Craftsman RF60 Build

[paticus]

Thanks for all the positive remarks so far on the thread. It’s helped me stay confident with the build!

I added some lower and upper sliding vents on the door, as well as a latch assembly. I wanted the latch to engage at the top and bottom of the door for a nice seal. I also put a frame together. Getting ready for some wheels, which are in progress. Smoke stack is cut and welded!

 

[bill1]

Very nice build. I esp like your adapter to your smoke stack...extremely pleasing to the eye.
It's not getting too heavy to get off your workbench, is it? You can hoist it from your rafters but I wouldn't put more than 200# on any one rafter.

 

[paticus]

Very nice build. I esp like your adapter to your smoke stack...extremely pleasing to the eye.
It's not getting too heavy to get off your workbench, is it? You can hoist it from your rafters but I wouldn't put more than 200# on any one rafter.

Thanks!

Yes it’s way too heavy to lift off sooooo….

 

[LanceR]

Paticus, I like the visual balance of your smoker. Thanks for taking us on the ride.

I'm curious about the welds on the flat plate joints of the exhaust plenum and firebox. Are they tight square butt joints or did you vee one or both sides or space them before welding?

Thanks and best regards to all,


Lance

 

[bill1]

...Yes it’s way too heavy to lift off sooooo…

Hopefully you can recruit a helper. A third to initially hold the ramps in place wouldn't hurt. And all please wear safety shoes.

 

[paticus]

Paticus, I like the visual balance of your smoker. Thanks for taking us on the ride.

I'm curious about the welds on the flat plate joints of the exhaust plenum and firebox. Are they tight square butt joints or did you vee one or both sides or space them before welding?

Thanks and best regards to all,


Lance

Hey Lance, thanks for the compliment, they are square butt joints on 1/4” plate. The welder is turned up to get some extra penetration. A “V” bevel would have provided a flusher/stronger weld, but the structural requirement here is pretty minimal.

 

[LanceR]

but the structural requirement here is pretty minimal.

Thanks for the reply.

I agree that a lot of structural strength isn't needed. I suspect that over time the stress of thermal distortions will matter more than anything else and even then I don't think I've ever heard of smoker joints with reasonable penetration failing. I was really just curious.

I sold my old welding equipment to buy what for me is pretty high end new stuff and I'm currently practicing outside corners to get a smooth rounded "as welded" corner that needs very minimal post welding cleanup. Chalk it up to a lifetime of finish carpentry, cabinet making and building custom staircases and handrails I guess. My wife expects thing to be pretty or she gets a rash....a contagious rash......

After I get what I want on the corners I have five propane tanks on had and some 4x8' sheets of 1/4" steel waiting so it's just a matter of which tank becomes the first victim......

Good luck with getting the smoker off the welding table. I would note that if you ditch the light beer and buy real beer you'd likely have ample help hanging around to help get the thing onto the floor.....

Best regards,

 

[paticus]

Thanks for the reply.

I agree that a lot of structural strength isn't needed. I suspect that over time the stress of thermal distortions will matter more than anything else and even then I don't think I've ever heard of smoker joints with reasonable penetration failing. I was really just curious.

I sold my old welding equipment to buy what for me is pretty high end new stuff and I'm currently practicing outside corners to get a smooth rounded "as welded" corner that needs very minimal post welding cleanup. Chalk it up to a lifetime of finish carpentry, cabinet making and building custom staircases and handrails I guess. My wife expects thing to be pretty or she gets a rash....a contagious rash......

After I get what I want on the corners I have five propane tanks on had and some 4x8' sheets of 1/4" steel waiting so it's just a matter of which tank becomes the first victim......

Good luck with getting the smoker off the welding table. I would note that if you ditch the light beer and buy real beer you'd likely have ample help hanging around to help get the thing onto the floor.....

Best regards,

Hah! Hey can’t argue with that!

