Making quick easy door flanges

ribwizzard · Jan 26, 2013

Messed around with #22 this morning for a couple of hrs and thought Id share some pics of how I do my qick easy door flanges.( Some one was asking last week on an easy way to do them with out warping the door)

First I put notches along the edge, its easier than drilling holes and also easier to strike an arc in a v than a small circle.

ribwizzard · Jan 26, 2013

Then I do the ends first, leave excess at the top and bottom so that it will blend in with the top and bottom flange.

ribwizzard · Jan 26, 2013

Go along and spot weld, ( on this last spot weld my hand slipped)

ribwizzard · Jan 26, 2013

Now, flip it over and cut your top and bottom flange to a perfect fit. De=burr it then trim the inner corner so that you can spot weld the outside.

ribwizzard · Jan 26, 2013

I went ahead and made the hinge's as well this time ( #22 is a budget build , remember)

Cut two pieces of 1/2" round stock and weled them to excess pipe the same diameter so form the hinge.

ribwizzard · Jan 26, 2013

Then used 1/2" black pipe , set everthing in place and welded it on.

Took me about and hour to do this door to this point. Including stopping to take pics. The flang is nice and tight, I'll go back with .025 wire and connect the seams at the bottom latter. I used .045 for my spot welds and you can see the nice penetration I got.

Hope this helps someone, or at least it give's someone some ideals. maybe I'll get a point for it. Who knows.

boykjo · Jan 26, 2013

Good Job..................

.........

daveomak · Jan 26, 2013

That method sure makes the door seal look nice..... Do you cut the door with a cut-off disc ??

RW... cutting a door in a propane tank ?? Can I relieve the stress by torching the "door area" with a BIG weed burner before making the final cuts ?? Or what would you recommend ??

swechef · Jan 26, 2013

That's a great tip. Keem 'em coming! A noob welding wannabe like me needs all the good tips I can get!

Cheers /W

themule69 · Jan 27, 2013

all great ideas.thanks.

happy smoken.

david

ribwizzard · Jan 28, 2013

Dave,

When cutting the doors on a propane tank, I would not recommend putting any heat on it before cutting. I have thought about heating the whole tank and letting it cool down before cutting the door, but you would have to heat the whole tank evenly and cool it down evenly around the whole diameter for that method to work and with out some kind of foundry big enough to put the whole tank into, I just dont see it working.

What has worked for me( If the door has spung outward) , is after cutting the door, attaching the flanges and hinges, clamp the door shut in the possition it seals, then take a rose bud and heat the whole door evenly, then blow compressed air into the tank so that it cools the inside faster than the outside. Once it cools down, you should be good to go. Just dont 'cherry" the door, just get it hot enough you start seeing "blue". ......Does that make sense?

And yes, I just take a cut off disc and cut the V's, ...much faster than drilling holes and easier to weld.

fagesbp · Jan 28, 2013

Thanks for the tips! Keep em coming. I'm planning on trying to build my patio reverse flow this summer. I will definitely use this method for the door flanges.

ribwizzard · Jan 28, 2013

Well, I am making The pie vent , I'll send some pics of that.

themule69 · Jan 28, 2013

Ribwizzard said:
Dave,

When cutting the doors on a propane tank, I would not recommend putting any heat on it before cutting. I have thought about heating the whole tank and letting it cool down before cutting the door, but you would have to heat the whole tank evenly and cool it down evenly around the whole diameter for that method to work and with out some kind of foundry big enough to put the whole tank into, I just dont see it working.

What has worked for me( If the door has spung outward) , is after cutting the door, attaching the flanges and hinges, clamp the door shut in the possition it seals, then take a rose bud and heat the whole door evenly, then blow compressed air into the tank so that it cools the inside faster than the outside. Once it cools down, you should be good to go. Just dont 'cherry" the door, just get it hot enough you start seeing "blue". ......Does that make sense?

And yes, I just take a cut off disc and cut the V's, ...much faster than drilling holes and easier to weld.

you are correct on the not getting it hot enough and cooling down at the same rate. i have used the rosebud and air to work things back into wack. also if you leave little pieces un cut every couple of feet. till you get it all cut. that helps keep things straight . then if you add the hinges before your last cuts. you have a perfect gap..

david

ribwizzard · Jan 28, 2013

Right on the mule69....

sometimes I drag the plasma 'too fast" so that it leaves a little bit holding it together, then take an extra wide cut off wheel ( 1/8) and run it through the plasma cut to let the door drop out. It also cleans up your cut line if you get a little wavy with the plasma.

jarjarchef · Jan 28, 2013

Nice tutorial RW....as always great work.....

ribwizzard · Jan 29, 2013

Well , I hope that this is helpful, I know that there are alot of skilled fabricators on here. But for the beginners, maybe if they see how easy it really is, it will help them turn their "dream smoker" into a reality.

I plan on doing this same kind of thread on reverse flow plate/ drain pan, exhaust stack lid, cooking grates, ......if there is anything else people would like to see, let me know.

I think it would be cool if we could get all of the top fabricators to do some threads like this and then we could put them all together one day and actually have a step my step tutorial for a begginer builder. DaveOmark is very good at putting things like this together and also good at illustrations, maybe we could get him to volunteer for something like that..

Maybe the sight directors could add a forum titled "Smoker fabrication tips" or something like that.\

Maybe one day I will actually build the perfect smoker....then what will I do with my time????

But as always, make sure to read my signature disclaimer!!!!!!

rasimmo · Jan 29, 2013

Thank you Ribwizzard. I will use this technique next week when I cut my door out. This is exactly the kind of information I was looking for when I found this forum.

themule69 · Jan 29, 2013

Ribwizzard said:
Well , I hope that this is helpful, I know that there are alot of skilled fabricators on here. But for the beginners, maybe if they see how easy it really is, it will help them turn their "dream smoker" into a reality.

I plan on doing this same kind of thread on reverse flow plate/ drain pan, exhaust stack lid, cooking grates, ......if there is anything else people would like to see, let me know.

I think it would be cool if we could get all of the top fabricators to do some threads like this and then we could put them all together one day and actually have a step my step tutorial for a begginer builder. DaveOmark is very good at putting things like this together and also good at illustrations, maybe we could get him to volunteer for something like that..

Maybe the sight directors could add a forum titled "Smoker fabrication tips" or something like that.\

Maybe one day I will actually build the perfect smoker....then what will I do with my time????

But as always, make sure to read my signature disclaimer!!!!!!

i totally agree. i have made several pits that i sold. still have at least 1 more build. it will be for my self. i watch everybody builds to get ideas. then i say wow! why didn't i think of that.

i think a build thread. with a lot of builds put together. say one thread with just doors. then one thread with just grates and so on. would help a lot of people out. it would also show that you don't have to have an all out fabrication shop to make a nice smoker.

happy smoken.

David

ribwizzard · Jan 29, 2013

We may end up with the perfect smoker, ......

Making quick easy door flanges

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