A New Build: 24x30 Vertical Offset - A Custom Build For JLeonard!

[seenred]

Well I'm making progress! Worked in the shop for a while both yesterday and today. After getting all the steel plate cut out, next I needed to do metal prep - using an angle grinder and flap disc to remove the mill scale from every panel's edge that will be welded. This is a slow, dirty and tedious job, but an important one for good weld penetration.

I also finished up some of the plasma cutting. Here is the front panel of the fire box with the door cut out.

I also cut out the intake vents on the FB side panels. After getting a bunch of the prep work done, I was ready to start doing some welding!


Here's 3 of the FB panels all fit up and ready for some tack welds. You can see the side panel air vents here.

I tack-welded some small expanded metal grates over the inside of the vents - this is for a hot coal guard. I got the FB about 75% tacked up before stopping for the day.

It'll be a couple days or so before I can get back in the shop. Got some other obligations to attend to this weekend...but I hope to finish tacking that FB together first part of next week, then it'll be time to tackle the big box -- the Cook Chamber!

Hope everyone has a great weekend - I'll check in again in a few days!

Red

 

[Winterrider]

Looks great Red. I get lost in projects ( nothing even close to this scale ) and end up studying it to death and don't get anything accomplished.

 

[seenred]

Looks great Red. I get lost in projects ( nothing even close to this scale ) and end up studying it to death and don't get anything accomplished.

Thanks buddy! And I'm with you on over studying a project. A person can definitely get paralyzed by overthinking a job - I certainly have!

Red

 

[JLeonard]

Good Lord ! That firebox looks almost as big as my present gasser!!!!
Looking at this pics im like a kid looking at his first Sears and Roebucks catalog! All warm and tingly.

Jim

 

[chopsaw]

like a kid looking at his first Sears and Roebucks catalog! All warm and tingly.

Stop looking at the women's lingerie !

 

[JLeonard]

Stop looking at the women's lingerie !

Ah the good ole days!

Jim

 

[chopsaw]

Ah the good ole days!

We've all been there .
You're gonna love that smoker . Do you have a wood source ?

 

[JLeonard]

chopsaw See lots of signs for firewood around. When It gets closer to coming home I'll start seriously looking. been looking and Academy sells the Gourmet brand wood. I may start out with some of that until i can find a good supplier and as I learn the cooker.

Jim

 

[chopsaw]

My offset is long gone , but I used my firewood stack . In Missouri that's a lot of oak , cherry and hickory .
I used to run it off Oak for the most part .

 

[civilsmoker]

Good Lord ! That firebox looks almost as big as my present gasser!!!!
Looking at this pics im like a kid looking at his first Sears and Roebucks catalog! All warm and tingly.

Jim

You will very quickly realize the size of that fire box will be your best friend….ie that baby will burn a fire really nicely and not be starved for air, ie because of the overall volume. FYI, your learning curve will be rather small….if you can start a can of coals and split some wood it’s going to burn.

……. Ie if it were mine….for my first fire I would put a chimney fulls worth of unlit coals in the fire basket, then I would light a full chimney worth and they them good and started before I poured them over…..then I would add 3 - 3 inch splits….. then 2 splits along with 3 to 4 unlit coals every 35-4 mins……oh and i’m guessing about 1/4 to 1/3 open in the vents after the first splits are engaged and settle in…….. my prediction is the above will be 235-250 degree fire…..adding a third split will will give you a 275-290 fire…….

Now that’s how you visualize while looking in the sears catalog…… lol!!!

 

[seenred]

Good Lord ! That firebox looks almost as big as my present gasser!!!!
Looking at this pics im like a kid looking at his first Sears and Roebucks catalog! All warm and tingly.

Jim

LOL yeah it does give you some perspective of how big the pit's gonna be!

You will very quickly realize the size of that fire box will be your best friend….ie that baby will burn a fire really nicely and not be starved for air, ie because of the overall volume. FYI, your learning curve will be rather small….if you can start a can of coals and split some wood it’s going to burn.

