul 22, 2018

ducksface said:
Here's the last ones I was involved with.
Two pieces Square one inch barstock.
Drilled with 3/8th+ holes, a half inch deep, all along in a row.
3/8round stock inserts as the grill.
Here's the kicker:
ONLY THE TWO END PIECES OF ROUND STOCK WAS WELDED.
This allowed for the grill to 'roll' allowing for easy scraping and cleaning without flipping it over.

Easy to build easy to clean, you'll never need another.
This one was all stainless. Yours doesn't have to be.
So, damn, heavy.

Very clever Mr. Ducksface! I have a drill press so I could set up the bar stock for easy spaced holes. I like only welding the two end round stock which then keeps the others captive. Brilliant! Less welding means less warpage.

If I did this, I'm thinking the hole spacing would be 1" which would net 5/8" between rods - perfect for laying dogs and brats "in the groove". Using 1" bar stock and 1" spacing makes for a very simple jig for hole layouts.

larry4406 · Jul 22, 2018

Paycheck said:
https://www.grillgrate.com

Any experience with these?

I used their on-line calculator for my grille (grille surface is 21" deep by 32.5" wide) and before shipping I'm at $197.94.

Furthermore, they use stock width 5.25" panels which interlock (I would need 6) which ends up with a net 30.5" width due to the loss from the interlocking. As I have a 32.5" width, I will end up with a 2"x 21" gap to loose the brats like NDNCHF suffered.

Not looking like a promising option....

ndnchf · Jul 22, 2018

ducksface said:
Here's the last ones I was involved with.
Two pieces Square one inch barstock.
Drilled with 3/8th+ holes, a half inch deep, all along in a row.
3/8round stock inserts as the grill.
Here's the kicker:
ONLY THE TWO END PIECES OF ROUND STOCK WAS WELDED.
This allowed for the grill to 'roll' allowing for easy scraping and cleaning without flipping it over.

Easy to build easy to clean, you'll never need another.
This one was all stainless. Yours doesn't have to be.
So, damn, heavy.

Great idea - simple, cheap and efficient!

Paycheck · Jul 22, 2018

larry4406 said:
Any experience with these?

I used their on-line calculator for my grille (grille surface is 21" deep by 32.5" wide) and before shipping I'm at $197.94.

Furthermore, they use stock width 5.25" panels which interlock (I would need 6) which ends up with a net 30.5" width due to the loss from the interlocking. As I have a 32.5" width, I will end up with a 2"x 21" gap to loose the brats like NDNCHF suffered.

Not looking like a promising option....

Been using them for a while now. Love them. They have a small filler piece for the small gaps.

larry4406 · Jul 22, 2018

Well, I played with Sketchup and ducksface's solution looks rather straight forward. This sketch is using 1" bar stock for the ends, 3/8" rod, 1" rod spacing, and my grille area of 21x32.5". I am thinking that the holes would be drilled 1/2" deep, and the rods cut just shy of 20"

The original grate was 5 pieces, so I could cut this down into several pieces to reduce the weight of each piece.

Now on to pricing of materials.

Orangestang · Jul 22, 2018

These are BBQs that I help my friend build and get sold to National Parks here in AZ and a few other states. The grates are made from 3/8" or 1/2" rod and3/8" side plate.

ducksface · Jul 22, 2018

That looks just like it.
They were 10 inches x 22inches+- because they weighed so much.
Three across on a 30 incher with a salamander. (look it up. They're the coolest of grilles.)
An overhang on the square bar kept them all spaced correctly.
Make sure to do the overhang or you'll have two round bars too close when you put them side by side in the grille.
I see the overhang in your drawing but I didn't check the spacing.

I'll try to get a pic posted of the grille I have that you can crack an egg on and fry it. The rows are so close...and flat.

larry4406 · Jul 22, 2018

ducksface said:
That looks just like it.
They were 10 inches x 22inches+- because they weighed so much.
Three across on a 30 incher with a salamander. (look it up. They're the coolest of grilles.)
An overhang on the square bar kept them all spaced correctly.
Make sure to do the overhang or you'll have two round bars too close when you put them side by side in the grille.
I see the overhang in your drawing but I didn't check the spacing.

I'll try to get a pic posted of the grille I have that you can crack an egg on and fry it. The rows are so close...and flat.

Not sure what you mean by overhang.

In my case with the 32.5" width, 1" spacing, and 3/8" rod, the end rods are 3/4" center from bar stock end (9/16" from bar end to edge of rod).

ducksface · Jul 22, 2018

As a sort of an aside.
I have some extension pieces from some type of old table saw.
I found them at a yard sale, taped together in a
Free pile
I gave them two bucks.
They will make an excellent, about 16x24 grill.

ducksface · Jul 22, 2018

larry4406 said:
Not sure what you mean by overhang.

In my case with the 32.5" width, 1" spacing, and 3/8" rod, the end rods are 3/4" center from bar stock end (9/16" from bar end to edge of rod).

