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Thanks, I'm using a plasma cutter with a roller guide attached. Bought the plasma cutter off of ebay for $379 and I think thats the best $379 I have ever spent. I couldn't imagine using a cutoff wheel on that 1/4" steel.
Any new pictures of the build? I am in the planning stages of a smoker very similar (if not exactly) to what you are doing. What gas company did you find in SC that would sell a junked tank? I am in Charlotte and everyone here says they won't sell one for liability reasons and want me to pay full price for a new one.
Scottprejean, I got it from Amerigas in N. Charleston. They have hundreds of them in their yard. A 250 gal. is $75 and a 120 gal. is $50. I will be posting new pictures soon. I am almost finished building the firebox and will be mounting it shortly.
Here is what I have done on the firebox so far. I know I didn't put the square tubing in the same places everywhere but the end result is still the same and you won't know it when the top is on. It is 28x24x24 and double walled with fireproof insulation between the walls. The bottom of the firebox is going to be a slide out ash pan that is built but not shown in the picture. I was going to put a damper on each side but decided to put it on the door thinking it will draft better. I plan on putting a PID fan controller on it for better temp. control. I should have it finished and installed on the cooker tomorrow.
Thanks Pineywoods! This is my first time welding a project this big and so far there have been no major snags.
Here are some more pictures of the firebox mounted to the cooker. It is just tack welded on for now. Ran out of time to weld it on completely. I still have to put the metal lip around the door edge on the firebox and finish the damper. Next I will be installing the reverse flow pan inside the cooker. I'm debating on whether to put a warming box on top of the firebox. I did not double wall the top of the firebox so I could put a warming box on it if I want. I probably will since it will only cost about $75 more in metal.
Im in the early stages of building an offset much like what you are doing... Im new this all this and my question is... The opening from the firebox to the cooking chamber... can that be wide open? I mean as much as the cut allows? or do I need to fabricate a dampener so it can be adjusted? I guess im wondering if the opening size matters at all.... nice build and thanks for the responses.
You need to download the excel spreadsheet calculator. You can input your numbers and it will tell you how big to make that opening. Yes the size matters.
Ok, here it is. Almost finished except for a few pieces of metal trim and finish the paint job. Cooked baby backs last night for the first cook. It cooks way better than I could have imagined. Holds steady temp. for hours with very little fluctuation. Very efficient too. It only took 5 pieces of wood in 4 hours to do the cook.
I really like the low profile wide tire look in the shots from the back. The torsion axle idea in my opinion is a great idea as well. You might keep an eye on the piano hinge, I have seen alot of them rust up and fail, bending the piece they are welded to. In your case I don't think thats a problem since you said the tank is 1/4" but it could still be a pain if it locks up. Maybe a little cooking oil applied from the inside could prevent it. I am in no way knocking your build, just stating an opinion, maybe it will help maybe not.
The fire basket caught my eye as well. Sounds like it works well since you said 5 pieces of wood for 4 hours cooking. That would be great compared to what I am used to. That one goes in the notes for future builds.