First Smoker Build, 24" Offset

[PostOak]

I figured it was time to build my Offset. I bought the pipe a couple years ago and just never got around to it. I had most of the tools I needed and the time to do it so I went for it.

The Smoker Specs are
47.5" x 24" x 3/8" Cook Chamber
26" x 24" x 3/8" Fire box
3/8" stack with 4.75" inside diameter
The frame is 2x2x1/4 angle
All the plate and pipe covers are 1/4"

I cut the pipe in two before I figured out the Fire Box is probably too big, but that's not the end of the world I can always put a false floor in it if it doesn't run right.

[PostOak]

Here's some more progress pictures. Cutting the door was easy but it sprung enough to where I'm not happy. I'll use the chain and jack method but I still wanted to move forward with the project I'll fix that later. Really hope that 3/8" door will bend back, incase it doesn't I have secondary plans that aren't as professional looking hahahahaha.

[Dirtytires]

Looks good.

You will want a gasket for the door regardless and may find it seals when you add one. If not, most doors can be fixed with a little patience and pursuance with a bottle jack.

[dacolson]

It’s hard to see from your pic but it doesn’t look like it sprung very much at all. If it’s bent less the .25” then my bet is it will seal up when you put door flanges and gaskets on like dirtytires says.
It looks like you’re coming along nicely. You’ll be smoking in no time. Especially if you did all that work today!

[PostOak]

Thanks for the vote of confidence guys. Starting it in July in Phoenix was a bold move in my part. I’ve been working on it for the last three weekends so it’s coming along nicely.

Good eye, yes the door is caved in on the vertical sides about 3/16” -1/4” in the center then it tapers back to flush on the top and bottom of the cut. I’m going to try the bottle jack method to get it as close as possible then hit it with Flanges and gaskets. I was leaning towards Lava Lock 3/4 x 1/8 self stick. What do you guys think? Should I find something thicker it make up for the gap?

But anyway I learning a lot and having a good time, and the food will be a bonus

[Big T]

I personally prefer the 3/8'' rope style gasket for my cook chamber doors. It isn't self adhesive so it does require an extra step to attach it to the door but I use the red RTV high temp adhesive and it works great. I have one on my door now that has been on there for almost 8 years and it's still in great shape.

[dacolson]

Whether you use the rope or self stick, I don’t like the 1/8th. It compresses too much and ends up not doing much. I’d go at least 1/4 or 3/8 like Big T. I find the 3/8 is a bit thick for the top flange on the CC door by the hinges - but that’s most likely a bad job of shimming on my part lol

[Dirtytires]

It really depends on how well you straightened and aligned your door. Most gaskets are designed to “crush” about half if its thickness. If you have a 0.25 inch gap, it might be best for a .375 gasket.

More importantly, it looks like you have already welded your hinges on so what gap did you leave? Rule of thumb is to space out your door by half the thickness of the gasket you intend to use so that the hinges don’t bind and the door sits flat. If you didn’t, only option is to use a flat gasket (that may not seal real well) and hope it doesn’t bind or cut off the hinges and reset them.

[PostOak]

Now that gives me something to think about. I cut the top of the door and welded the hinges on, then cut the bottom and tacked a tab on so the door won’t fall in, and finished the rest of the vertical cuts later. My thought process was the door will always be perfectly aligned, that is if it doesn’t warp or bend. But I did not leave gasket space. I’ll have to bend the door back really close and see what happens

I’m going to pick up a 20T bottle jack and get it bent back into shape. Then I’ll try some gaskets and my flat strap, that should be enough to make it work. I hope...

[Big T]

I would recommend that you cut a piece of cardboard to the arc that you're trying to achieve with the chain and jack. That way you can check your door without having to lift it back onto the tank every time that you make an adjustment. My door is also 3/8'' X 42'' and it was a chore to keep test fitting it so I used the cardboard method.

[PostOak]

I saw you post that on another thread, I will be using your method for sure. Thanks

[tinspark]

Now that gives me something to think about. I cut the top of the door and welded the hinges on, then cut the bottom and tacked a tab on so the door won’t fall in, and finished the rest of the vertical cuts later. My thought process was the door will always be perfectly aligned, that is if it doesn’t warp or bend. But I did not leave gasket space. I’ll have to bend the door back really close and see what happens

I’m going to pick up a 20T bottle jack and get it bent back into shape. Then I’ll try some gaskets and my flat strap, that should be enough to make it work. I hope...

