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Fabricating a Parrilla

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    Fabricating a Parrilla

    Hey pit members what's up? I just started my vacation, and I had an itch. I've wanted to build a Parrilla for some time now, and today was the day to get started.

    I tend to do more and more live fire cooking, using oak wood only, so this feels like a natural step. And even though I don't know a word in Spanish/Portugese, I know how to build one, and I know how to use it. I figure I should keep it simple, no fancy wheels raising/lowering the grates. But I'm gonna paint it (with high heat paint), and make it look good.

    I have bought fireproof bricks, and I'm gonna make it like a 'table' so it's got good working height.

    Here are some photos of today's work. Come along for the journey, and let me know what you think as the build progresses. Smart ideas or "did you think of X" is much appreciated.

    Here's my (highly advanced) drawing, Lol:

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    As you can see I plan on having the 'Brasero' to the left, and then shuffle glowing embers to the right.


    Here's a bunch of cut up square tube (1") I'm gonna weld together

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    Getting part of the leg frame welded up

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    I focused on getting all the angles a perfect 90 degrees, always helps when you put a lot of square tube together :-)


    One half of the leg frame coming together

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    Time to weld together the left two legs with the right two legs

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    #2
    First cross-bar attaching the legs




    Now to support all those fire bricks (also 1" thick), I need to weld a 2 mm sheet metal in place.

    Here I'm testing how well it fits before I weld it from the underside.



    To be continued...

    Comment


    • gcdmd
      gcdmd commented
      Editing a comment
      Pics didn't post.

    #3
    Here are some more photos.


    Here I am welding the 'floor' in place from underneath

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    Now, in order to support the weight of the fire bricks I welded in some support bars from underneath:

    Here you can see one of the bricks also.

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    And this is how far I got today. Welding the back wall in place.

    It will support the bricks on the 'back wall'.

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    So what do you think so far?

    I will add more photos as the build progresses.

    Comment


      #4
      First of all, I started my career as a draftsman, and that drawing looks mighty fine. The pit is looking good; keep the pics coming.

      Comment


        #5
        Looking great If you haven't purchased the steel for the firebox, go heavy on that. A lot of heat here and will warp over time. You can just cut and reweld roundbar so no having to mess with bending steel.

        Comment


        • Henrik
          Henrik commented
          Editing a comment
          Good point, I've seen the warping first hand on other projects.

        #6
        Looks like another fun project Henrik Coming along nicely.

        Comment


        • Henrik
          Henrik commented
          Editing a comment
          Yes, love it!

        #7
        Awesome, simply awesome!! I really miss structural fabrication.

        Comment


        • Henrik
          Henrik commented
          Editing a comment
          This is one of those 100% fun projects, and it's not too big either. Can't wait to cook on it.

        #8
        Gonna enjoy your progress. My 2 cents, if you’re going to make one you’ve got to make the grill height adjustable. Even if it’s pre set notches in the support frames that you can manually move the grill to.
        Whatever you end up deciding I’m sure it will be awesome though!

        Comment


        • Histrix
          Histrix commented
          Editing a comment
          I wouldn't bother making the height of the grid adjustable as you manage the heat by moving the coals about. I've seen many parillas with fixed height cooking grates. Perhaps our resident expert Ahumadora will drop some wisdom on us.

        • Henrik
          Henrik commented
          Editing a comment
          That's my original plan too Histrix. Will see if i stick to it. Saves some fabrication time for sure.

        • Ahumadora
          Ahumadora commented
          Editing a comment
          Yep keep it simple. Make the about 150-180mm above where the coals are. Easy to control the heat with amount of coals. Forget all the big wheels to raise and lower the grate, that's for hipster asadors.

        #9
        This is awesome. I can't wait to see this thing in action. I bet it will be a piece of art!

        Comment


        • Henrik
          Henrik commented
          Editing a comment
          I can't wait to cook on it, absolutely love the 'lo-fi' way of cooking with wood, going by feel.

        #10
        You're the man! Thanks for taking us along.

        Comment


          #11
          I am planning on taking up welding next year and a parilla will be one of my first projects. Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

          Comment


          • Ahumadora
            Ahumadora commented
            Editing a comment
            Keep watching Craigslist Do you have 3 phase? 150-200 amps is fine for most work you will be doing.

          • Henrik
            Henrik commented
            Editing a comment
            What Ahumadora said. A few extra bucks for a good welder up front will go a very long way. 180-200 amps is what you want. Miller has a few good ones, so does Esab. Let us know when you plan to purchase one and we'll guide you.

          • CaptainMike
            CaptainMike commented
            Editing a comment
            Ahumadora and Henrik thank you gentlemen, I will seek your sage advice when the time comes.

          #12
          Can’t beat a Miller

          Comment


            #13
            I admire your metal skills. Mine end with wood, and those are pretty limited.

            Comment


            • Henrik
              Henrik commented
              Editing a comment
              Wood, metal, don't matter much. The fun is in the construction. Both materials have their unique properties, and I appreciate both.

            #14
            I think it's gonna be great and you will love it I sure wish I knew how to weld...

            Comment


              #15
              Looking good, always fun to see projects in action. Looking forward to see it working

              Comment


              • Henrik
                Henrik commented
                Editing a comment
                Yes, I'll report back continuously. The first cook will be fun.

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