FINALLY getting my build going. Trailer 100gal

[darkshadow]

After far too long and delays from getting my face blown in two in a propane explosion, to other fab jobs that helped bolster my shop, building a bedside drawer and rack for my work truck, and crippling back pain that's been keeping me from working I am finally saying it! It's getting done! (As long as the cortisone does its job)

The late snow storm gave me most of the day Friday to get started, warmed by my little barrel stove in the corner I got a start on things, I've had my door cut out and fb/cc opening cut for a while, I found my work lasers are fantastic for laying out your cuts and visualizing your openings

As my tank had caps that went inside of the cylinder,I cut off the extensions and ripped them to 1" thick and welded them on the side to make an even surface for the door flange to rest on.

After the door was gapped I bent the flange material by hand so that I had an even 1/8" gap all around for my gasket.

Cut 4 pieces of 1/4" stainless left over from work, tacked them together and ground them all to match, and then tigged them into two 1/2" pieces
They finished up pretty nice, theses will be the standoffs for my hinges

Added some further detail to the door, and tigged the standoffs to the base of what will be the hinges, my last side job paid for my new 8" cold saw (been wanting one for so long!)
Using that is a dream, cut some of my 1/2" plates for my fire box.

I'm a foreman for a glazing company and always make friends on site. And trades always need to use my boom lifts, I've worked a lot of deals for materials over the last little while (one benefit of the delays) I've got a bunch of 1/2" plate for free (temp man hole covers)
A big piece of 3/8" plate, pipe for the stack, my hinges are pivots from frameless glass doors I removed doing service work, can't wait to finish them off this week!

Hope to get more work done and update you all, hoping this thread doubles for my motivation!

 

[yankee2bbq]

Good work!

 

[nanuk]

following

 

[brimcconnell]

I'm intrigued. Will be following this build

 

[SmokinAl]

Looks great so far.
And it looks like you have a real nice shop to work in!
Al

 

[darkshadow]

Thanks the shops great, could always be 10 times bigger lol but it would still be cluttered!

 

[darkshadow]

A little bit of work today,finished tapping and installing my 1/2" stainless socket head bolts on my door. I like the pressure vessel look of them.

I sacrificed a perfectly good broom handle that is the same size as my hinge pins, cut to size used to a line the two hinges so that they are nice and straight..

I just had to get these hinges mocked up they've been on my brain for over a year!

They are just tacked not fitted and finished yet, put would be open position

This is the original part I'm using, frameless glass door pivot, they get locked together with setscrews they pivot on a base and a top receiver.

I'm using the shaft and base to create the hinge swivel, and a stainless D door handle for pieces to connect to the door

I may make a similar smaller set for my FB, not sure if it's the way to go, or to just use weld on bullit hinges. What do you guys think?

Should match up with my exhaust stack, it's a 6" stainless water main pipe,

Shined up nice with a brushed look with this spring loaded pipe sander/grinder

 

[gmc2003]

Looks really good. Keep us updated on the progress.

Chris

 

[nanuk]

that stainless hardware is really going to pop once you get the body painted up!

 

[darkshadow]

Thanks guys, yeah that's the plan for the stainless. I do tend to overbuild and go overboard.
If I had done a simpler smaller cooker I'd have been using it a year ago lol

So progress has been slow with my back, tight as ever lately, then my epidural hurt me all week two weeks ago

So finish cutting and moving 1/2" plate for my firebox was fun!
Got my cut outs for air vents done including a 4" circle for my butterfly valve that I cut with a grinder.

Too cheap to drop 50$ on a hole saw and I don't have a torch yet

Remember to think outside the box boys you don't always need specialized tools ;)

I was quite impressed with my little inverter welder ESAB Rebel. Had no problem keeping up with a wide weave between the 1/2 plates on its max settings

Grinding and flap disk after to give it a rounded finish.

Or dear lord why did I get this idea stuck in my head!? Man it's a lot of work!

Nice to get my boy in the shop this weekend too, welding up a ramp to get the sled and lawn mower in and out of my seacan

 

[ghoster]

That is going to be one beast of a smoker, with all that 1/2 inch. That stainless will make it stand out, so looking forward to the finish pics. Stainless prep table will finish it off nicely.