 

[paticus]

Smoker is finished! I went with a wagon style system, using lawn tractor tires and rims. The rear wheels are fixed, and the front has a steering rack spindle system (similar to a go kart).

Because I removed the paint, the tank was pretty shiny. I wanted it to patina but did not want to wait to seal it up. So I blued the entire tank with a rosebud tip on my oxy acetylene. I was going for a dark gun blue finish, but the iridescent colors actually look really cool IMO. The firebox has mill scale, so I did not blue it. I finished the entire outside cooker with boiled linseed oil. After oiling the outside, I seasoned the inside and did a burnout at 300+ for 4 hours.

The firebox had a grate that slides back and forth for heat manipulation and easy cleaning of ash. It does a pretty good job of not letting coals through, and maintaining a fire bed. I may lower the grate an inch or so, as I think I over compensated the amount of space needed for airflow and ash. .

I finished it off with a 3” tel-tru gauge with a 4” probe.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Looks awesome! You did a great job!

Ryan

 

[paticus]

I cooked some tri-tips for the maiden voyage! The smoker drawed so nicely, and I got easy consistent temperatures. Thanks all for the smoker formulas from previous members they seemed to work great!

 

[bigoleboy]

I cooked some tri-tips for the maiden voyage! The smoker drawed so nicely, and I got easy consistent temperatures. Thanks all for the smoker formulas from previous members they seemed to work great!
View attachment 487440

Great looking build and really nice looking tri tip!

 

[themadsmoker]

Smoker is finished! I went with a wagon style system, using lawn tractor tires and rims. The rear wheels are fixed, and the front has a steering rack spindle system (similar to a go kart).

Because I removed the paint, the tank was pretty shiny. I wanted it to patina but did not want to wait to seal it up. So I blued the entire tank with a rosebud tip on my oxy acetylene. I was going for a dark gun blue finish, but the iridescent colors actually look really cool IMO. The firebox has mill scale, so I did not blue it. I finished the entire outside cooker with boiled linseed oil. After oiling the outside, I seasoned the inside and did a burnout at 300+ for 4 hours.

The firebox had a grate that slides back and forth for heat manipulation and easy cleaning of ash. It does a pretty good job of not letting coals through, and maintaining a fire bed. I may lower the grate an inch or so, as I think I over compensated the amount of space needed for airflow and ash. .

I finished it off with a 3” tel-tru gauge with a 4” probe.

View attachment 487424View attachment 487425View attachment 487426View attachment 487428View attachment 487427View attachment 487438View attachment 487429View attachment 487430View attachment 487436View attachment 487433View attachment 487434View attachment 487435View attachment 487431View attachment 487432

Awesome build. I really like the wheels and steering system. Can you share the setup you have? Closer pics if possible. I;ve got casters on my current smoker but would like to switch to bigger tires to make it easier to move around the yard.

 

[paticus]

Awesome build. I really like the wheels and steering system. Can you share the setup you have? Closer pics if possible. I;ve got casters on my current smoker but would like to switch to bigger tires to make it easier to move around the yard.

Here's a video showing the steering mechanisms. If you google "Baja Wagon", "DIY Monster Wagon", etc you will also get some ideas for wheels and running gear.

Steering Link Closeup

And these are the wheels:
Wheels

 

[themadsmoker]

Here's a video showing the steering mechanisms. If you google "Baja Wagon", "DIY Monster Wagon", etc you will also get some ideas for wheels and running gear.

Steering Link Closeup

And these are the wheels:
Wheels

Thank you.

 

[DRKsmoking]

Great build , and your pictures of the build, cool. Thank you, That i bet was a lot of working hours , and drawing hours
Very nice
David

 

[stubbornjimmy]

I've been chatting with Paticus offline and I gotta say this guy is amazing. I just ordered one of his smokers at a great price and I can't wait to get it before the summer!

 

[Bearcarver]

Beautiful Job, Pat !!
Love it !!
Like.

Bear

 

[DBYRD254]

This is the closest thing I have seen to what I want to build. Beautiful job!