Wood handle for grill

[PAL]

The plastic handle on the lid to my BBQ grill broke, and I thought I would make a replacement handle from some hardwood. Is there any wood I should not use for this project? What would you suggest? Thanks

[Russianwolf]

best suggestion would be Ironwood (Ipe is another name). Has about the same fire rating as steel from what I've heard, definitely alot higher than most other hardwoods.

Be careful, Ipe has been rumored to have an appetite for carbide. It can dull blades very quickly.

Stay away from anything with a high sap content.

[docrowan]

The last house I owned had a built in natural gas grill. It was in very bad shape and I took it as a personal challenge to renovate it rather than replace. Managed to do it for less than $100.00 thanks to our Wal-Mart remodeling and many lawn and garden items went for half off or more.

Included in the many things wrong with the grill were wood handles that were rotted out. Design was a 4 inch wood turning with a large hole bored through it for long machine screws. I don't own a lathe and had no way to duplicate them. Despite an extended search the only place I could find replacement handles was on the web for somewhere around 15 bucks a piece! plus shipping!

Looking around in HD one day, I found some turned wood table legs about 5" long. They already had a hanger bolt installed in them and cost less than $5.00 each. The grill lid was made of aluminum and the hanger bolts were very slightly larger than the predrilled holes. They threaded themselves into the lid nice and snug.

Not near as much fun as making them yourself, but a possible answer for you.

[Tom Miller]

...I don't own a lathe ...I found some turned wood table legs about 5" long.

That's a good solution, but, now you still don't own a lathe!

Next time, jack up the estimate of how much you're saving, and spend it twice.

No need to thank me -- I just like to help where I can.

Oh, and to the OP: I wonder if a softer wood might do a better job of insulating; maybe cedar? Make sure to fully envelope the metal part of the handle so you don't burn yourself.

Regards,
Tom

[TheRic]

I have seen wood handles on grills for years. Don't think they were any special wood. Can not remember of hearing / reading about one catching on fire. I would think a good hard wood, and a decent amount of distance from the heat would be enough. If you measure the heat at the distance the handles would be, you might be surprised on the temp (as in not as high as you would think). Could probably treat it with a fire resistant coating to add a layer of safety. Be warned the fire resistant coating might be dangerous to kids / animals chewing / licking it.

[jackellis]

I just looked at our Weber kettles. One has plastic handles and the other one has wood. In each case, the handle is attached to a piece that keeps it about an inch and a half from the kettle. I've built some very hot fires in both and the handles have never melted or even gotten that hot.

Even so, I'd suggest you use a hard wood like maple or oak. Don't use pine.

[docrowan]

Even so, I'd suggest you use a hard wood like maple or oak. Don't use pine.

+1 on what Jack said. If plastic can take the heat, wood sure will. If it's going to stay outside, you'll need to finish it so it can handle the weather.

As for the lathe, I'm glad I didn't have one more thing to move last August. Besides, at the time I didn't know about this site, so I would have probably bought the wrong thing.

[cabinetman]

Years ago I had a lift lid barbecue that the handle just split and fell apart. I turned a handle out of some Corian scrap I had laying around and drilled and threaded the ends. The handle outlasted the grill which rusted and got pitched.

I doubt a wood handle would get hot enough to reach a flash point. When I threw out the grill, the Corian didn't show evidence of overheating.

[jAngiel]

Wood is perfect for handles. Before I purchased my new grill, my old one's handle came off bracket and all. I just used a piece of 1 inch oak dowel that I purchased cheap at HD or Lowes and a couple of eye bolts for the new brackets and it lasted years before the insides rusted out and needed replacement.

My grill was kept outside without a cover and even without finishing the dowel I never had a problem with the new wood dowel. Easy and cheap...

[Garasaki]

Cedar seems the perfect choice to me.

It's what I plan to use to do the same thing.

[Jeffrey Schronce]

If you can get your hands on some Ipe scrapes that would be the way to go. If it is exposed to elements you want a weather resistant wood like cedar, white oak or ipe. As others have noted I would not worry about combustion.