Centre feed reverse flow build (for Metric meat only)

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » February 24th, 2014, 9:08 pm

Hi everyone,

Was about time I did more work on this build. The wind is bad, and tig welding in the wind is hard work, so I just managed to get the main cc catches on this weekend.

I also got a 1m piece of 30mm dia ash dowel for the handle. I'm hoping to use this smoker as a stick burner, and oak is the only bbq wood that I can get in England, so oak as the handle seemed appropriate.

The next main task is the firebox. This will be 500x500mm square and 650mm tall, and will sit under the main cc. It will be 5mm steel.

I've decided to cheat and get the firebox welded by a local fabrication company. There is a lot of welding, and doing it in the wind with tig will take ages. It's a major hurdle, so to have the basic box welded up for me will save a lot of time, I'm looking forward to it. I should have the firebox done and with me this week so I can Install the rails for the fire basket and the ash pan, then do the door. I also need to make a frame for it to sit on with wheels and devise the way the cooking chamber sits on the stand (it's separable for transport).

I have attached some photos of the latches, the wooden handle and a photo of this weather Im moaning about, taken from my heli.

Pete.

Post by **Rodcrafter** » February 25th, 2014, 7:17 am

Wow,that is a lot of water! I like the "my heli" part, that would make for some nice getting around the whole high water issue.

Clover Ridge Smokers · Post by **Clover Ridge Smokers** » February 25th, 2014, 7:39 am

Rev.Mike · Post by **Rev.Mike** » February 25th, 2014, 9:14 am

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » February 25th, 2014, 5:19 pm

I am picking the steel up for the firebox tomorrow. The firebox is 500x500mm square and 650mm high, 5mm thick walls. The steel is £110, and to have it welded entirely is 40 pounds.

Gonna be good

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » February 25th, 2014, 5:43 pm

with what you've described it's gonna weigh a lot more than 40 pounds… just sayin'

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » February 26th, 2014, 7:58 pm

That's 40 pounds, not lbs hahaha.

Got steel today,

Looking forward to it...

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » February 28th, 2014, 12:27 pm

I have my firebox!!

I also have a bundle of angle steel and box section that arrived ready for the fire basket rails, and I hope to install those and start on the dampers this weekend. I need some advice regarding the position and size of the damper holes, pitcalc is nt really setup for centre flow.

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » February 28th, 2014, 1:11 pm

Can you explain what you mean by damper holes?
I think I know but …..

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » March 1st, 2014, 1:12 pm

Had a good day today, cut intakes and made and installed fire basket rails, and stood the cabinet on the top to see how it will look.

Tig welding in the wind is crap so I've been hiding under a tarpaulin to keep the wind away. Next up is the front door, damper shutters and the cabinet handle....

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » March 5th, 2014, 12:41 pm

Been doing more work, got the food rack rails in, and the front panel with the door opening cut for the firebox. The door is an overlapping type.

The firebox somehow ended up with a Bowed side. A big hydraulic jack has fixed that.

I also have the food grate grill, it's all very exciting.

Pete.

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » March 5th, 2014, 1:12 pm

That last pic looks like you're taking apart your rabbit hutch to make your smoker!

NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT!

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » March 5th, 2014, 2:54 pm

That's just how the mesh arrived. Just welded the front door frame on and tried the door for size. Looks good. Gonna do another pass tomorrow to thicken the bead up and grind it smooth. The latch for the door is coming tomorrow.

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » March 6th, 2014, 1:39 pm

A friend CNC turned some collars dor the oak handle. Very smart!

Also beefed up my tig torch.

Post by **Rodcrafter** » March 6th, 2014, 3:16 pm

CrazyD · Post by **CrazyD** » March 6th, 2014, 7:45 pm

looks really good. wish i had a friend with a CNC haha.

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » March 8th, 2014, 5:11 am

me LIKE collars!

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » March 8th, 2014, 8:54 pm

Well I've had a busy day. Fitted the door hinges and latch, made the log basket and made one food grill.

The log basket is 1x1inch stainless weld mesh, and polished stainless angle that I spotted on the rack at a local metal shop and I bought it off them. I thought making the basket entirely stainless was a good idea, hot things rust quick.

Tomorrow I have to do the second food grate, and maybe the handles. I'm now thinking about the base, I have the wheels but I need to arrange it so it does not obstruct the air intakes.

Will see what tomorrow brings.

Gizmo · Post by **Gizmo** » March 9th, 2014, 8:20 am

I usually design the base from the top down. First decide what maximum height you want the top grate at then do the math for that height of base including wheels. You might discover they don't interfere with the draft at all and you may be able to lower it a little on paper before you start cutting. Also spreading your wheels for a broader more stable base should pull the rubber away from the FB…. just thinking out-loud here…..

Either way today will be great fun seeing it up on it's own wheels for the first time - they're so cute at this age!

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » March 9th, 2014, 4:59 pm

Half the problem is I want the cooking chamber to be a very specific height - 800mm from the floor. This is the same height as the back of my pickup truck. The idea is we can wheel the whole thing up to the truck then slide the cooking chamber in.

I stopped thinking at this point, caus somehow we will have to heave the 300kg firebox assembly into the back too, but we will work out how to do that when we get there.

Did the second food rack today. Looking good inside, just the baffle and shaddow plate and exhaust now and its done.

Pete.

dwwantasmoker · Post by **dwwantasmoker** » March 10th, 2014, 7:11 pm

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » March 15th, 2014, 1:43 pm

Mocked up the smoker today with its new base. No wheels yet so just stood it on blocks. Burnie it's little brother is getting started to do some fast chicken for dinner.

Post by **Big T** » March 15th, 2014, 5:33 pm

Smokeone · Post by **Smokeone** » March 16th, 2014, 12:56 pm

Looking good! Like that thin blue.

PetesMeat · Post by **PetesMeat** » March 16th, 2014, 6:02 pm

Haha, in that photo its more of an acrid white lol.

Had another smoke out today using my little offset as a stick burner, trying to learn as much as I can about stickburning.

I did learn a lot. A small hot fire is what you need. All the reading I have done on this subject goes on about this ember bed. I had embers, but they were in the ash pan. I think the grill was too big and let the embers fall through. Im going to line the basket in the offset with some other mesh to close the gaps up to hold more in. I cut the logs down to smaller chunks, about 8 inches long and about 1-2inch round roughly.

The problem I have as when you add a new log, it smokes like a bastard with horrible white smoke for a few mins. I know people set up burn barrels, but ive found that the hotter the embers (charcoal in my experiments) the faster the wood goes from nasty white smoke to proper blue, sometimes invisible smoke. Also on my offset ive noticed that its hard to get it out enough. I think i need more logs going.

Im having fun though.

And dinner was good

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Centre feed reverse flow build (for Metric meat only)

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