Drum Smoker

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I have spent an enormous amount of time researching what I will refer to as Clones,which is a gravity feed charcoal smoker/cooker.If this man is that upset with you for this thread he would have a heartattack on the website that shows the information on the clones.If some one thinks enough of a design to try to copy it for himself the designer should be proud that it is a nice enough design that some one would spend the time and effort to try to follow his footsteps.I have a friend who has a barrel smoker tthat is over 20 years old and he only smokes fish with it but it is great for that.He used a pair of Stainless Steel cheese barrels aand stacked one on top of the other as they were quite short and tha weber lid fits perfect so if you have a cheese factory near you may find a couple cheap if they have cracks.I am sure he didnt copy his from a website as he is blind and doesnt have a braille keyboard!
 
Chad, after all this, I'm not so sure these type barrels would be a good bet. I do use them for feed because they have a nice weather resistant finish, clean on the inside, cheap, and new. But I've also used one as a burn barrel (for trash), and it didn't last very long. I even kept the lid on when it wasn't in use. I think your average barrel is too thin. That's why I suggested rolling your own sheet. I realize this makes more work, but the end result will be a nice long lasting smoker. A guy could even dress it up and make it totally his own by using a sheet of tread plate. That would look cool and a sheet of 14 or 12 gauge tread plate isn't that expensive.
I hope it works out for ya.
Tom
 
I also feel the need to respond to royknives about this. I don't believe anyone here intends to take anything away from you or your smoker. As for what it's worth, to me it's worth what ever someone will pay for it. When and if my smoker gets completed, I'll have maybe 200 bucks in it. It is, and I fear it will always be a work in progress. But to buy a comparable smoker would cost a couple grand, easy. But I like to build and fabricate, so this suits me. Buying suits you. That's great. The end result is awsome tender smoked food, and that's what counts. Everyone here appreciates your input, so please don't feel put off by all this talk.
Thanks, Tom
 
I had been searching for information on mods for a New Braunfels offset and people freely contacted me and gave me information and tips. If I'm on the BGE forum and a Kamado owner is looking for info on it I will try help offline if possible, People on other sites have posted info on their Magnum WSM projects and Drum smokers and none of them were the same design. I took a bit of all the info that people generously shared and built one for myself. If I drill holes in a Weber One Touch kettle and put daisy wheel vents on it or put a Char-Griller firebox on a GOSM is that something new and groundbreaking? I'll just do it because I can. Imitation is the highest form of flattery and I'm just a ham and egger do it yourselfer. I probably should not throw the "BDS clone" term around because thats his labor of love and would probably be P/O if were my business too! Sorry if I ruffled any feathers, I was just trying to help.
 
I think Gunslinger hit it on the head here. I too didn't mean to ruffle any feathers, I just didn't see a need for someone to be banned from any forum over this. But like Tom said, then end result is about the food and the labors of love we go through to get it.
KE
 
Tom, and everyone...I apologize if I offended anyone.....I guess I got caught up in all of this too.... :oops: I just want to make new friends, to maybe learn a few things and talk about the art of smoking meat.
 
I think I've pretty well got it figured out Gunny. I'm gonna incorporate ideas from here and another forum and build it I guess. Not 100% sure as I can see my blood pressure going through the roof the when I'm using it. :x

I found some barrels in town for $10 a piece but they don't come with lids. I have several lids in excellent shape but they would require cleaning the lining off of them. It wouldn't cost much to have a lid cut out for it if I could get it to seal decent.

I went by the local welding shop and I can buy the two drums and get them welded together for $50-$60 total counting the cost of buying them. They have a hand held plasma cutter so it shouldn't be a problem to cut a good clean edge and weld them together true. I am going to go with a 45" heighth and have three grates. There will be seven inches clearance for meat between the bottom and second grate up. Between grates 2 and 3 will be 7 inches as well leaving 5 inches from top grate to lid. Not sure how the pit will perform with 3 grates fully loaded but I figured if I was going to have to put two barrels together I might as well try it. Worst case I'll just have a grate I can't use I reckon.

I didn't talk to him about it yesterday, but since I'll be having them weld the drums I think I'll just have them weld the charcoal grate and supports to lift it up off the bottom of the barrel as well. Also, I'm going to have three 7/8 to 1 inch nuts (stainless probably) welded about an inch from the bottom 120° from each other and use bolts to put in those nuts to control the intake flow and temperature. I have saw ball valves used for that purpose but they are about $10 a pop and I don't see needing it to be that exact of a control.

After that all I need is three Weber grates a little hardware and I'll probably mount a thermometer just below the middle grate. I think I can bring it together for under $200 total paint and all unless I have to spend more on the barrels.

Gunslinger, I checked into having a sheet of metal rolled into a barrel and they thought there would be quite a bit of waste. I guess the roller doesn't start rolling until 6 to 8 inches are fed through and then it just have to be cut off. Also looked at pipe and both those options if I go enough thicker to really extend the life it starts getting awful heavy to be as mobile as I was wanting it. I'm not sure of how long a barrel will last myself, that was part of my original concern in putting a bunch of money into one. I have very neglected barrels around here that I've had many years but the lining is what keeps them from rusting. If I had to remake a $75 dollar barrel every few years it wouldn't matter much as I would still have all my grates and hardware. I think kept clean and dry it should have a respectable life span. Sounds like it's worth a shot, after all it's not a choice anymore it's the only option. :(
 
Yes, let's help a SMF brother out!

And it's a good thing, I couldn't find a horse to beat...
wink.gif
 
Mag,I wish I could weld it for you over the internet.When we roll sheet stock we put a lip on it with a sheetmetal brake and although it leaves a small flat spot you dont have the wastwe that you describe.also if the roll it all the way through you get some of the flat rounded out so it isnt that bad.
 
Chad, sounds like you got a plan. If you season the inside of the drum, that and use will take care of the inside and keep it from rusting, I think. Before I used mine for the first time, I had it sand blasted (mine spent years of service as a water tank) and then seasoned it with pork lard. It now has a very glossy black finish that is very hard. You can rub your finger accross it and not get even a trace of black on it. Even after pressure washing, and leaving with a tiny bit of water in the bottom, no rust. I wish I could get the outside with this same finish.
Yesterday, I was going to suggest hacking the ends off a propane tank, but didn't because of the weight. I know where there are several propane tanks with some damage to the ends from being moved around with dozers. You'd be surprised at how much weight you can move around with a cheap 2 wheel hand truck.
Just rambling thoughts here. If you need any help, let me know.
Tom
 
Sounds like a great plan ya got mag cant wait to hear about the progress. And dont forget to show a pic or two.

Gunslinger just a thought on your paint. everything except for the hight heat areas think about using an epoxy primer and paint. Just a thought.
 
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