Problem With SMoker Build

[yankeesmoker77]

I am building a smoker from a 250 gallon oil tank and am having problems with the door.  After i cut the doors out i ran 1 1/2 inch flat stock on the edges of the door.  Now the door won't fit right.  The flat stock caused the door to flatten out a bit.  I made some curved forms and clamped the door on them, and let that sit for a week but did not help.  As soon as I released the clamps, the door flattened out again.  Any suggestions? 

 

[kc5tpy]

Hello.  This is one of those questions I read now and then where I wish the questions were asked BEFORE action was taken.  We won't got into what was done wrong; we are past that stage now.  The only solution I know of is to take your doors to a fabrication shop and have the correct radius rolled back into the metal.  It won't be cheap.  Mark it up as a lesson learned.  Either that or options 2 and 3.  Option 2 is trim and fit.  Trim and fit.  Trim and fit; and the doors will never really fit correctly.  Option 3 is you scrap the whole tank.  This is just my opinion.  Someone else may have a brilliant solution for you.  I hope so.  I wish you luck.  Keep Smokin!

Danny

 

[yankeesmoker77]

So if I was to scrap the tank, what do you suggest I do differently to prevent this?

 

[kc5tpy]

Hello.  Well; I would not scrap the tank unless you have an unlimited supply.  I can just about tell you how you how you got here:  you completely cut out the doors in one go, then you laid them on a table and tacked and bent the flat bar around each door.  Once done you started in on one place and seal welded the flat bar to the door.  One continuousweld around the door.  Sound familiar?  I am not "jumping on you".  These are things that folks who are not welders just don't know about.  Easy mistakes to make.

How should it be done?  Make your cuts in your doors where the hinges will be.  Once that is done weld your hinges into place.  Next, you do not start in one place and cut around the whole door.  You cut a bit here and a bit there and even go off and have a cold beer so as to not heat the whole door at one time,  The same when welding on the flat bar.  Burn one rod here; one rod there, have another cold beer and continue.  All rolled steel ( tanks ) want to return to the flat state.  When you heat them they will do just that.  Keep Smokin!

Danny