The end of the square bar needs to be commensurately longer than the round spacing (if you're building it as multiple grills instead of the one 62pounder in your drawing)

I didnt really realize it was just one grill you were making. My head went right back to my three across(to save myself from a 62 pound lift.)

ndnchf · Jul 22, 2018

I like Duckface's idea and may do it myself. But I wanted to share a related project. Somewhere I picked up one of those window security bar things that bolts over a window to keep burglars from breaking in. It had been laying around for years. I needed a small, portable outdoor fire grate and was going to make one similar to a grill grate. But then I realized I could cut a ready-made grate from the window bars. Then I made 4 legs to drive into the ground to support it. Eazy peazy fire grate. The spacing is a little too wide for a grill. But its a cheap source of material.

larry4406 · Jul 22, 2018

ducksface said:
The end of the square bar needs to be commensurately longer than the round spacing (if you're building it as multiple grills instead of the one 62pounder in your drawing)

I didnt really realize it was just one grill you were making. My head went right back to my three across(to save myself from a 62 pound lift.)

Got it - extra bar length on the end so when separate grates are placed next to each other the rod spacing is retained.

I was curious on the weight since you mentioned it, so I calculated it as 37.4 pounds not the 62 you mentioned. I would cut it into more manageable pieces.

The original grates were cast iron with porcelain coating and were 5 grates (2 at 7" and 3 at 6"), thus 1/2" gap total for the **** ends.

Brain still whirring.

ducksface · Jul 22, 2018

larry4406 said:
Got it - extra bar length on the end so when separate grates are placed next to each other the rod spacing is retained.

I was curious on the weight since you mentioned it, so I calculated it as 37.4 pounds not the 62 you mentioned. I would cut it into more manageable pieces.

The original grates were cast iron with porcelain coating and were 5 grates (2 at 7" and 3 at 6"), thus 1/2" gap total for the **** ends.

Brain still whirring.

I guessed at the weight.
Hot and grungy must have mentally added 30 lbs to my two finger pick it up method.
A small loop welded to each so as to use a hook/bent screwdriver for lifting them is an idea I wish I had thought of then.

Since you have a drill press:
A billet burner is easy to make... If the time ever comes to replace yours.

larry4406 · Jul 22, 2018

ducksface said:
I guessed at the weight.
Hot and grungy must have mentally added 30 lbs to my two finger pick it up method.
A small loop welded to each so as to use a hook/bent screwdriver for lifting them is an idea I wish I had thought of then.

Since you have a drill press:
A billet burner is easy to make... If the time ever comes to replace yours.

Yeah I was thinking of some sort of loop/lifting eye. Haven't sorted that yet but the original sample picture I posted they cut one of the rods leaving a rectangular opening and braced the hole. I presume this feature is for use in lifting.

I will call the local BMG metals tomorrow to see what the steel costs are. In the past, the place has been kind of odd to deal with regarding pricing, off-cuts, etc. Shall see.

Thanks again for the idea!

nikerret · Jul 23, 2018

A friend of mine has oodles of welding rod he can't use. He removed the flux and used them to build grates, for grills.

Here's mine, made from a propane tank:

Painted:

The "H" on top is where you set the tongs. The two bottom holes have flaps to adjust airflow. We later added legs on the bottom of the bottom holes, so the grease and debris wouldn't make a mess. It's grilled a lot of food!

MoonRise · Jul 23, 2018

Make 'main' grates? Not yet.

But I did make the 'smaller' warming grates for my old Weber Silver C after the OEM ones rusted out and replacements were pretty much unobtanium 20 years after that model Weber was dropped from production.

Some 304 stainless round rod, a MIG welder (happened to be a Lincoln

), some 308 stainless electrode wire, and some tri-mix shielding gas. Not that tough of a job to do. IIRC, the 304 round rod I used was only about 1/8" diameter, plenty big enough.

3/8" diameter stainless bars would be pretty darn beefy (no pun intended) IMHO. 1/4" dia bars would probably be plenty big enough and fit more into the welding capabilities of a 240V MIG machine in the 180-210 amp class doing short-circuit transfer GMAW on stainless steel. 3/8" round stainless bar might be a bit on the big size to reliably weld in short-circuit mode (pretty much the only GMAW welding mode most 180-210 amp class GMAW machines can do on steel).

Unless your "Lincoln 240V mig" is a 250 or 256 PowerMIG, in which you pretty much have enough raw welding power available with that type/class machine to run in any GMAW welding mode (with the right shielding gas). Spray-mode transfer on stainless? Run some 98-2 Ar-O2 and turn the welding voltage up and the amps/WFS up and weld away!

TheEquineFencer · Aug 1, 2018

I've "rebuilt" several grills. The steel rod will work...to make it "last" you'll need to cure it well before you use it. It's a PITA to hold everything in place to weld and make it "look right" and even though. If the wife wants round rod, let her pay for it and use SS rod for it to last a while, not cheap, but nice. Flat SS expanded metal works good with some bracing under it. Punched SS works great, or grate, it's nice for grilling vegetables. 1/2 square tubing works good for a frame for grate too.

Robert Haas · Aug 1, 2018

Stainless steel solid 3/8" rod in 304 makes for a decent grill but heat conduction issues makes for a frustrating grill as the steel will not radiate evenly to its full surface and develop hot spots directly above the heat source.

