Starting new build - 48x24 RFS right side firebox

redblotch83 · Post by **redblotch83** » April 25th, 2015, 1:50 pm

Hey all! Brand new to this thread. First time smoker builder. Building from plans purchased on the site and I had a couple of questions. My father is an experienced metal worker so I have all the metal work covered, just wondering about a few details on the build.

Planning on using 1/4" steel on everything. First off, any recommendations on places to buy steel in the Los Angeles area? I'm planning on using new steel for most of it I think. Would you guys recommend stainless over mild steel? Planning on using stainless unless everyone thinks that might be overkill.

Since I'll be using 1/4" steel do I need to do any firebox insulation? I'll be smoking here in LA so I won't need to worry about cooler climate smoking. Do I also need to worry about any sealant gaskets on the doors?

I've tried to find in the forums information on the actual cooking surface within the chamber and haven't had much luck. What material would you guys recommend? I was thinking to use steel raised expanded metal. Will that be a good surface?

Also wondering about the 3 thermometers in the chamber door. Should they be closer to the cooking surface? Or is that not as important because of the baffle and that will create a more even flow across the cooking surface?

And lastly I was wondering if there was good consensus on painting. Was thinking thick matte black like the fancy store bought models. Any recommendations here?

I'll make sure to upload progress photos as we go!

Thanks for any thoughts!

Post by **Big T** » April 25th, 2015, 6:38 pm

I'm in Alabama so I can't recommend any where to buy metal but 1/4'' will be fine. I don't think an insulated FB is a must in your region. I would use carbon over stainless for a couple of reasons 1) cost of materials 2) stainless doesn't absorb any grease so you can't really season it. Most guys use #9 3/4 expanded metal for the cooking grates (carbon). You'll need gaskets for your doors to achieve a good seal, there's a link on the main page of this site where you can purchase hinges, gaskets etc for your build. I like to mount my thermos close to the height of my bottom grate but they can be mounted higher, most guys also use a digital thermo of some type inside the cooker. I use rustoleum high temp black paint for my builds, I tried the silver but it looked tarnished after a few times out in the weather. I almost forgot

and we'll be looking forward to your pictures.

bluecatfish · Post by **bluecatfish** » April 25th, 2015, 7:13 pm

Welcome aboard, and I agree with BigT.

Smurf · Post by **Smurf** » April 25th, 2015, 7:56 pm

Welcome and Big T has got some good advice.

Post by **Rodcrafter** » April 25th, 2015, 9:28 pm

Yep welcome and the Big T is right on.

redblotch83 · Post by **redblotch83** » April 26th, 2015, 1:20 pm

Thanks guys! Getting started tomorrow. Also, what is the consensus on square firebox vs round firebox?

Post by **Big T** » April 26th, 2015, 2:11 pm

I've done them both ways and it seems to me that a square FB is a little easier to work with. It's not as much work installing your intakes on the flat sides vs the round FB but from a performance standpoint either will work fine. The last one that I built for myself has a round FB because I like the way it looks.

redblotch83 · Post by **redblotch83** » April 28th, 2015, 4:33 pm

Thanks for all the tips everyone. After jumping in we ran into a tiny roadblock with the plans. In regards to the cooking chamber door. We purchased the 3" hinges from the site. The plans say to weld around the outside of door steel 2" plates. If you do that do you weld the hinge on the top of the door on top of that plate? Or do you allow for the offset and weld a piece of 1/4" underneath the side of the hinge attached to the cook chamber so they're even?

Thanks again for all the help!

Post by **Rodcrafter** » April 28th, 2015, 5:52 pm

Weld to the "plate" you added otherwise you would create a leak in the seal.

redblotch83 · Post by **redblotch83** » May 2nd, 2015, 2:35 pm

Thanks guys. Here are a couple photos of the build up to this point! Coming along nicely. We have the baffle plate installed and the firebox attached, but I don't have pics of that yet. Thanks for all the advice guys!

redblotch83 · Post by **redblotch83** » May 2nd, 2015, 3:17 pm

Have another quick question. I've been thinking about the door cutout. And I've seen a lot of cookers on here where the cooking surface is level with center. Is there a specific reason the plans call for it to be 2" below center? Is that because of baffle plate distance? I've noticed that folks on here have talked about cooking surface location and there seems to be a varying opinion on it's height within the chamber. Also, the plans call for the smoke stack to be placed on the back side of the chamber. Is there a reason to not install it on the end of the chamber directly above the firebox? Is that an aesthetic choice or does it draw better to be on the back side towards the top? Thanks again everybody! I'm really excited about how it's shaping up!