Some guys have anticipated that there would be spring back in the pipe after the door is cut. After all , they actually start with a flat sheet and roll form it and seam weld it together under several tons of pressure. . A remedy, I saw a guy do on YouTube once was to split the pipe 48" longways. The pipe actually sprung open about 3" That took the tension out of the pipe, which would turn the 24" pipe into about 25". He then added a flat bar strip back in the gap and rewelded it. He then left that at the bottom of his CC and zero door spring problem. And no one ever know any difference... I thought tht that was a cool trick. Saves a bunch of time in the long run. Some pipe however doesn't seem to be under as much tension. I guess it is a factory setup issue on their roll formers.. IMHO!

[Brisket Envy]

Some guys have anticipated that there would be spring back in the pipe after the door is cut. After all , they actually start with a flat sheet and roll form it and seam weld it together under several tons of pressure. . A remedy, I saw a guy do on YouTube once was to split the pipe 48" longways. The pipe actually sprung open about 3" That took the tension out of the pipe, which would turn the 24" pipe into about 25". He then added a flat bar strip back in the gap and rewelded it. He then left that at the bottom of his CC and zero door spring problem. And no one ever know any difference... I thought tht that was a cool trick. Saves a bunch of time in the long run. Some pipe however doesn't seem to be under as much tension. I guess it is a factory setup issue on their roll formers.. IMHO!

I have a 42” section of a 250g tank I will use on my next project. I plan on using this method to take the tension out of the shell.

[tinspark]

Yeah, It'd might be a good move. An extra step that may pay big dividends
You might plan on figuring the tank CC size based on the spring back after you cut and patch the bottom of your pipe
Do this step first even before calculations or cutting end caps...
Here is the link I was referring to:
I thought it was a pretty cool idea (not mine)!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mI50XCj ... mb_rel_err

[PostOak]

I have a couple different gaskets on the way and I picked up a new 20t bottle jack today. I’m going to get this straightened out one way or another

[hogaboomer]

Be patient with it, whatever you do. I wasn't and I bent a kink in one of my doors.

[Dirtytires]

I will point out the obvious here....a 20 ton jack and chain can exert a tremendous amount of force. A chain that slips or breaks can cause a lot of damage as it flys across the yard so be super careful.

Just a bit at a time....over bend it a bit then let it spring back. Measure and repeat. I worked 2 or 3 days on mine but it turned out pretty near perfect.

[PostOak]

Thanks for the info guys, yes I completely understand the potential energy of the situation. I will be taking my time and standing clear. I do not expect to bend it perfect in one shot, it'll take some time. I'll have this smoker forever so I might as well just take the time to do it safely and make sure it's done right.

[Dirtytires]

Yes....

[PostOak]

Well I tried the jack and chain tonight, I didn't really like it. The door would bend more than I needed it to, then as soon as I released the jack it went right back to where it was. I tried several times and the last time let it sit under pressure for a 1/2 hour, and nothing.

So I did the next best thing. The door was "caved in" the center of the vertical sides was lower than the CC, but the corners were still flush. So I tacked an 1/8"'piece of flat stock on the door side and ground it down to match the profile of the CC. It seemed to work well. Then I cut my 1 1/2" x 1/8" flange material and tacked it place. I'll have a little bigger welds in the center of the door but it'll work just fine. I'm ok with it, and the reveal is pretty good.

The flange welds aren't done yet it's too freaking hot outside. There's a lot of cleaning up to do still too.

[Big T]

[Dirtytires]

The key on the jack is to measure each time you compress it. Then measure after you release it. It will spring back up to a point so the key is to compress it about 0.125 more each time until you find the point that it doesn’t spring back completely. Once you know the ‘bend-point’ you can get it straightened pretty efficiently.

Sounds like you got it handled tho....nice job.

[PostOak]

Had to work Saturday then today I needed to catch up with stuff around the house, but I made a little progress anyway. I finished welding the door flanges on, then I welded angle inside the cook chamber to support the cook grate. Made a plywood template for the grate to make sure my plan was gonna work.

[Dirtytires]

Your design is obviously for a recessed bottom shelf. It is a good way to get an extra inch of clearance for a second shelf and adds a few square inches in rack in the bells but does have a few compromises. First is it will no longer slide out which makes reaching in there to flip chicken legs and the such a real pain. Also keep in mind that the pit needs to be cleaned after each cook so you will need to wrestle that shelf out each time to get underneath.

You probably thought of that already but once you cook with slide out shelves it is really hard to go back to stationary ones as they are much easier. Can’t go wrong either way.....just throwing out ideas.

[PostOak]

I braving the hottest summer in Phoenix History!! But damn it I'm almost done building my Smoker. I'm burning it out today, then a couple more little things and it'll be ready to season then food. All in all it's almost exactly what I wanted. I'm very happy with my first actual welding project. If I ever build another one it'll be over the winter LOL.

Sorry about the sideway pics