Rookie wanna-be weldor starting to make some cool things!

My neighbors already call me pyro.


They haven't seen nothin' yet.

Thanks!

Awesome! Sounds like you have a very nice shop! Post up some pics if you get a chance!

I would love to have a larger shop one day...but hate moving.

Dude that looks amazing!

I smoked a pork shoulder a few weeks ago on a cheap smoker i got from lowes. The pulled pork was by a long shot the best thing I have ever cooked (which isn't saying much) and the only effort involved was in refilling beers.

I don't know if you have ever smoked meat before but you are gonna love it and that machine is going to roast the shit out of some wonderful meat chunks. You can get a great shoulder for like 11 bucks at the 2 fat butchers in town


I started some ribs on June 1st in the morning but I didn't got to eat them. 2 hours before they were ready my son decided it was time to vacate his moms belly Heathy baby boy born that night at 10pm! I think he was after those ribs. They smelled so good.

Great imagination and ingenuity on the grill!

I built the shop. It is 32'w x 28'd. The ceiling is just under 11' around the edges and 15.5' in the center. I built the table and the bench to match the chairs she had.




Here is a link to my site if you get bored some night, have a look.
My woodworking website

Sorry for the hijack.

Thanks, David, and more importantly, CONGRATS on the BABY!!!!!!!!!!



You might have to show me how to use this when I get it wrapped up.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! Hijack all you want! Beautiful craftsmanship!

Nice, nice, nice!!!!!!

Might be too late for you, but I would strongly recommend a side firebox over a rear one. Unless you offset the rear one by quite a distance, you run the risk of the cooking area getting too warm and then it changes from a smoker to an oven.

Put the firebox on one end and a chimney on the other. The draft will draw the smoke across the food and you can move the food around from the hot end to the cool end. Regulate temperature with dampers on the intake to the firebox and dampers on the chimney.

While you're probably right - I'll throw this question out. With the firebox on the bottom, won't it function much the same as a UDS Smoker? I would expect that if Kirk builds his fire small OR decides to use Charcoal in the firebox, that with appropriate venting top and bottom he should be able to regulate his fire quite evenly.

I may be talking out my ass - I bought a Traeger and am now an official cheater.

I theory, what you say is true. I've owned two vertical smokers and currently have two side firebox designs. I think the side firebox is a lot easier to control.

I have intake dampers on the stove doors. I will make a central stack on the tank with an adjustable cap to control the smoke. I will also fabricate a damper at the 8" flue output on the back of the stove. If the tank is getting too much smoke or heat, I can crack open the rear damper on the stove and let it out.

That's the plan, anyway. I haven't a clue about smoking, but I think it will work. I'm sure it will take some trial and error. I will make some bitter hamburgers before I ruin any trout or salmon.

Nice work on the smoker.

That wood stove is a nice scrap yard find. I tell my wimminz friends when they chastize me for buying scrap metal that it is still cheaper than all the SHOES they buy!

I also have the 3M mask and filters. Amazing what those will take out of the air! When I'm plasma cutting in the garage with the door closed, I can smell none of the smoke - until I take the mask off. But then I open up the door and air the place out.

I still stay away from galvy stuff. Between reading about the effects of that crap, and people who do terrible things to themselves generating phosgene from chlorinated cleaners, it makes you think that you have to be just a little careful with these tools.....

You might want to think about adding a small chimney with some adjustable vents along the top of your cook box. Just like an engine, when you have intake, it's gotta have exhaust. And if you put a damper on the exhaust, you should be able to adjust your heat quite easily.

Just a thought. If you think I'm out of line, let me know and I'll shut up. I am LOVING this build though...

And to boot, make those said chimneys extend into the cooking area at least 4 or 5 inches. Make the smoke work to find it's way out and it'll help regulate the temperature.

Oh, and here's a pic of a couple smokers of mine. The little feller is a combo grill/smoker, store bought with a couple modifications, including the extended (into the grill) chimney. The charcoal grate is adjustable in height to vary the heat.

The big dog was one a buddy and I built years ago for his restaurant that has since closed. Total weight is about 1,400lbs and it's about 9 feet long. Heavy, heavy wall stuff and it really holds the heat well.

OK. Sorry. Thread hi-jack over.

Well, I wish I had read some of those comments before continuing on. Guys who are following along thinking about building one can at least learn what not to do.



Top stack is 4 1/2" schedule 40. No, it does not extend into the cooking area. Oh well, live and learn. Maybe it's not a bad thing with the size of the stove in relation to the size of the cooking area.

I'm hoping the intake dampers on the stove doors are sufficient enough to not need any on the cooker. I can always cut some in later if I see that I need to.

I also cut off the legs, welded in some rectangular tube, and bolted casters to the tube.







It's getting there slowly but surely. I'm learning a lot as I go by trial and error just like I always do. You guys please keep chiming in and maybe I'll read something in time to do or not do something.

I'm thinking about welding the cooker doors back together into one single door. I haven't decided yet.

I still need to...

Make a rear smoke damper for the stove
Make an adjustable cap for the top chimney
Weld diffusers onto the chimneys entering the cooker
Build some side shelf framing
Give her one or two more good burns
Install a thermometer
Paint
Assemble the shelves

...but it's really taking shape. I hope to use it very soon!!!!

That thing is a monster!!!

I'm guessing my little smoker probably weighs as much as my KLR650, which isn't light.

https://peterman.smugmug.com/Other/emu-BQ/5333524_Mwzf5p#!i=325917864&k=LGgvCbT
built this in a hurry for an ADV gathering on the Oregon coast years ago,,DireWolf and Dagwood have been using it at ADV events since then.
I have a much smaller version in the works that will have a rotisserie.
Check your second hand stores for old Farberware smokeless indoor grills,,they were popular in the 70's or so. You can sometimes find them with the drive for the meat spinner , and all you need is some 5/16" square keystock, or stainless. A side benefit to finding one,,the heating coil makes a good charcoal starter!
Here's one I made for my Mom to use on her tiny back deck, has pics of the rotisser E.
https://peterman.smugmug.com/Food/babybarby/22911852_2xWpvK#!i=1840473240&k=LmQ4dtp
I have one of the indoor smokeless jobbies that a friend spotted and scored for me. I'll try to remember to take pics and post them so you'll know what to look for at garage sales, second hand stores,, salvation army,,whatever.

Kirkster:

It's not too late for that smoke stack extension. Find the right size tubing that will fit inside the existing stack and cut a 6-8" piece. Drill a hold in the existing stack and weld a nut on the outside. Slide the short extension in and use a wingbolt in the nut to tighten it to your desired height. Wallah: adjustable stack.

The damper lid is real easy. Cut a circle slightly larger than the stack. Weld a bolt on the INSIDE edge of the stack and drill a corresponding hole in the round piece you just cut. Assemble it in the following order: round piece - flat washer - spring around bolt - washer - nut. The spring and washer and the fact that the bolt is on the inside of the stack will hold the plate flat against the stack. Weld a little bit of 1/4" round stock on the lid to use as a handle for adjusting the stack.

The stack cover isn't only for regulating air outflow, but also keeps rain from coming down the stack and rusting your unit.

I'll take a picture of a stack cover and post it this morning.

Stack damper detail pics.

I forgot to mention, I'd keep the double doors as when you're smoking you want to loose as little heat as possible when you're moving things around. I'd probably see if you could bend a piece of flat stock to match the curve of the tank and weld it inside the tank where the doors meet. That would minimize smoke leaking at that point.