# Rear firebox smoker build - Door issues - lots of pics! please help!!



## richxd87 (Jun 17, 2014)

Hi Guys,

I've been in the process of building a smoker and have begun to encounter some door issues.  When I cut the door off nearly 6 months ago, the fit was still pretty tight with no odd gaps.  Fast forward 6 months to the welding and beating on the pipe, the door no longer fit like it once did.  Could anybody in Houston give me a hand or help guide me over the web please?

Here is some background on the pit: 24" diameter - 48" length

I wanted to build a reverse flow smoker but also wanted to try something different and came up with this:













Smoker_sketchup.jpg



__ richxd87
__ Jun 17, 2014






Smoke and heat enter from centered rear firebox, up and diverted to the ends of the pipe under the "reverse flow/tuning" plate, and exits via the centered smoke stack.  Sounds like it should work in theory?  I have read of a few builds like this and they seemed to be rather pleased with it and the evenness of temperature.













2013-12-06 19.00.31.jpg



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Had to build a crane to get the 300lbs of 5/16" pipe on the legs.













Photo Dec 30, 3 26 36 PM.jpg



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2013-12-30 15.33.55.jpg



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Door marked and cut using a metal cutting circular saw













Photo Feb 09, 8 05 26 PM.jpg



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Made the grates, rails tacked in













Photo Jun 03, 8 48 57 PM.jpg



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Tie-in for smoke stack created













Photo Jun 16, 6 25 20 PM.jpg



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Rear of pit with firebox













Photo Jun 16, 6 28 08 PM.jpg



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Photo Jun 16, 6 27 11 PM.jpg



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revers flow plate will sit on bottom most rails, right above firebox-cook chamber opening.

So that brings us up to present day.  The door sits pretty flush up top along the hinge, dips about an 1/8" inwards about 6" down the door and more than 1/8' at the bottom edge of the door.













Photo Jun 16, 6 24 52 PM.jpg



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__ Jun 17, 2014


















Photo Jun 16, 6 24 59 PM.jpg



__ richxd87
__ Jun 17, 2014






Now if I put a backing plate about 6" down where the door dips in, the door is flush-ish down to the bottom where it now flares out even more, almost the entire 5/16" thickness of the door.













Photo Jun 16, 6 22 53 PM.jpg



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__ Jun 17, 2014


















Photo Jun 16, 6 22 13 PM.jpg



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Photo Jun 16, 6 22 38 PM.jpg



__ richxd87
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I've tried pulling the radius of the door in by using a floor jack and a chain but it quickly returns to its original radius after I release the jack. 

Could anyone please help?  I really need to finish it up and get this project out of my garage!!

Thanks,

Richard


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## pappapig (Jun 17, 2014)

Kind of hard to relay what's in my head, I'm thinking maybe you'd be better off putting a flange on the outside of the door itself. That's is some very thick metal so I'm not sure how that's going to help pull it in. I'm thinking out loud here since i'm pretty new to metal work, could you heat the center with a torch and pull the door in? Hopefully someone with more useful info will come to the rescue.


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## 2010ultra (Jun 17, 2014)

its cold steel it will reform to the shape it once was. i suggest heat and lots of it. get it hot and bent it over its radius of the opening. and thats all i know for metal work.


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## jrbuilder (Jun 20, 2014)

K I work with welders a lot and have idea. Think like you where going to patch the pipe. I would tack weld your door back in place to get it to conform so you could do what the guys at work Do cut a c clamp in half and weld the side with the thread to a thick plate they then weld it to the piece and use it to make pieces line up. Ounce you have door lined back up an tacked in place I would make some pieces of steal about an inch wide that conforms to your pipes radius these I would stitch weld to the door. Hope you don't have ends on yet or won't work. Then cut your door back out and stitch weld other side of radius pieces. This should hold your doors radius in future. Pretty sure this will work but am a novice at metal fab but I work around fab guys a lot so double check this before you try it


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## smokin sandy (Jul 6, 2015)

I love this build!  Just curious if you were able to finish it.  If so, I'd love to see some more pics.  I'm hoping to start working on a similar design here soon.


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