First build with no knowledge whatsoever.

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montreal smoked

Newbie
Original poster
Feb 5, 2015
18
10
Hello everybody. I'm trying to design a 5' reverse flow smoker out of 20" x1/4" pipe with the firebox cut from the same pipe at 20". I live up in the Great White North, and insulation is a must for me.

So first problem that comes to mind is a shell for the insulation. I was thinking of buying a few 55gallon drums and covering the mineral wool with them. I can't imagine what the hinges could be like with a double walled door. Any suggestions for insulation and shell would be appreciated here.

Next thing I would like to know about is the warming drawer. What kind of temperatures would I expect to have in there if it is directly on the fire box with only 1/4" of steel between them? Or I was thinking of having the chimney come out the side of the cc and into the warmer and exit out the top as a source of radiant heat.

I have a ton of questions but not a lot of time right now so I'll ask one last thing. With a well drawn out plan and an experienced welder how long do you figure this build to take?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.
 
that's gonna be a pretty big challenge ... Myself.. I would look into a thermal blanket (or 2).. wrap the whole smoker and cut out the door for the CC on 3 sides (sides and bottom, don't cut across top where the hinge is on the door) ... let the door flap on blanket open with the door.. you could probably do the same on the SFB.. cutting a hole for the intake vent so as to not block your fresh air intake.... Then remove the blanket during the warmer months ( or leave on for better fuel consumption)...
 
I like the idea of the thermal blanket, but would like something more permanent and maybe aesthetically appealing. But if I did take a thermal blanket would I need to keep rain and snow off of it?
 
I tried to find an insulated RF pipe build but there were none that I could locate for you. It seems you might have to consider a cabinet type RF to be able to effectively get it insulated and have it look good. There are some of those builds on this website. That might be what you are looking for as you can incorporate a warming box into the design more easily. The search bar at the top of the page is really darn good.
 
Thanks timberjet. I'll look into it. But I gotta tell you I had my heart set on a RF. Do you have experience with both types of smoker? And if so do you have a preference?
 
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/...ak-and-others-ready-to-use-rev-4#post_1264161

The above link pretty much answers every question you may have....  Including mating a round FB to a round CC.... 

Insulate the FB and CC with 26-28 gauge painted steel or aluminum sheeting and strap with aluminum straps to hold it in place....   Skip insulating the doors....  Skip insulating the ends...   Insulate the stack with a dead air pocket... slide a larger pipe over the exhaust and weld a ring on top to seal the 2 pipes....  leave the bottom open and weld in a few stubs to keep the separation even...  Or wrap with rock wool and wrap like the CC....
 
Be sure and post some Pics,  We like watching

gary
 
Thanks Dave omak. That would be awesome advise if my world didn't come crashing down today. My pipe I found was stuck in the ice, and they broke chains trying to pull it out with the tractor. It will be there until spring. The reverse flow will be on hiatus for now.

Thanks everyone and sorry to waste all your guys' time.
 
Hey MS, what a bummer, the bright side is you can use all this time to read and research builds draw yours out check and double check all your measurements. By the time you are ready to go, you will have built it in your head so many times it will probably be easy

Gary
 
For sure, Gary. I've never built one before, so I think no matter how much I research and plan it, I would surely encounter a million little problems I'd never expected. Lol.

Anyway, I'm moving on to an UDS for now. I got the itch for smoking and nothing can satisfy it, except for smoking. Out of curiosity (I've searched everywhere, btw) is there some people that built a double vertical uds? And if so, does that work temperature wise? I really like the idea of it until someone gives me a good reason not to.
 
Hey I understand completely.   One can never have to many smokers

Gary
 
Wolfman, I was actually looking for two barrels standing one on top of the other , vertically. About 5.5' tall. Like a UDS just twice as high. But thanks anyways. Always appreciate any help I get.
 
Wolfman, I was actually looking for two barrels standing one on top of the other , vertically. About 5.5' tall. Like a UDS just twice as high. But thanks anyways. Always appreciate any help I get.
I am not saying it couldn't be done! But why would you do it? A 55 gal. drum is 36" tall that puts the top of your top drum @ 6 feet. How would you get anything in it?
Keep Smokin!!!
Wolf.
 
Last edited:
Wolfman, I was actually looking for two barrels standing one on top of the other , vertically. About 5.5' tall. Like a UDS just twice as high. But thanks anyways. Always appreciate any help I get.
I am not saying it couldn't be done! But why would you do it?
Keep Smokin!!!
Wolf.

The reason is because I want to do it without insulating it and I have a spot in my yard that is enclosed and fireproof but not large enough for a double barrel smoker like you showed me, and I want something bigger than a single uds.
 
Wolfman, I was actually looking for two barrels standing one on top of the other , vertically. About 5.5' tall. Like a UDS just twice as high. But thanks anyways. Always appreciate any help I get.
Sounds like a good build project to me....    I'd be interested in seeing the final results...    Dave
 
Well Dave, your reputation precedes you in the build department and the fact that you aren't against it makes me think that it is feasible, at the very least.
So that makes me excited about the build.
 
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