I've been wanting to front shelf for my older MAK 1-star, but after searching the net, it doesn't look like there's anything out there. I see the newer 1-Star has a front shelf option, but even that is $175. I was thinking about getting a Traeger folding shelf and trying to modify it to fit, but I didn't want to drill any holes in the MAK, so here's what I came up.
WARNING! This is a MAGNETIC shelf, so it can and will come off if you put too much weight on it. Total cost was just under $20. Parts needed are 2 shelf brackets, 4 magnets from Harbor Freight, some 1/2" long nuts & bolts, and a piece of wood.
I got these shelf brackets from Home Depot. They were less than $5 each
I got these from Harbor Freight for $4.99. The claim to hold 65lbs and come in a 2-pak. You need 4 magnets, so get two packages. A comparable magnet at home depot sells for over $6 for just a single magnet, so the HF magnets are more than half the price of HD. But, you've got to do a little work with the HF magnets. You need to use a 1/4 drill and drill out the rivet in the center to remove the hook. It's super easy and after the hook is removed, it will look like this.
After you've removed the hooks from the 4 magnets attach them to the brackets with 1/2" long machine bolts and nuts.
From there, I attached the brackets to my Mak, place my wood shelf on it, and screwed the shelf to the brackets. I plan on either painting my wood shelf or staining it, but here it is right now with a 20lb Kettlebell on it. I was able to add 2 additional 7lb dumbbells on it (not pictured) and it held. But, your mileage will vary- we're dealing with magnets. It's pretty sturdy holding 20lbs, but it could get dicey up around 30lbs.
Here it is again without the weights. It is a little off center on the MAK, but cause I designed it to also fit my re-purposed mini Traeger.
Some years ago, I had a mini Traeger that peeled and Traeger replaced the barrel under warranty, so I bought a set of legs and turned it into a charcoal grill. Here the Franken-Traeger with shelf.
It's an easy project and I figure it is strong enough to hold any food I put on it. I'm thinking the heaviest thing I would put on it is a 16lb brisket on a foil pan. That plus the brackets & wood is probably around 20lbs at most so I figure I've got some weight to go before it falls on the ground.
I'm open to suggestions if anyone has suggestions on how to make this even stronger. HD sells a 95lb rated magnet, but these are $7.86 each, so it drives the cost up significantly.
UPDATE:
I found some stronger magnets that are smaller and some folding shelf brackets from Amazon so I did a complete redo. The magnets are rated at 120lb and come in a 2-pak for $7.40. The brackets are $9.71 each. I can tell these magnets make the shelf a lot stronger.
I stained the shelf with black (ebony) stain and the shelf is much stronger with the new magnets, plus it folds!
I returned the other brackets to home depot, but had to keep the HF magnets since I drilled them out. Total project cost was about $28.
Author
Topic: DIY Removable Magnetic Front Shelf - UPDATE - NOW REMOVABLE FOLDING SHELF (Read 6020 times)