Hi guys, here's an update on the build. Finally done with all the welding and grinding. Here's a ready-for-painting-pic:
While I am writing this, the paint is drying in the garage. Those rattle can fumes cannot be good for my brain. Getting a headache even with a filter mask.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will fire this thing up for a premiere burn to cure the paint. I painted the firebox with some 800 deg C paint and the cooking chamber with some 650 deg C paint (that's 1470 and 1200 deg F unless you have the C to F autoconversion activated :-)
I am a bit worried about having gotten all the dimensions right. I have followed the calculator like a slave, double checking everything. I even got up after going to bed one night to triple check the firebox to cooking chamber opening. The calculator works on inches while everything on this side of the Atlantic is in metric. I have had to translate all measurements to metric units (it is plain impossible to find a measuring device for inches where I live), so I am a bit nervous about that. My nightmare is finding that the cooking chamber to firebox opening is too small and having to redo that... Yikes.
The thing became a bit heavy on the rear. I am not too far off but my axle placement calculations were not spot on. Tried very hard to do it right as I built the trailer first, but... It might tow ok, we'll just have to test. I am planning to mount a wood basket thingy on the front end so it might not be a problem anyway. I don't want my precious fishtailing on me - spent too many hours on it to trash it in that way.
Would I build another of these I'd wait with welding on the suspension hangers until I have tested mounting the tank on it. That approach does present a practical problem when you work alone in a garage without proper lifting aids, but I'd try to do it anyway to get the weight ratio right. Got some strong friends that won't say nay to a beer.
Can't wait to get the fire going and put some pork on it! Keep you posted with the results.
Cheers /Wes