I have tinkered with 1/2" O.D 304 tube with a wall thickness of .125" I then pressed 1/4" aluminum rod inside and welded the ends shut. These rods make for some amazing grill grates as the Aluminum transfers the heat the length of the rod and the steel holds the heat quite well. It was a time consuming and expensive process but the 32" by 16" grill I built was far and away the best grill I have ever seared meat on.

larry4406 · Aug 2, 2018

I apologize on lack of response on this.

Once again work is interfering with my personal life (I hate that when it happens which seems too much as of late!).

In thinking this over the 3/8” rods do seem quite large. I looked at another grille of ours and those are maybe 3/16 or 1/4”. I will price all and take it from there.

Currently we are using our smoker as the grille in a pinch so the heat is off on this project to some extent. I guess it’s on the back burner. (Sorry for bad jokes).

Not sure my welder does stainless. It’s a Lincoln Pro-Mig 175 and I have 75/25 Argon/CO2. Sounds like the poor conduction (and $) would make stainless not ideal anyway.

Firstram · Aug 2, 2018

Your welder will weld stainless just fine but, the welds will get rusty unless you step up to stainless wire and tri mix gas.

6PTsocket · Aug 2, 2018

Try reverse sear and you will never go back. Put steak in the oven at 220-250° bring to to 130° internal for medium rare. Sear in a hot cast Iron skillet. No rest required. The steak should be around 1 1/2" or better for good results.

lis2323 said:
Here's my story

Ten plus years ago:

I wanted to be able to use my barbecue year round by standing inside my kitchen. I needed to make it swing 90 degrees so I still had door egress and have the option of outdoor use.

I scrapped the original mobile stand, built a new subframe and used an old tv swivel wall mount bracket and lagged it to a post.

Fast forward to today

A combination of reduced meat consumption, BBQ needing new burners and grates, and running out of propane (for the LAST frickin time) convinced me that my grilling days are OVER!

I bought myself a cast iron fry pan to sear the odd steak (and finish in the oven) so stick a fork in me as I'm DONE.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

MoonRise · Aug 3, 2018

larry4406 said:
In thinking this over the 3/8” rods do seem quite large. I looked at another grille of ours and those are maybe 3/16 or 1/4”. I will price all and take it from there.

- snip - snip - snip -

Not sure my welder does stainless. It’s a Lincoln Pro-Mig 175 and I have 75/25 Argon/CO2. Sounds like the poor conduction (and $) would make stainless not ideal anyway.

A Lincoln 175 machine should be able to weld 3/16" stainless. 1/4" would be iffy IMHO, and 3/8" would be past the machine's amperage capabilities (without using some welding 'tricks' such as really intense preheating of the metal before trying to welding it). RTFM for your specific Lincoln 175 for the mention of welding stainless steel.

As mentioned by another poster, use tri-mix shielding gas (a blend of argon, helium, and a little bit of CO2) and stainless steel wire (use standard 308 wire for welding 304 stainless). I'd suggest to use 0.030 stainless wire, as the 0.035 wire is really pushing the output of the 175 machine pretty hard.

If you don't use tri-mix shielding gas and instead use C25 (75% argon and 25% CO2), you'll end up adding extra carbon into the weld pool and that will change the chemical (and physical) properties of the stainless steel into not-really-stainless-steel-anymore. AKA rusty welds.

If you don't use stainless wire when welding the stainless steel workpieces and instead use 'plain' steel wire, you again end up with welds that are no longer stainless steel. AKA rusty welds.

But your Lincoln welder certainly can be used to weld stainless steel. But you really do have to use stainless steel wire and tri-mix shielding gas in order to end up with stainless steel after you weld.

(to end up with stainless steel after welding, you also do have to pay attention to not contaminating the stainless steel either before or after welding by grinding or wire brushing the stainless steel with ANYTHING used on/for regular carbon steel or by using a non-stainless steel wire brush on the stainless steel.)

larry4406 · Jul 24, 2020

Wow! 2 years later finally got to this project!

Ducksface your design concept worked like a dream! Welded only the end rods and the middles all float. Used 1" bar stock for the end rails and 3/8" rod for the grate, all hot rolled A36. Supplier only sells 20' sticks. Used 3 sticks of grille rods and have almost 14' leftover of bar stock. Rods were $7 each and the bar $47. Then taxes, a $15 handling fee(?!), and $88 later...

Split the grate in two to make it easier to handle. Cut the rods and bars to length, beveled the ends, sanded one edge of the bars free of mill scale, used black Sharpie to show layout lines, used Starrett spring punch for the first time, drilled pilot holes followed by final hole size, scrubbed parts in hot water with Dawn soap, threw all parts into blast cabinet to remove all mill scale, fitted assembly and checked for overall dimensions and square, then welded the end rods, and lastly put it on the grille with vegetable oil to season.

Now to put the grille back into proper use.

The rotisserie spit got lost in a prior house move so that is another project to be completed. Used to enjoy using it with the infrared rear element. The spit should just be a length of bar stock to fit the drive motor (~5/16"?) of appropriate length with a groove cut on the one end.

BBQ Grille Grates - Anyone made any?

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