I am new to the forum and looking to build my first smoker. After reading and watching other builds I figured I would log my build as well. As this is my first build please correct me in any incorrect lingo, and also please let me know of any foreseeable problems you notice with my design.
I have designed it in such a way that I can use the second exhaust on the left side to cook using radian heat and very little smoke when need be. The openings on the firebox and cooking tower would also allow me to use just the cooking tower and bypass the cooking chamber if I were to be cooking smaller meals. The cooking tower will also be mounted directly to the FB to conserve heat. This will all be mounted to a trailer.
A few questions:
1. According to the size of my cooking chamber using an online calculator, my fire box should be around 25"x25"x25". If I were to make it 24"x24"x24" what kind of impact would that have?
2. For the FB and both ends of the cooking chamber, would there be any noticeable difference in performance/longevity between 3/16" and 1/4"
3. According to the calculator I used, using 4" pipe it tells me I need a 55" tall exhaust chimney. That seems pretty monstrous. Am I calculating something wrong here?
4. What size should the pipe coming out of the top of the cooking chamber mounted to the top of the FB be?
5. Would it be better for the smoking tower to simply cut a whole in the top and weld an exhaust, or run the pipe to almost the bottom forcing the entire chamber to fill with smoke?
6. Will the three air inlet holes I have on the front be enough and also are they all right all on one side or should they be on different sides?
7. How far up should the firebox be mounted on the cooking chamber?
I've started by cutting off both ends of the propane tank I obtained from a friend. The ends of the tank will be made into decorative fire pits.
I have designed it in such a way that I can use the second exhaust on the left side to cook using radian heat and very little smoke when need be. The openings on the firebox and cooking tower would also allow me to use just the cooking tower and bypass the cooking chamber if I were to be cooking smaller meals. The cooking tower will also be mounted directly to the FB to conserve heat. This will all be mounted to a trailer.
A few questions:
1. According to the size of my cooking chamber using an online calculator, my fire box should be around 25"x25"x25". If I were to make it 24"x24"x24" what kind of impact would that have?
2. For the FB and both ends of the cooking chamber, would there be any noticeable difference in performance/longevity between 3/16" and 1/4"
3. According to the calculator I used, using 4" pipe it tells me I need a 55" tall exhaust chimney. That seems pretty monstrous. Am I calculating something wrong here?
4. What size should the pipe coming out of the top of the cooking chamber mounted to the top of the FB be?
5. Would it be better for the smoking tower to simply cut a whole in the top and weld an exhaust, or run the pipe to almost the bottom forcing the entire chamber to fill with smoke?
6. Will the three air inlet holes I have on the front be enough and also are they all right all on one side or should they be on different sides?
7. How far up should the firebox be mounted on the cooking chamber?
I've started by cutting off both ends of the propane tank I obtained from a friend. The ends of the tank will be made into decorative fire pits.