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To find the center of the head,I would first find the 0, 90, 180, and 270 degree marks on the cylinder of the tank and draw a line the length of the tank at each point. You should then be able to line up a laser level over the end of the dome with the 0 and 90 degree points that connects them. Do th...

First off, you are always going to have a larger difference on a traditional offset vs a reverse flow. Eliminate the first 12-18 inches of rack space from your calculations as that is typically a dead-zone for placing meats anyway. Secondly, it appears you are using the door as the air intake which ...

Might definitely be worth going and watching tho. The fact that ANYBODY is able to turn in a product must mean that it is possible. I can see that a Webber kettle would be much better than a big offset pit and I just don't cook that way.

Never had anyone ask that and really don't know. With so many high-temp ceramic and fiber insulations on the market I'm not sure I would try it. It just seems messy when compared to roll insulation.

Who in the world wants a hot firebox sticking out 3 and a half feet? Really makes it impractical to feed and maintain a fire at that depth. Building a square box from plate will allow you to size it properly for better aesthetics, functionality and usability. If you are doing a quality build and pla...

Making some great progress! Keep at it as it looks really good.

Yikes! I typically takes 90 min from the time I strike my match till I put meat on the pit...granted I could rush it a bit but I like to stabilize my temps before I add the meat. That would leave me 90 min to cook and turn in the chicken. Pretty sure cooking that hot is not bbq, it's called grilling!

Looks nice!

I also put in a 2" drain. I find that I never use it as it is just easier to let the pit cool off and then scrape it out with a 6" putty knife. Maybe I just don't load mine up with enough meat per cook but drippings have never been a problem for me. Anyway, my suggestion is to put in a threaded pipe...

I used a 0.25 x2" wide strap for mine but it was a struggle to get it bent to the same curve as the cook chamber. It is nice that I do t ever have to worry about it getting bent out of shape but would look for something in the 0.125 thickness for the next build. For reference, my cook chamber is als...

Great to have you here!

I don't think you can ever have too much space between racks. With that said, if you plan on 3 racks I would probably make the spacing the same on all three. Remember that on slide out shelves it is less important to have a lot of space because you can just pull out the shelf to manage your meats.

Looking good! Great metalwork.

I'm also using smaller coolers so that they are more manageable. One thing that really helps is having the proper containers to fit inside the coolers. I have built up quite a collection of the square cambro containers with the color coded lids. I've got them from 2 qt all the way up to 12qt. They s...

If you are set on a low mounted exhaust exit, I can't imagine any difference between the two.

You will need to take the door off for a good fix and plan on spending some time with it. It is a super gradual process where you pull it a little and then check. And then repeat. I have found that it is beneficial to find an exact point to measure progress so that it can be repeated and I measure/r...

Frank sells plans for just such a trailer, might be worth a look. I would find a local trailer dealership that stocks a few different brands and go have a look. Take your tape measure and a notebook and I'm sure you can get everything you need. They are used to people measuring their trailers especi...

A smoker is not like a grill where to can stand near flip meat for an hour so shelf height is not as critical. Make it comfortable to use and remember that reaching up is more work than reaching down. If you put slid-out shelves on it, height becomes even less of an issue because you no longer have ...

Round fireboxes are absolutely fine and a lot of guy use them. I've always been a supporter of going square on the firebox as it makes it easier to build, clean and size properly. I know steel is still expensive tho so using what you have is nice too sometimes.

Agreed. I would have done about 110% just to have room for an ash pan but definitely would not mess with it at this point. Most people don't put ash pans on round boxes anyway so I'd say just keep moving forward.

The joy of the catering pans is you just put the food in it and put the lid on till ready to serve. On-site facilities, travel time and conditions all help determine what else you need. I cannot easily pull my pit to the event so have to transport all the food hot and ready to serve. My goal is to p...

It's tough to keep everything warm and serve at the same time, especially for big events. The first thing I recommend is getting various size stainless catering pans. They have lids, are stackable and easy to set in the oven to keep warm. I got tired of borrowing crock pots and roaster pans and all ...

Yea, think you are right Hogaboomer. Got a few minutes this morning before I have to get back out to the shop so here is what I came up with. Tank volume: 246 gal Firebox size: 18942cubic inches is about right at 107%. Works out to 30" x 26" x 26" Chimney: 1014 cubic inches. 8" x 20" would look pret...

I'll make it even simpler than that....according to the North Texas Tank Company, the volume of that tank is exactly 246 gallons.

Stainless is expensive and hard to work with as compared to mild steel. Most rust can be prevented with a good coat of paint, covering your pit and keeping the ash cleaned out of it. I would say that you would have a better pit using 0.25 inch steel as opposed to a thin sheet of stainless and have i...