- Sep 15, 2017
- 11
- 11
Hey fine folks,
Thank you for having me over here at SMF. I'm so glad I found you guys when I did! I bought a welder this spring so I could build stuff for my truck, but my brother-in-law helps us out with the house so much I want to make him a little something.
He has a couple friends with smokers and loves to grill, so I figured I could dive into my first big fabrication project and make him something in return.
This design is based off of a popular mechanics article (http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/food-drink/how-to/a778/3372796/) and from this fine gentleman, Allen. (https://www.youtube.com/user/underthehood1000) Just like to give credit where its due :thumb1:
I was going to build it like the pop mechanics article suggested, but I couldn't find anyone that would / could roll the 10 gauge. Then I saw Allen's videos on making octagon shaped smokers and I figured I'd give that a shot. Again, first big fab project for me, so I'm learning as I go, and the going is slow!
All that being said I'm hoping for some advice. I started on this project with less of an understanding of how precise a design could be. Right now I have a smoke chamber with a door and shelf, a firebox that needs one more door, and the stand all welded together.
I'm hoping you guys can help a newbie out. I feel a bit in over my head. I've done a fair bit of reading to get an understanding of how to move forward, but I'm still feeling confused and a bit lost! Any help would be greatly appreciated. :77:
Here are my questions so far.
We're going for about 1/3 size firebox to smoke chamber, right?
Smoke chamber - 5279.885 in3
firebox - 1912.057 in3
That makes the firebox 36% of the smoke chamber. Does this seem appropriate?
Is my throat gigantic at the moment?
The throat is essentially 80 in2. I think it is supposed to be way smaller, more like 15 in2 according to the smoker builder bbq pit size calculator. I have a piece of plate that I could weld back in and create a smaller throat. Just want to get my calculations and sizing right before I go any further.
Does the height of the throat opening matter?
I think I placed the firebox a little high on the smoke chamber. I'm assuming the throat should be at the top of the FB and bottom of the SC? Right now I think the top of the FB is about 8" from the bottom of the SC. When / If I redo the throat, should I have it lower? If I do drop the throat down, that would place it lower than the top of the FB. Is that okay?
Does grate and smokestack placement matter?
Where do I place the rack relative to the throat and smoke stack? I see some smokestacks high up on the SC, and some are lower.
What materials can I use for the smokestack?
I read somewhere that I shouldn't use dryer vent material that I could find at Home Depot or Lowes. I'd love to just buy the last few parts and finish this bad boy off. Would 6" be too big for this size smoker? 3" or 4"?
Do I need baffles and dampers inside the SC or FB?
I hadn't considered either of these when designing the smoker. Are they necessary? Should I spend the time to plug them in somehow?
I think thats about all for the moment. I need to re-read about prepping the inside of the FB and SC and how to season them, but I should be able to handle that on my own. I may come back for some help on the intake size, but this should keep me busy for a little bit.
Thank you for having me over here at SMF. I'm so glad I found you guys when I did! I bought a welder this spring so I could build stuff for my truck, but my brother-in-law helps us out with the house so much I want to make him a little something.
He has a couple friends with smokers and loves to grill, so I figured I could dive into my first big fabrication project and make him something in return.
This design is based off of a popular mechanics article (http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/food-drink/how-to/a778/3372796/) and from this fine gentleman, Allen. (https://www.youtube.com/user/underthehood1000) Just like to give credit where its due :thumb1:
I was going to build it like the pop mechanics article suggested, but I couldn't find anyone that would / could roll the 10 gauge. Then I saw Allen's videos on making octagon shaped smokers and I figured I'd give that a shot. Again, first big fab project for me, so I'm learning as I go, and the going is slow!
All that being said I'm hoping for some advice. I started on this project with less of an understanding of how precise a design could be. Right now I have a smoke chamber with a door and shelf, a firebox that needs one more door, and the stand all welded together.
I'm hoping you guys can help a newbie out. I feel a bit in over my head. I've done a fair bit of reading to get an understanding of how to move forward, but I'm still feeling confused and a bit lost! Any help would be greatly appreciated. :77:
Here are my questions so far.
We're going for about 1/3 size firebox to smoke chamber, right?
Smoke chamber - 5279.885 in3
firebox - 1912.057 in3
That makes the firebox 36% of the smoke chamber. Does this seem appropriate?
Is my throat gigantic at the moment?
The throat is essentially 80 in2. I think it is supposed to be way smaller, more like 15 in2 according to the smoker builder bbq pit size calculator. I have a piece of plate that I could weld back in and create a smaller throat. Just want to get my calculations and sizing right before I go any further.
Does the height of the throat opening matter?
I think I placed the firebox a little high on the smoke chamber. I'm assuming the throat should be at the top of the FB and bottom of the SC? Right now I think the top of the FB is about 8" from the bottom of the SC. When / If I redo the throat, should I have it lower? If I do drop the throat down, that would place it lower than the top of the FB. Is that okay?
Does grate and smokestack placement matter?
Where do I place the rack relative to the throat and smoke stack? I see some smokestacks high up on the SC, and some are lower.
What materials can I use for the smokestack?
I read somewhere that I shouldn't use dryer vent material that I could find at Home Depot or Lowes. I'd love to just buy the last few parts and finish this bad boy off. Would 6" be too big for this size smoker? 3" or 4"?
Do I need baffles and dampers inside the SC or FB?
I hadn't considered either of these when designing the smoker. Are they necessary? Should I spend the time to plug them in somehow?
I think thats about all for the moment. I need to re-read about prepping the inside of the FB and SC and how to season them, but I should be able to handle that on my own. I may come back for some help on the intake size, but this should keep me busy for a little bit.
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