Rich, afternoon.... I'm baaaaaack.... had to get some beef at Safeway... Round Tips and Chucks for 2.49..... Got the Tips in the smoker... gonna slice 'em for sammies... all 4 roasts.... Yummmmmmy....
Anyway..... Here's what I'd do.... open the FB to CC hole up with an angle grinder or plasma to 3 1/4 above the bottom of the CC.... You can leave some metal around the curved part to bolt the FB to... and leave the same on the FB for the bolts.. gasket between the FB and CC to stop air leaks.... The metal you leave can be "tabs" 1" x 1" or so.... leave 2 or 3 tabs, cut out the rest... Now the FB/CC opening will breathe really well... Match the opening on the FB... tabs and all...
Now for the Tuning Plates.... the AB length is from the circle calculator.... If you make the Tuning plates 14" long and 3" wide and 3/16" thick, you can buy mild steel flat bar from a metal supplier in your town... Set the flat bar in the smoker... It will, or should sit about 4 1/4" above the bottom of the smoker.... 1st plate goes tight against the FB end of the CC... spacing starts out narrow.. 1/16 or so then widens out as you lay them toward the stack end of the CC... You will have to check the temps on the cooking grate... use a pack of pop open biscuits.. see where more or less heat is needed and open the gaps accordingly... the wider the gap, the more heat rises to the cooking grate... The stack measures just fine... You do not need to extend the stack to the cooking grate as on a smoker with tuning plates, there is adequate heat/air/smoke flow through the openings in the tuning plates...
If you use the pie vent for the CC, I would install it with the openings horizontal... side by side like a bow tie.... just below the fire grate... that vent will control the intensity of the fire... then another air inlet vent above the fire directly across from the FB/CC opening... That inlet will adjust the amount of heat etc. you will move from the FB to the CC... It also will add additional air, if needed, to cool the CC...
There will be a learning curve figuring out the best position for the inlets... but it's worth it for the control and reduction in fuel used....
The lower inlet says 7 sq. in. but don't worry about it... your pie vent will adjust just fine.... For the upper air inlet, I would make it about 3 sq. in. a 3" x 1" slot with a slide gate or something similar directly across from the FB/cc opening.... You can have some lengths of rebar cut to set across, in the CC for the food racks to sit on... or bolt some angle iron in the CC for the racks to sit on... Well I think I covered it all..... Let me know where I screwed up so I can fix it.... Take your time and triple check all my stuff to make sure it does what it says it will...
If you want 10 tuning plates will fit nicely... Make sure they are all cut exactly the same length so they fit on the same plane inside the smoker....
......click on pic to enlarge......
For the
AMNPS..... I would think about connecting a length of 1" conduit to the mailbox using those thread nuts.... and inserting the conduit into the bottom of the CC near but not too close to the FB so the smoke entered the CC near the FB so smoke goes everywhere.... A 3" hole may be too much ... The natural draw from the CC "should" suck enough to keep the
AMNPS lit.... Maybe set the mailbox on the lower rack, conduit straight up into the CC... OR, order the
AMNTS from Todd.... call him and talk to him about your project... Not sure what max temps are for the
AMNPS and
AMNTS.... the tube smoker may be perfect and you can set it on the food rack by the FB...
Are you sure you will need a smoke gen with the SFB and some hunks of flavor wood thrown in periodically ???
OK, now I think I'm done...
Dave