 

[darkshadow]

Great minds think alike! I was thinking of a stainless front counter, that wraps around the side.

I'll see if I can bribe the glazing company's fab shop into bending something for me :). I might need a bigger axel by the time I'm done! Lol

I tried to update the thread but I couldn't upload any pics. Will try again.


Hey I had a thought. Anyone use the top of their FB as a griddle to cook breakfast the morning of a big cook? Smoke and bacon Zana pancakes????

 

[darkshadow]

Ok let's see if I can upload some pics today.

I made templates and cut out what ended up looking like stainless commas or apostrophes:/

I took the same glass fittings from my CC hinges and cut them down a little smaller and tigged them to my commas

These will create the base of my firebox hinges

Salvaged some more stainless plate and welded some 3/16"
Rod between to form my air intake baffles.

Fits tight to the FB in its Channel made from 1 1/4" channel ripped down, the angled inside edge of the channel holds the plate tight to the FB.

Closed

 

[darkshadow]

More progress this week.

I had always thought I'd use an axe for a handle for the CC. I really like this look. I had thought I could make something that would look like an axe head out of stainless, then fit a replacement handle and I'd be set.

BUT THEN I had an idea.

I had recently received a huge roll of 3/8" stainless cable from a job site.

So here's what I came up with:

Bought a piece of 3/8 stainless rod (hate buying. Much prefer free lol)

Cut 7 lengths of cable longer then I needed,

hose clamped to the rod and tigged

I don't have pics of the rest of its creation

I could make it seem like it went swimmingly, but it was a pain. Involving spinning vice grips to smash my fingers. Near molten hose clamps to burn my fingers and needing a thirst hand to help weld. Stainless mig would have been helpful.

Anyways I hose clamped the ends of the cables and twisted them tight. Measuring for length of twisted handle and trimming the cable to size. An other hoes clamp and the aforementioned vice grip clamped over it. To hold it in position I tied it too the wall, stopping its finger deadly spinning.

I tigged the cable ends to the rod locking in there twist. This left me with a cable about 1 1/4" thick for my handle.

I think this will fit better with the industrial look I'm going for.

 

[darkshadow]

I also got my thermometer in from Amazon.

3" stainless just so happen to fit into a piece of 3" stainless water pipe I had.

Makes for a pretty nice eyebrow.

Fire box is finished its ungodly amount of grinding and sanding. What an ordeal I tell you. My shop is BLACK. everywhere!
Going to be a hell of a clean up.

Speaking of ungodly messes. Wire wheeling the 9 coats of pain off the door was an ordeal!

Will have to come up with something better for the rest of the cooker. If given a choice DONT BUY OLD "sign" tanks!

So since the fire box was done and I had borrowed my buddies engine hoist I figured screw it! Weld on a lifting point and put them together!

Few touch up to the cuts and she slid right in ;)
And since it was together, inthrew some legs together switch some casters. Now I can at least move it about and maybe outside for the paint removal.

I made the wheels the hight I'm thinking I want it. So I'll probably end up building the trailer around the cooker.

Once I figured out what I'm doing lol

 

[kawboy]

Dang that looks nice! I need to work up some guts, and get started.

 

[darkshadow]

Make a plan and GO, as a certified professional procrastinationator I can tell you it ant gunna get done thinkin!!!!

 

[ghoster]

looking good now that the fb and cc are together. you should get at least three racks in that cc.

 

[darkshadow]

Yeah I've been thinking about racks.

Originally I was thinking two, could do three, I was thinking about making/getting racks to hold ribs on edge to fit more instead of more skidding racks.

Not sure yet.

 

[darkshadow]

Made the hinges for the FB scaled down from the CC ones I built.

Drilled a hole for a 1/2" stainless baring to sit

Mating serface in hinge pin, drilled and counter sunk

Door on, surprisingly had a slight warp in door. 1/2" plate and 1 1/2" X1/4" Angle frame. Didn't think it would. Or I screwed up and welded it 1/8 crooked.

I'll clamp that out.

Door swings quite smooth considering it's heft!