New guy, 250 gallon rf build

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heckersmoke

Newbie
Original poster
Jan 20, 2017
16
10
Hecker, IL
I like having a project to keep my mind busy while driving truck. Decided to build a smoker and learn to weld too. Found this site a few months ago and have probably been on every day since. Here is what I have so far.
250 gallon tank, 87x30, and a trailer I found on CL: A firebox that is partially tacked together, 30"W x 30"L x 24"H:

I know it is a little big. According to feldon I can cut 3" off length to get closer to 100%. Should I?
I also have a good friend with more experience welding. His father-in-law also does metal fabrication in his shed.
Some questions: I redid my calculations with my FB close to 100%. It calls for 155 square inches times 1.5 for RF = 232.5 for my FB/CC opening. How close should I put my RF plate to my cooking grate? Don't want to loose too much cooking space.
Also any ideas on FB door latches?
We are thinking about making two of the diy latches made out of 1/2 inch rod. Is that overkill? Thanks in advance for any response.
 
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Welcome hecker,.

I would leave the firebox the way it is.  A little bigger won't hurt and many folks including myself prefer on the larger side of the calculations for FB.

Most folks like to have about 4" minimum between grate/ RF plate. You can put a slight V in the plate length wise to give you a little more clearance in the center.

There should be a bunch of pics to look at for ideas on FB latches.   

Tack everything together nd weld it at the end. Much easier to cut a tack than grinding off welds.

Weld it yourself, it will give you a sense of achievement and it is only a smoker, your not welding nuclear containment vessels.   lots of welding tips/tricks on Youtube to look at.
 
Welcome hecker,.

I would leave the firebox the way it is.  A little bigger won't hurt and many folks including myself prefer on the larger side of the calculations for FB.

Most folks like to have about 4" minimum between grate/ RF plate. You can put a slight V in the plate length wise to give you a little more clearance in the center.

There should be a bunch of pics to look at for ideas on FB latches.   
Tack everything together nd weld it at the end. Much easier to cut a tack than grinding off welds.

Weld it yourself, it will give you a sense of achievement and it is only a smoker, your not welding nuclear containment vessels.   lots of welding tips/tricks on Youtube to look at.

:yeahthat:
 
Thanks for the quick responses. 4 inch min space above rf. Looks like Fred cut his tank 10.72" down on the end. Great! Going to cut the tank now. If this is my last post you know what happened.
 
Just finished cutting the FB wedge out. It was a little freaky, even though it's been open for awhile and now full of water. Cut a deep groove all around with angle grinder and finished with sawzall, worked great. Should I burn it out? Kinda worried about warping.
 
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I just realized that I cut the firebox opening on the wrong side of the tank if I want the doors on the driver side. The seam wound be on the doors, definitely don't want that.
Is this a big deal? Is there really an advantage to having the doors on the driver side? Seams like it may be just tradition, but I am bummed out, thought I thought of everything.
 
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NO big deal... Mine is on passenger side ... it's just a matter of preference .. if your insistent on having on the drivers side you could always weld the piece back on and grind the weld down smooth... will be hard to tell you ever did it...
 
Mines on the passenger side. I felt if I added a shelf to the side it might be better hanging off towards the side of the road when pulling it.
 
Thanks Jack and Fred. I didn't notice when I looked at your pics Fred. Felt pretty stupid when I figured out what I did yesterday. Now I have to flip everything in my mind when thinking about it. If this is the worst surprise I get during the build I'll be happy.
 
Finally got the fire box done. Used an old semi trailer latch my friend had on the door. I'm happy with the way it came out.

The next good day we have to work on it we'll mount the box to the cooking chamber and then on the trailer. Any advice is welcome.
 
Looks good.
Maybe cut and move the handle out from the firebox and add a wooden handle.



Going to be a hot S.O.B   !

Thanks, great suggestion. We are going to wait and see how the latch works with a fire in the box. We're not sure that we won't need a pipe for leverage to open it.
 
Worked on smoker this weekend. We cut hooks off of the tank and welded them to the bottom of the FB. Left them on to help protect the bottom. Cut opening, attaching FB to the tank, and turned it over. We then mounted it to the trailer. Went pretty smooth, thanks to my friend, and his father-in-law who has been great about teaching us how to weld better.
 
I guess the next big step is the door. Planning on having just one, will be around 60" wide. Going to weld flanges or ribs using 1/4" plate to tank to help keep the contour. Will two of these be enough for a door this size?
 
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