Yep - I stayed very close to the recommended numbers on FB volume from the calculators. It should be right in the sweet spot. My hope is it'll be a very easy pit to control and fairly fuel efficient for something that big.

BTW, I got all my honey-do's taken care of yesterday...so if it warms up a little, I'm gonna go work in the shop this afternoon! Pretty chilly here this morning.

Red

 

[civilsmoker]

Yep - I stayed very close to the recommended numbers on FB volume from the calculators. It should be right in the sweet spot. My hope is it'll be a very easy pit to control and fairly fuel efficient for something that big.

I’m assuming you are going to leave the full rectangle opening from the FB to the CC, minus maybe a small drip lip? Having a smooth airflow path equal width to the FB will reduce internal turbulence and improve efficiency….

The vertical design has lots going for it, all the heat and smoke isn’t fighting itself like a horizontal ….. because of this it will need a much smaller fire than a horizontal of the same size….. you have done your homework, it’s going to be a good burner!

 

[seenred]

I’m assuming you are going to leave the full rectangle opening from the FB to the CC, minus maybe a small drip lip? Having a smooth airflow path equal width to the FB will reduce internal turbulence and improve efficiency….

The vertical design has lots going for it, all the heat and smoke isn’t fighting itself like a horizontal ….. because of this it will need a much smaller fire than a horizontal of the same size….. you have done your homework, it’s going to be a good burner!

Yes - the "throat" into the cook chamber will be the full width of the FB...for the very reason you mention. I carefully ran those numbers through a calculator as well. Since Jim wants a water pan (that is probably gonna also serve as an ash pan for direct coal cooking), there won't be a need for a long baffle plate extending into the CC. Probably only a short, slightly angled plate to direct the air/heat under the water pan. Since the entire CC is basically a big chimney, air flow should never be a problem.

Red

 

[Brokenhandle]

I bet all the nurses are wondering why Jim has such a big smile on his face all the time!

Ryan

 

[seenred]

I had a shorter but still productive afternoon in the shop. the fire box is assembled and tack welded!

I always worry about fit up and whether a fab assembly will be square. So far so good - this went together real well and the fit up is pretty good.

I won't be doing the full weld-out of the FB until after I get the CC put together and tacked up. So next on the agenda is tackling the CC assembly. That means there'll be another tedious day of metal prep...and finishing the plasma cutting. I need to cut out the CC door, the exhaust stack opening, and the opening in the CC side to match up with the throat opening in the FB.

Then I'll be ready to tack the CC together. I'm still pretty early-on in this build, but I'm happy with the progress so far!

More to come!

Red

 

[JLeonard]

I bet all the nurses are wondering why Jim has such a big smile on his face all the time!

Ryan

Cause Red is fixing me up with a monster cooker....And I'm gonna be doing a lot of cooking in it that they will get to partake of!

Jikm

 

[civilsmoker]

I just love the pic with 5 angle grinders in it. It makes me much better about having 5 myself !!!!!

 

[seenred]

I just love the pic with 5 angle grinders in it. It makes me much better about having 5 myself !!!!!

LOL! If I’m being completely honest, I have another angle grinder that’s not in that shot! Maybe I have a problem…but it sure is nice to not have to change discs every time I need to switch from a cutting wheel to a flap disc.

Red

 

[JLeonard]

LOL! If I’m being completely honest, I have another angle grinder that’s not in that shot! Maybe I have a problem…but it sure is nice to not have to change discs every time I need to switch from a cutting wheel to a flap disc.

Red

Heck I was looking at the pics and thinking I have absolutely no clue what some of this stuff is. LOL!

Jim

 

[Fueling Around]

Looks good from here

Cause Red is fixing me up with a monster cooker....And I'm gonna be doing a lot of cooking in it that they will get to partake of!

Jikm

I can see the sign now
https://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/02/b3/8e/f8/smokin-jim-s-house-of.jpg