My 80 Gallon build (Q-view pics added)

[turn4fun]

Its an 80 gal. tank that was built in (get this) 1957.

Nice looking build.  I was given an air compressor to use for my next build today.  Got it home and looked at the manufacturers tag, built in 1955. 

 

[wildman9136]

Turn4fun, you know it's good steel when it's that old. A compressor made today I doubt will be around 50+ years from now.

I've got a little more done this week, been busy at work again. I have learned that diamond plate for the firebox looks good but poses a problem when making the air inlet. Bumps don't seal or let things slide well so I had to cut a piece and flip it over then weld it to the outside to get a flat surface for the vent to close right.

2012-10-16_17-37-14_466.jpg

• wildman9136
• Oct 18, 2012

2012-10-17_18-42-56_441.jpg

• wildman9136
• Oct 18, 2012

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• wildman9136
• Oct 18, 2012

Got the new hinges and the top flat bar on the chamber door, it has a much cleaner look now.

2012-10-17_18-42-30_632.jpg

• wildman9136
• Oct 18, 2012

2012-10-17_18-52-27_180.jpg

• wildman9136
• Oct 18, 2012

And got the stack in.

2012-10-18_18-15-16_613.jpg

• wildman9136
• Oct 18, 2012

I've got to get the FB grate and door latch made, finish the air inlet then it's burnout time! It's starting look real good except for the chain handle.

 

[JckDanls 07]

The only thing that would look worse than the chain handle is..... another one... one at both ends.. :biggrin:

there.. I said it... but the rest sure looking good

 

[sqwib]

Dude that looks awesome, reminds me of my build.

If you fire it up and you get a hot spot by the firebox add a baffle from the fire box going under the reverse flow plate, mine is even all the way across now but before the baffle I had temp differences off the chart.

POT HOT.jpg

• sqwib
• Oct 19, 2012

PLATE.jpg

• sqwib
• Oct 19, 2012

Good luck and  I can't wait for the test burn!

 

[sqwib]

Turn4fun, you know it's good steel when it's that old. A compressor made today I doubt will be around 50+ years from now.

I've got a little more done this week, been busy at work again. I have learned that diamond plate for the firebox looks good but poses a problem when making the air inlet. Bumps don't seal or let things slide well so I had to cut a piece and flip it over then weld it to the outside to get a flat surface for the vent to close right.

2012-10-16_17-37-14_466.jpg

• wildman9136
• Oct 18, 2012

2012-10-17_18-42-56_441.jpg

• wildman9136
• Oct 18, 2012

2012-10-18_18-15-27_178.jpg

• wildman9136
• Oct 18, 2012

Make sure there's a good amount of slop in the vents, I made mine a bit snug and was near impossible to slide once the firebox heated up, had to slide out regrind.

This is going to bring you many years of happiness.

 

[wildman9136]

Quick question. The fire grate that my charcoal box or wood will set on, does it need to be above my intake vents or can it be in the middle of them?

 

[daveomak]

Kenny, evening...  below would work best.... an alternative is a deflector welded inside the smoker to direct the air under the fire grate....

Dave

 

[ribwizzard]

looks like you installed the intake vent at the bottom of the firebox,

I recomend installing another one right above it and installing the grate between them.  I like to cook with the air flowing across the top of my fire, but open the bottom vent when i need to recover heat .

 

[wildman9136]

I thought you would want the air to come in below the fire to keep it burning. Why does a smoker want the air to come across the fire.....inquiring minds want to know. I understand all the other mechanics of the RF smoker.....but this one.....hmmm.

 

[wildman9136]

Oh and thanks SQWIB for the tip. I added a little more slop in the vent slide, gonna get a little more done today and have a couple of pics tonight maybe.

 

[ribwizzard]

Air flowing through the fire grate ( from under)  increases combustion, and in turn heat, as you increase airflow, ....  but by directing the air above the fire, you can increase the airflow with less effect on combustion.   Just like a convection oven uses a fan to distribute even heat around the food, your smoker will need a certain amount of airflow.   With out the upper vent, you will not be able to increase air flow with out increasing heat!,  And you want to be able to do that. At least I do.

Below is one of my recent builds, you can see the vent in the door, its above the fire grate, ........if you notice the handle on the left of the firebox, it controls the pie vent on the fire box floor directly under the fire area.

 

[ribwizzard]

Here a good deminstration of the airflow I borrowed from another site.
[h2]Raised Stool Grate[/h2]
The drawing below depicts a smaller amount of air flowing through the burning wood and the larger portion blows over the wood increasing the rate of burning. In this case the rate of combustion can be easily controlled by adjusting the air supply under the fire.

 

[sqwib]

Quick question. The fire grate that my charcoal box or wood will set on, does it need to be above my intake vents or can it be in the middle of them?

Kenny, evening...  below would work best.... an alternative is a deflector welded inside the smoker to direct the air under the fire grate....

Dave

I thought you would want the air to come in below the fire to keep it burning. Why does a smoker want the air to come across the fire.....inquiring minds want to know. I understand all the other mechanics of the RF smoker.....but this one.....hmmm.

YES you want the intakes below the firegrate

 

[sqwib]

cant see em but air intakes are 1" above the bottom, air is drawn up through the bottom allowing a clean burn.

2nd pic shows proper draft.

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• sqwib
• Oct 24, 2012

20120115231.JPG

• sqwib
• Oct 24, 2012

 

[ribwizzard]

sqwib,

Have you ever used a firebox that had two air intakes, one above and one below, and been able to experience how much more control that gives you over your smoker temp.?

 

[sqwib]

sqwib,

Have you ever used a firebox that had two air intakes, one above and one below, and been able to experience how much more control that gives you over your smoker temp.?

No I have not
I have total control over my pit using the air intakes below the fire grate.
I don't believe it's necessary and it would be one more adjustment to make.
I believe in keeping it simple.
Im not saying it wont work however I would think that it would get better draft without the intakes above.
Just my opinion.
Ribwizzard, just so were on the same page, my posts above were direct answers to the question. Over or under
I was not debunking your post.
And it does sound interesting pulling air across the top.

 

[ribwizzard]

I dont want to hi-jack this build thread, so I'll propably start a new one on this subject.

I have always looked at the firebox design as the single most important part of the smoker, and would like to have more discussion on the matter with people like you who I have come to respect from reading the opinions and advice that I've seen given on these posts.

 

[sqwib]

Finally found pics showing the air vents.

20101219238.jpg

• sqwib
• Oct 25, 2012

 

[wildman9136]

Seeing as how my vents are already at the bottom of my firebox, I am going to go with the grate above. Also that will give me enough room for an ash pan. Don't worry about hijacking the thread, I am a rookie when it comes to smokers and love to learn all I can so that the next one I build will be even better. I am going to see how this configuration works and then probably add another vent to see the difference. If I can ever get my equipment here at work to quit breaking down at 4:30 in the afternoon I might be able to get some more done on the smoker. Thanks you all again for your help and knowledge. It has been awhile since I have actually built something and not just fixed things, I can see this smoker build thing becoming an addiction. I am already thinking about my 2nd and 3rd and...............................

 

[wildman9136]

Here is the fire grate.

2012-10-25_18-19-38_148.jpg

• wildman9136
• Oct 25, 2012

Found two 20' sticks of rebar in the weeds at work today..SCORE!

As you can see with my 4" tall vents, this puts my grate a little high, will this change the total area of the firebox as it is related to the BBQ calculator?