Hey Folks,
First off, this community is fantastic. I love bbq (WSM owner), and have been wanting to take it to the next level with an offset, so seeing everyone's builds and feedback has been very eye opening. I am an engineer, but have 0 welding experience, so I am excited to learn along the way!
Regarding the build, I am in the materials gathering / tool gathering phase, so I have a few initial questions:
1. Is equipment for lifting tanks, positioning FB/CC while welding together, general stabilization, etc required? If so, what is the most critical to buy / rent. If not, what have you guys used instead to move / position these hunks of metal? I will most likely not be working with anything larger than a 150 gal tank
2. Is there a thread that exists regarding metal flex after cutting? I have heard a good bit about doors being crooked / having an air gap after cutting, so I am wondering if there is specific cutting technique, cutting location, thickness of tank, etc that would help mitigate doors with poor fit after cutting. Right now, the tanks I am looking at are 3/16" wall thickness.
3. Is a cylindrical firebox better than a "cube" firebox? I feel like, from reading other builds, this decision is usually driven by material availability, but if I had the choice, which would you recommend? In my mind the benefit of a "cube" is the ability to maybe cook on top of it as well as maybe a bit more spacious. The benefit of a cylinder may be airflow? Not sure. As steel plate is pretty expensive, I may be opting to buy a second tank for less than $200, cutting off the ends, cutting to a length that gives me the proper FB volume, welding plate onto each end, cutting out the door and FB/CC opening, and welding to the CC.
Those are my questions for now. appreciate any feedback you guys can provide!
First off, this community is fantastic. I love bbq (WSM owner), and have been wanting to take it to the next level with an offset, so seeing everyone's builds and feedback has been very eye opening. I am an engineer, but have 0 welding experience, so I am excited to learn along the way!
Regarding the build, I am in the materials gathering / tool gathering phase, so I have a few initial questions:
1. Is equipment for lifting tanks, positioning FB/CC while welding together, general stabilization, etc required? If so, what is the most critical to buy / rent. If not, what have you guys used instead to move / position these hunks of metal? I will most likely not be working with anything larger than a 150 gal tank
2. Is there a thread that exists regarding metal flex after cutting? I have heard a good bit about doors being crooked / having an air gap after cutting, so I am wondering if there is specific cutting technique, cutting location, thickness of tank, etc that would help mitigate doors with poor fit after cutting. Right now, the tanks I am looking at are 3/16" wall thickness.
3. Is a cylindrical firebox better than a "cube" firebox? I feel like, from reading other builds, this decision is usually driven by material availability, but if I had the choice, which would you recommend? In my mind the benefit of a "cube" is the ability to maybe cook on top of it as well as maybe a bit more spacious. The benefit of a cylinder may be airflow? Not sure. As steel plate is pretty expensive, I may be opting to buy a second tank for less than $200, cutting off the ends, cutting to a length that gives me the proper FB volume, welding plate onto each end, cutting out the door and FB/CC opening, and welding to the CC.
Those are my questions for now. appreciate any feedback you guys can provide!
