Got some work done toward our smoker yesterday.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Went out to my buddy's shop and he showed me how to use a cutting torch. We spent a couple of hours talking through and walking through plans for our big smoker, our trailer, etc. We're going to have to cut the trailer down, narrow and shorten it a bit, but we got a lot accomplished in the planning stages.

Then we cut off the pipe 'scaffolding' that was holding onto our tank, as well as the flange for what was probably a fill port or something for this tank.

Just a little practice and planning, really. Hope to do more this week and into the weekend. Still trying to source parts, especially flat plate and a 6" pipe and accompanying elbow for the stack. Not gaining much ground there...













Well, now we're down to a bare tank. I think we're going to build a kind of A-frame contraption out of some pipe we can get to lift the thing up and get the trailer underneath it - when we get the trailer cut down the way we want.

Still quite a long ways to go.

BTW, I spend $240 on a Dewalt 9" grinder, then it gets here and the 9" cutting wheels I bought won't work, as the guards (both 7" and 9") that come with it are apparently for Type 27 discs, not for Type 1 wheels. I didn't know this was an issue - so I do a ton of research last night, find out my expensive 9" grinder won't work with any 9" cutting wheels, as there is no 9" flat guard made for it. Only a 7", which is another $55-60, AND I can't even get it here inside of about 9-10 days. Which puts me about a week out from leaving on vacation.

So the Dewalt is going back, so much for American made crap - it didn't even come with a flange nut or the wrench to tighten one. Even cheap-ass Chinese and Korean ones come with that stuff.

New 9" Makita on the way.

[RiverJeff]

First thing nothing wrong with Makita tools repair parts are all available online. I have repaired my Makita table saw 3 times, now it is 18 years old!
Check your area for old pivot irrigation tubing 7or 8 inch stock will be galvanized and have a flange to bolt down giving you a gasket point if you want one. Welding galvanized is nasty though using the flange would be best plus wont rust under paint.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

I wouldn't have a clue where to look for this? People keep telling me to look at scrap metal yards and such for leftovers and things - but I don't know where any of those are??? And I can't find anything searching online, and the oilfield pipeline supply I went to and the metal fabrication place I know of that I called - they couldn't tell me anything about that. They literally told me they didn't know of any metal scrap yards, etc. I'm not 'plugged in' to that industry to have those contacts.

[RiverJeff]

Ok is your location Northeast Oklahoma or am I miss reading? find a local farming community check with local coop or feed and grain store for local farmers that scrap iron for side money they will have scrap iron just waiting to go. Look for (metal recyclers) or junk haulers all in the yellow pages contact these places ask questions for what you are looking for. Just keep digging you will find a gold mine!

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Tomorrow we throw a brisket on at 6ish AM and then we start cutting our trailer down in earnest, I think.

Picked up some steel today, some 2"x4" 1/8" wall rectangular tubing to use for trailer supports and stand-offs, as well as a bunch of round pipe (2 5/8", 1/4" wall I think), a couple of pieces of 3x3 square and a couple long sections of at least 3/8" wall 4" pipe we might use for some counterweights.

I had my son do up some CAD drawings tonight of my current concept, this is all pretty much to scale.



Maybe you can get some idea what we're looking at - that cook chamber is just at 9 feet long, with the firebox, it's going to end up as.... hmmm.... 143 inches, I think. Just at 12 feet.

I think the CAD drawings are cool, we'll add in cuts for doors and a stack and some standoffs later. He's a senior in high school and I was amazed to watch him work this program. Dang.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Maybe I should clarify some dimensions - that firebox door is 22" wide. The top plate I think is around 26" wide, there is a 2nd plate below it (you can see in the last pic with the top plate removed) that is an inch below with a layer of air insulation. The inside baffles of the firebox have a maximum gap from the curved walls of 2". I may stuff insulation in these areas.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Additionally, the arc cut off the top of the firebox will be layered on the bottom to make it double-thickness (0.391" x2), then the side walls and top will have that inner baffle with insulation before the outer layer. I think.

[Jerod Broussard]

Looking good. I use Auto Crap for mine. One look and automatically you think the rendition looks like crap.

If the blue streaks jump on the torch, needs to be better.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Went out today to do some grinding on our tank with the new big 9" Makita.

Here it is before the grinding, after we used the torch to cut off that big pipe scaffolding or whatever it was they put on it:


Got fairly close with the torch, but still left a pretty good amount that needed to be ground off.

Here it is today after about an hour of punishment to my hands and forearms:




And this big metal port that was probably a filling port, had a half inch or so of the flange and weld left, oy vey, this one was tough:


And here it is after:




No big fires today, and only burned the knee out of my pants (luckily these were my old heavy 5.11 EMT pants and had double reinforced knees and one mishap with the grinder.



Overall, I'm pretty happy, that thing is about ready for us to weld a new plate onto that spot and then get to work on the tank. Probably going to mount some temporary legs on it to get it up to a working height, then mark the doors and get to cutting! Maybe next weekend we can do that, I dunno.

[Ahumadora]

Ouch, that brings back a few reminders. Gotta respect the 9" grinder. I find it easier to cut out a square hole with the grinder cuttoff wheel than beat a curve into asquare plate and weld it in.

[smokin fool]

I was going to suggest looking at the first pic head out and grab some leather gauntlets/gloves for this hobby.
Torching/welding can be an unforgiving sport.
My nephew is making offsets along the same lines as your plans, smaller though 30-36" long.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Yeah we've got plenty of gloves. I had gloves on when I started the grinding today, as well as a coat, ended up sans both. Didn't lose the eye and ear protection though, no sir.

[Washblue]

Ouch! If you get any crap about wounds…. Tell them it’s a dueling scar…

Speaking as having made a living as a die maker, a fabricator, a machinist but first as a machine designer… scars go with the territory…. Wear them proudly…

Just keep them to a minimum…

[texastweeter]

And britches legs on the OUTSIDE, unless you want slag in your boot! Been there, done that, got the scar.

[Washblue]

That’s the kind that sizzles till it burns out, texastweeter and ain’t much you can do about it…

[texastweeter]

Dump your water bottle in your boot and deal with the wet socks.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

W00T! I think we've found some plate steel!

My buddy is going to head up tomorrow to Independence where a guy is selling plate at $0.36/lb, which seems pretty good based on what I've been able to find.

We'll probably get a piece of 3/8" (5x8) and a piece of 1/4" (5x8).

The 3/8" ought to weigh about 612lbs and the 1/4" should be about 408lbs.

Total, 1020 lbs, maybe $365 plus tax.


I'll take it!

My God, it's been hard to source materials. I've half a mind to buy extra for "the next one". lol

[Jerod Broussard]

I'm slowly accumulating, slowly....

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

Yeah people keep telling me how easy it is. lol. But I've been to several oilfield supply places, no one has anything they're willing to sell. Except our big pipe I got for our firebox. But not 'drops' people keep talking about - I think those are a myth.

[texastweeter]

Too bad your not local, I bet we have some.