First build

[Blitzkrieg95]

I’m gathering up material and getting ready to build my first smoker . I have access to 30” pipe down to 16” pipe, both .375 wall and .250 wall . My plan was to make a nice small smoker for my first one . I was planning on using 16” pipe (.250 wall ) for both sections but now I’m not sure if it will be a big enough fire box ? I’m Also not understanding y I need plenum? Or what it does? Any advice would b great .

 

[Blitzkrieg95]

Worked on it for a few hrs today .

 

[jbellard]

Hey blitzkrieg!

Great journey that you are on now by the way. The guys on here will give you some great advice. Ultimately you have to figure out what you what YOUR smoker to look like and how you want it to work.
The plenum is really just a piece that catches the smokes and sends it on up the smoke stack. I did a grate level plenum with a 10in by 10in hole that fed to a 6.5in exhaust stack.
If you look up aaron franklin, his smokers have a grate level “collection” area for the smoke that’s even bigger than mine.

I just finished getting a smoker made. I don’t have the capability to weld or tools but had a connection at the local high school welding class and the teacher and his classes built my smoker for free.
Here’s a pic! Let me know if you have questions.

 

[Blitzkrieg95]

I thought it was best to have the plenum up towards the top ? No ? I think I’ll work on that tomorrow.

 

[jbellard]

Most smokers out there are built with the smoke exhaust on top. In my opinion, this is not ideal since heat rises you will have all your heat at the top and temps will not be even.
That is why some folks have gone to a grate level exhaust so that the smoke and heat have to come back down over the food before exiting while also stabilizing temps.
It makes sense to me so that’s how I designed my smoker.

 

[Blitzkrieg95]

Makes sense , I worked on the grating and door today ,

 

[jbellard]

Looking good. I do know that you want to get your doors as close to a perfect seal as you can. I still have to get mine bent back because they sprung out because the kids doing the cutting did the entire length on the doors and it got too hot.
Did you run your cook chamber to firebox ratio? Did you decide on traditional straight through flow or reverse flow? Have a Merry Christmas!

 

[Blitzkrieg95]

My door sprung very little , I used a saw and not a torch and it’s 1/4” pipe . I ordered my door seal today . Going with the traditional for the first one . No , I didn’t do any figuring on the fire box size , I’m reading it should b about 1/3 the size of the cc ? Mine is about 1/2 right now but I didn’t weld the end cap on yet . Any reason it can’t b on the bigger side ? I just figured a 16” piece of wood would b nice to work with .

 

[jbellard]

Should be good at 1/2.