Custom Mailbox Mod

[Guh]

Was looking around for an aluminum mailbox but could only find the galvanized ones. Decided to try and fold my own mailbox. Tested it out last night and it worked pretty well on a hot smoke. Hoping it will do well for cold smoking as well.

 

[HowlingDog]

Nicely done... Looks like it works really well.

 

[indaswamp]

Very nice craftsmanship. Don't see why it won't work. What thickness flashing are you using or is that plate?

Might consider moving the duct vent opening on the back wall at the top, will slow the smoke down and give it more contact with the pipe for a better cooling of the smoke.....

 

[forktender]

Very nice craftsmanship. Don't see why it won't work. What thickness flashing are you using or is that plate?

Might consider moving the duct vent opening on the back wall at the top, will slow the smoke down and give it more contact with the pipe for a better cooling of the smoke.....

Can you please explain this a little more too me, it's not making sense to me at all.
Right over my head!!!

 

[indaswamp]

Can you please explain this a little more too me, it's not making sense to me at all.
Right over my head!!!

out the back or side.....

 

[forktender]

Thank you, I couldn't picture it in my mind for some reason.

 

[chopsaw]

Looks good . I wouldn't change anything .

 

[Phil Chart]

Nice job looks very nice

 

[Braz]

You have just passed the Sheet Metal Workers apprentice exam. Congratulations. You deserve a brake. (See what I did there?)

 

[indaswamp]

^^^^^^LOL!!!

 

[Guh]

The aluminum was .019 thick. Just the cheap $20 sheet at Home Depot. Even though its thin, the folds and rivets make it sturdy.

We will see how it goes out of the top, it would be easy to redo if I need to move the outlet to the back.

 

[johnmeyer]

I think it will work just fine just as you have built it. I wouldn't change anything. I also like the size because it gives more surface area on which the creosote can condense (the inside will get very shiny black).

And Braz, "You deserve a brake" got me laughing. Thanks for that one.

 

[indaswamp]

The aluminum was .019 thick. Just the cheap $20 sheet at Home Depot. Even though its thin, the folds and rivets make it sturdy.

We will see how it goes out of the top, it would be easy to redo if I need to move the outlet to the back.

Good deal...

 

[solman]

How about a way to control the air intake holes to better control burn rate? I found I can significantly extend burn time and minimize smoke density by controlling the air intake to my external smoker box.

 

[johnmeyer]

I would recommend not restricting the airflow. It is generally a good idea to keep that smoking moving through the smoker.

How fast are your chips burning? I think most people get 2-3 hours per row. If you are only getting one hour per row then maybe you do want to reduce the airflow a little. If you do need to do that, I'd construct an air intake like the vent on the top of a typical Weber charcoal grill.

 

[GaryHibbert]

Very nice job. Looks real good. I couldn't find a mailbox either so I made one out of wood. Works just fine.
Gary

 

[solman]

I would recommend not restricting the airflow. It is generally a good idea to keep that smoking moving through the smoker.

How fast are your chips burning? I think most people get 2-3 hours per row. If you are only getting one hour per row then maybe you do want to reduce the airflow a little. If you do need to do that, I'd construct an air intake like the vent on the top of a typical Weber charcoal grill.

i figure any halfway decent charcoal or wood grill/smoker will have a way to adjust air intake to control its fire, so why not have it on the mailbox mod. and as you wrote, if it's burning way too fast you can adjust the air intake to slow it down. i'm surprised it's not suggested more often. or maybe there are negatives to it that i'm not aware of, e.g. incomplete burn? but my experience with my set up and controlling air intake is that i'm better able to control the smoke density and burn rate.

 

[Guh]

Thanks for the comments on the air flow. I think it might be a little restrictive as I'm getting 3+ hours for a single row on the amnps. I'll have to do some test runs and time it a little. Smoked another fatty last night and there was a nice light steam of smoke through out the whole cook. Adding more vents is easier than taking them away.