Stainless smoker build

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Kory,

Unfortunately there are no calculators for insulated smokers.   

Best to get it in the ball park range with Dave O's reverse flow calculator (click on the reverse flow section).

If you could figure a way to insulate the heat exchange tubes would be good as that's where a bunch of heat loss will occur.

The smaller the tubes, the more friction you have.

2 x 3" tubes probably will be ok or even go to 4" on a  20 chicken sized cooker like yours.

yes a water tray will help just try everything you can so hot flames are not blasting onto your brisket.

i would make the chimney anywhere from 1/2-3/4 up the CC.  

You want to get good airflow through the cooker
 
Thanks for the advise bro, I was thinking 3/4 down may be to low and the hot in coming air would escape the low exuast. I think I'll go 1/2 to 5/8. I'm gona go with 1/4" wall tubing or so , not sure if I'll be getting tube or pipe but I may wrap them in header wrap insulation.
 
Yes just rebuild my cr500 top end tonight actually. Shaved the head .040 and did some porting cleanup. Live in the PNW
 
thsts awesome! Where u guys from? I'm mainly a woods ride, I live out in the woods right next to a orv park, power lines and horse trails. I'm pretty spoiled
 
Is goes good but I just wanna do some experimenting, it went real good in the sand too, I've only had it about 3 months, was my first time in the sand too
 
Dang he's up there! Howed the sausage turn out? I plane to do some as well here in a couple months
 
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You can buy 3" mandrel bends online for exhaust and yes header wrap will work. That stuff usually rusts regular pipe but with stainless you will be fine.
 
That stuff would be spendy and only 16 gauge. I'm going with 1/4 and I'll just be pie cutting it and tig weld. Thanks tho. I'm also no far from Columbia river manderl bending
 
Ok I'm making more progress on the smoker build. Building the firebox now it's 1/4" 304 stainless and was a Rem piece that was all water jet cut. I've got some insulting bricks off CL and and I don't really wanna put the bricks in the door. I'd rather put in maybe mortor mix maybe? Looking for something that will last. I've got 1/4" 1.5" angle to hold it in on the 5/16" door. Thank a lot
 
Ya she didn't have much choice. Pics don't like to load off my wifi. I'll have to go in town.
 
so I'm trying to fill the door in with maybe some kind of concrete or some other sort of insulator that won't mind the mind being smokey. I was thinking the roxul insulation that I'm using for the cooking chamber but worried the smoke with cause problems since I don't wanna totally wanna seal up the area on the door that I'm using 1/4" angle. Any ideas would be appreciated!
 
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