New member here and working on a started project

alanh · Mar 29, 2016

Hello everyone, I've been lurking here for awhile and have read some great advice and seen some awesome builds[emoji]128077[/emoji]
First off I bought this old propane tank on a trailer that a guy had started as a regular offset smoker but never finished, I paid $200 with the idea of making it into a reverse flow smoker. After it sat in the back yard for several months I decided to start working on it. First problem I noticed that was the doors were cut about 6" above center so I guess I'm going weld the bottom shut and re cut the doors to where they will be 1" above center. Hopefully I can do this without any warping. This tank is 30" diameter and 66" long. I'm going to make the firebox 24x24x30 and set the baffle plate 10" from the bottom and leave a 10" opening at the far end. For the smoke stack I'm using a piece of 8"pipe 24" tall, for the air vent to the fire box I'm not sure what size yet. If any of these dimensions sound wrong please correct me.

Not the best pics I will try and get better ones this evening. All advice is appreciated.

smokejumper · Mar 30, 2016

Measure twice...have a beer...measure again...ponder your measurements...have another beer...cut once.

daveomak · Mar 30, 2016

Cut the legs off at the tank, rotate the tank, weld the legs back on.... Don't mess with the doors.... You will be sorry....

woodyg · Mar 30, 2016

I'll 2nd Dave on that. By the looks of it the top of your door is at the very top of your tank. If you rotate the tank that could be dropped down also. You don't need the door to hinge that high. Just my opinion though.

image.jpeg

woodyg
Mar 30, 2016

(Thank you to whoever I borrowed this from)

I would figure out where the RF plate is, decide how far above your lower rack is, and rotate to that point.

Yeah I don't think I'd mess with cutting the doors. Especially if they seal up nice now

(Don't forget SmokeJumpers advice too)

alanh · Mar 30, 2016

Thanks guys. The top of the door is 1 1/4" down from center. Even if I rotate the tank I don't think I will have enough room for 2 cooking shelves. Its 10" from the bottom of the door to the top of the door.

daveomak · Mar 30, 2016

Rotate the tank..... look at the top of the door.... You should have 4" or so above any meat you put in the smoker... Anyway, loss of room on top is nothing compared to the problems you will experience cutting the doors.....

One more option is to make a "Dutch Door".... cut out a section below the door, on the CC... hinge it.... and place locking pins to hold it closed...

.click on pic to enlarge....

DUTCH DOOR.jpg

daveomak
Mar 30, 2016

alanh · Mar 30, 2016

DaveOmak said:
Rotate the tank..... look at the top of the door.... You should have 4" or so above any meat you put in the smoker... Anyway, loss of room on top is nothing compared to the problems you will experience cutting the doors.....

One more option is to make a "Dutch Door".... cut out a section below the door, on the CC... hinge it.... and place locking pins to hold it closed...

.click on pic to enlarge....

DUTCH DOOR.jpg

daveomak

Mar 30, 2016

like this idea. What do you think if I use the cutout piece and incorporate it into a sliding shelf? Instead of having it hinged I can weld it to the cooking grate and slide the entire section out?

alanh · Apr 5, 2016

I made some modifications

alanh · Apr 5, 2016

image.jpeg

alanh
Apr 5, 2016

My pictures aren't loading[emoji]128545[/emoji]

smokejumper · Apr 6, 2016

AlanH said:
My pictures aren't loading[emoji]128545[/emoji]

Bummer.

alanh · Apr 11, 2016

I got the baffle plate set in but it's not welded out yet. How does everyone weld their plate in? Is it welded solid the entire length or just spot welded?

image.jpeg

alanh
Apr 11, 2016

daveomak · Apr 11, 2016

Alan, morning...... Just tack it in place.... You may want to remove it someday... For now, you probably can operate the smoker without tacking it in... Just to make sure all works according to plan.... It can be one of the last things to do....

alanh · Apr 11, 2016

Thanks.

alanh · Apr 14, 2016

Does it matter what side my air vents are on the fire box?

daveomak · Apr 14, 2016

IMO, the best placement is across the FB from the CC....

smokejumper · Apr 17, 2016

The upper air inlet is best placed across the FB from the CC.
The lower air inlets below the fire grate can be placed on any side of the FB.

alanh · Apr 19, 2016

Would a 8" exaust stack 24" tall work?

alanh · Apr 19, 2016

I have some 8" pipe and 4" square tubing that is 48". Which one would be better?

alanh · Apr 21, 2016

I have the 8" pipe tacked on to see how it will look

image.jpeg

alanh
Apr 21, 2016

daveomak · Apr 21, 2016

If you want a smoker that works well, use the stack size the calculator recommends... If you want it to look good, use what ever looks best to you....

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