Post by **Pete Mazz** » May 2nd, 2015, 7:11 pm

The door cut-outs are usually above top dead center and below the midway point so water doesn't enter thru the top and to shed it below the bottom. So they usually make the door cut-out at 1:00 and 4:00. The bottom rack is usually at 3:00, the widest point in the smoker. The baffle plate is usually 3-5 inches below the bottom rack.

The stack placement is probably there so that any moisture dripping back down doesn't land on your food. Not a problem if you're using an elbow and not going straight up.

noXcuse · Post by **noXcuse** » May 3rd, 2015, 6:52 am

Pete Mazz wrote:The door cut-outs are usually above top dead center and below the midway point so water doesn't enter thru the top and to shed it below the bottom. So they usually make the door cut-out at 1:00 and 4:00. The bottom rack is usually at 3:00, the widest point in the smoker.

Do you mean 11:00 and 4:00?

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Post by **Pete Mazz** » May 3rd, 2015, 8:53 am

Yea, I should have said 8:00 and 1:00, or 11:00 and 4:00, depending which way you're looking.

noXcuse · Post by **noXcuse** » May 3rd, 2015, 4:26 pm

Just making sure I'm not thinking wrong. Thanks.

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redblotch83 · Post by **redblotch83** » September 3rd, 2015, 3:59 pm

I finally got her finished! Well, almost. But it's been finished enough to try her out!

I have a little bit of leak around the door though. Is that normal? I bought some of the gasket material (Nomex with self adhesive) and it still does some leaking. The tube was rolled for me so I guess there might be some bow in it, but it's fairly close. Guess just not close enough.

She also gets much warmer on the right side next to the firebox. Do y'all see that same thing happening on your rigs? I assume it's just because it's right next to the fire.

Thanks for all the help everyone! Love it. Now onto painting I suppose.

Post by **Big T** » September 3rd, 2015, 7:48 pm

I use 1/2'' rope gasket on my doors and haven't had any issues with leaking. Some of the guys have had to add a shadow plate at the throat to help even out temps and some have doubled the BP thickness on the FB end.
:LG:

mp4 · Post by **mp4** » September 3rd, 2015, 8:56 pm

Mine is a fair bit warmer on the firebox side when I'm warming it up, but once it settles in after about 1 1/2 - 2 hours there's only about a 10° difference.

redblotch83 · Post by **redblotch83** » September 3rd, 2015, 9:03 pm

Oh yeah. It's only a 5-10 degree difference. Just wondered if that was normal. My first smoker. It's been very easy to keep it a steady temp. And my meats come out great thus far!

Post by **Rodcrafter** » September 4th, 2015, 6:16 am

And yes it is normal to have a little bit of difference in temp on one end. But since you already have the door welded in place, you can use the high temp silicone trice to seal her up more if you want to. It looks like the leaks may be at the top of the door since you can't get gasket in there. One way that trick is done is to tape some plastic like stretch wrap on the edge where you don't want silicone to stick. And on the mating side make sure it is clean and run an nice bead all down that edge. then just close the door and a few hours later lift the door remove the plastic and you will have a better fit.

jm2cw

Dirtytires · Post by **Dirtytires** » November 24th, 2015, 1:12 am

Maybe a bit off topic but I'm planning my first build and trying to size it according to my needs. Your build looks great and exactly what I am looking for. Would you mind telling me what the size of your cooking surface is? Thanks...

redblotch83 · Post by **redblotch83** » November 24th, 2015, 1:24 am

It's 44" by 23". I built 2 grates the same size. 22x11.5. It's large enough for at least 4 full size briskets, probably 8 turkeys, 10 pork butts. Perfect for personal smoking. Let me know if you'd like more pics.

Dirtytires · Post by **Dirtytires** » December 6th, 2015, 9:39 pm

Thanks....I'm putting wish list together now.....

Post by **Tom_Heath** » December 6th, 2015, 10:12 pm

Looks awesome, and I guess a late welcome is in order. Welcome to the site.

Dirtytires · Post by **Dirtytires** » December 16th, 2015, 11:52 pm

So, how bout a progress report?

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