attaching firebox assembly to the frame and panels

[StorkQ]

Hi all, I'm planning my mini GF build. Since the plans don't include weld details I need some help.

The firebox assembly touches many areas. Should everything be fully welded? Or should certain areas be left unwelded to allow for expansion and crimping because of temperature.

The left side of the CC. Could be left resting on a piece of angle which is welded to the CC left wall.
The right side of the CC. Must be airtight, so the transfer tube needs to be welded to the side panel.
The support tube in the frame which more or less caries the whole FB. I don't see need the weld the FB to this tube.
The outside top panel where the charcoal chute exits. To prevent water ingress I would like to fully weld the tubes around the charcoal chute to the top panel. Is that wise?
The right outside panel where the firebox door exits. Like to charcoal door I would like the tubes fully welded to the side panel. Is that wise?

Fully welding everything makes a very sturdy smoker, but it costs time and money. And should I need to fix or change something in the future the time to cut the firebox out is even more expensive.

Thank you all for your feedback,

Stork

[ajfoxy]

Put it this way, if you weld everything, it will be strong, tight and enable you to sleep at night knowing you won't have to rip it apart down the road to fix it...

On my DP I welded everything. I did not want air coming in where it should not, smoke escaping where it should not and especially did not want hot fat dripping on the insulation. The way I figure it the short amount of time spent welding everything properly is preferable to the hassle of redoing it down the road.
Perhaps I'm anal-retentive and ymmv.

[StorkQ]

I totally agree that everything in the CC should be fully welded to prevent false air and ingress of grease into the insulation. My concern is the amount of stress, around the ash and charcoal doors, caused by the temp difference between the very hot firebox assembly and cool outer panels. If everybody fully welds it and it doesn't crack after many cooks that it won't be a problem.

thanks for your input

[Heatermeter builder]

I'm no professional, but I think you are trying to apply wood knowledge to steel knowledge. If that makes sense, lol. After the steel is welded it becomes in sense one piece of material. Wood never becomes one piece, no matter how much glue or nails you may apply. After you weld the FB it locks it in places and will prevent future issues.

[StorkQ]

I admit that I like to wrestle dead tree carcasses uhh ... I mean fine woodworking. A while ago I saw a steam based weedburner in the shop which was cracked in several places because the heated plate / steam generator expanded so much that several welds on the support frame broke. The amount of heat pumped into the weedburner is absurd compared to the smoldering charcoal in a GF smoker. But given the amount of time and money involved in building a (GF) smoker it's better to ask about these details if your not sure about it.
There's not much info on the forum how the various designs and builds hold up over a longer period.

Thanks again for your input.

[Heatermeter builder]

I'm right there with ya.

I just received most of my material today and I will be learning something new every day I weld on it. I did some test welding a couple of times, this past few weeks and that's my only experience welding thus far. I can't wait to start and at the same time I am kinda intimidated at the shear size of this project. If only I could get my 3d printer to print steel, lol.

[Rodcrafter]

I just want to let you know one thing. Tack things together and check it all out to make sure its square and right before you weld it out. And never weld just starting on one end and going to the other. This will cause thin metal to distort and even thick metal to hold unseen stress.


Making memories!

[Heatermeter builder]

Stitch welded. Weld a little and while that spot is cooling weld another spot and so on.

[mp4]

I did well places on my mini that didn't need it but I didn't realize until it was all put together.

You most certainty want the inside cook chamber seams to be welded 100%. You don't need a seamless weld to the frame outside the cook chamber though. Weld it enough to be sturdy and then weld a little bit more so you sleep good at night.

Ditto on stitch welding, especially the external skin so you don't warp the snot out of it like I did. Im going to paint mine camouflage in hopes to hide some of it.

[StorkQ]

Thank you all for the input. When I make my mini GF build I'll take some pictures of my choice of welding.
Still I'm facing a lot of choices. I live in a very harsh climate, so everything rusts. But stainless plate raises the bill a lot. And I need to TIG it all because I can't MIG it. Perhaps I only use stainless for the cooking chamber and mig braze zincor panels to the outside. I'll make some test pieces the following days and see how things turnout. However reading this advice in another post, stainless might not be such a great idea.

I'll also call the coating company what kind of (semi) heat resistant coatings they offer, they do powder coating and industrial spray paint jobs. Any recommendations on the type of coating? I've seen that forum member Eeny had to put a piece of stainless around to firebox door because the paint burned of, so it definitely gets hot in that area.

[Squiggle]

I don't recommend stainless in the CC as the seasoning(grease & flavour) inside the CC will just fall off. If you must use SS then just the grates will be enough.