Cherry Berry - Grand Ave., West DSM

I hope you like frozen yogurt, Des Moines. This is one of many, many Cherry Berry establishments opening in the greater Des Moines area. We installed these 3" counter posts this morning. Satin black powder coat by Miller's Custom Powder Coating.

e5w communal kitchen table

This communal counter-height table was completed late last year for the e5w space in Des Moines' East Village. 144" x 36" x 40". All steel construction. Finished in oil-based polyurethane.

Thank you, Brett Wilson. Thank you, Jonny Johnsen for the onsite finishing.

Photos supplied by client...

Introducing the Gaucho Grill

This has been an ongoing project for the better part of six months now. Mike "The Grill Guy" Schmitt approached me months ago about helping design and fabricate this fun cookout creation. I always take a fond interest in projects related to the food industry - especially this one. It's not a primary grill, but for anyone that consider himself or herself an outdoor chef, this charcoal/wood grill is gonna be tough to beat. Below is some text from Mike's press release along with his contact information.

It's been a pleasure collaborating on this project...and bringing back Mike's inner punk.

-Boonie



The Gaucho Grill is inspired by South American outdoor cooking. Argentinians typically build fires and cook over them in time honored methods that are starting to catch on in the United States. The Gaucho Grill is made in Des Moines, Iowa by Factor II Fabrication for Grill'N Out!



The Gaucho Grill is easy to use, easy to clean, flexible, mobile and built to last a lifetime. Cooks can Grill, Indirect Grill, Griddle, Skewer, Rotisserie, Roast directly on the coals and use Dutch Ovens or other cast iron cookery on the coals as well.



I designed The Gaucho Grill because I was tired of running out of fuel before I was done cooking? You will never run out of fuel again because you can always add fuel at anytime during the cooking process with our open firebox technology. Simply burn wood to embers or prepare Lump Charcoal to ensure even heat transfer then drag the coals under the cooking surface of your food. When the ashes cool, simply pull them off the grill into a trash receptacle.



The Current Model is the 5'. It has 10 square feet of flexible cooking space. Most grills are measured by sq inches! The size and construction lends itself to opportunities to customize, let us know what you'd like to put on your grill.
The Gaucho Grill offers a Customer Satisfaction Warranty on Firebox Burnout, all other components come with a one year limited warranty.
So, If you're fed up with small grills with limited space or limited cooking methods contact us today.


Mike "The Grill Guy"
info@grillnoutiowa.com
515-229-9713
www.grillnoutiowa.com

Americana Restaurant and Lounge

Here's some pics of the wine racks going into the soon-to-open Americana Restaurant and Lounge at 1312 Locust across from Des Moines' Pappajohn Sculpture Garden. 1 1/2" sq. tube frames with 1/2" sq. bar. Each rack will house 60-70 bottles of wine. These will definitely be a fine focal point, among MANY more in what's shaping up to be a uniquely modern interior. More pics to come...

Marge's kitchen island

Here's the completed kitchen island for my friend, Maggie Senn. 1" mild steel sq. tube legs with 1/2" solid round bar for the shelving in a "statuary bronze" powder coat finish. The top is a 1" thick maple butcher's block with 3" wide trim pieces wrapped around its perimeter. 2" locking casters keep the island mobile, but stationary when desired. Hidden under the block is a 1 1/2" thick piece of granite, supplied by Marge's, er, I mean, Maggie's mother, Jennifer. The block is removable so the granite can be used for baking purposes.

Thanks for your patience, Maggie! I hope this piece is integral in helping you prepare many, many fine dinners. Don't forget to KEEP THE WOOD OILED! Oh, and NEVER cut directly on the granite - you might as well bang your knives on the pavement.

Bon appetit.

Haiku - stainless steel counter top

What a week. I can't even begin to explain what a daunting undertaking constructing a 24' stainless steel counter top can be. Just the sheer physical size of the project is more than enough for a one-man shop. The actual welding of two 14 ga. stainless steel joints measured at 32" is a monster I had yet to face. I barely...barely slayed the beast. Learn a lot I did on this one! So much so, I'll have to really evaluate taking on another one of these. I have a newfound respect for stainless steel.

Obviously, just moving this thing takes a few guys. No shortage of thanks should be paid to everyone at Miller's Custom Powder Coating. JJ, Terry, Bob and Pauly - thanks for loading, unloading, flipping and moving this thing around over the past week. Big thanks to Brian for use of the trailer! A HUGE thanks to Jim Howe at Howe Welding and Fabrication in Ames, IA. Jim was INCREDIBLY generous to open his shop up to me last week in order to do some stress relief on the stainless joints. Howe's generosity is seldom found these days. Thank you.

Now, I just have a day of polishing ahead of me this week.

Haiku - booth installation...many days

Here's the progress of the Haiku built-ins after a week's worth of installation work. 2x4 frame construction with true 4/4 solid white oak. I spent the good part of Christmas Eve staining the entire build a water-based "Espresso" stain with Terry's HVLP gun. Initially, the plan was to have only a clear polyurethane topcoat - then the chairs and tables arrived. Both are finished dark. Very dark.

The booth runs are 20' and 30', respectively. Hopefully Haiku will be open within the month. Sushi anyone?

Haiku - booth construction, day 3

Lots and lots of glue-ups...

Haiku - booth construction, day 2

We be jammin'...

Frames are done and we moved on to some sizable glue-ups.

Haiku - booth construction, day 1

Here's a side view drawing of what is going to be 50'+ of seating for a new restaurant by the name of Haiku on the Drake campus. Plywood? Hell no. The backrests and seats on this installation will be solid 5/4 white oak.
















Bob and I tore through over 200 bf in the planer with a couple of passes on table saw as well for preparation of glue-ups tomorrow. 2x4 frame construction 16" on center is probably overkill on something like this, but that's the way I want it. Besides, who's to tell me I'm wrong? I've been accused of over-engineering before...and I honestly don't mind it.