Start of a mini

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » June 27th, 2019, 4:29 pm

After bugging Frank half the day yesterday I got a set of plans for the mini. I was looking through them this morning and most of the material that is used is the same that we use at work so material cost will be minimal. This will be my first build from a set of plans. After looking at other builds this should be cake compared to winging it like my last four.

I have a question for those that added 6 inches to the height. Did you add the extra height to the fire box side for simplicity and extra volume? I’m thinking about adding 10 inches to the the cook chamber side but leaving the firebox side per plan. Any issues with the fire keeping up with the extra volume?

Thanks Jeff

pr0wlunwoof · Post by **pr0wlunwoof** » June 27th, 2019, 6:37 pm

If anything I think you will have to refresh your charcoal more often. I would extend both to avoid issues.

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Dirtytires · Post by **Dirtytires** » June 27th, 2019, 9:15 pm

I would bug Frank again, lol. I know you have some wiggle room but he could tell you exactly what your limits are without screwing up the smoker function.

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » June 30th, 2019, 1:22 pm

I asked frank the other day and he said I shouldn’t have any issues.

I have all the parts ordered just waiting for them to show up. Steel is going to be under $100. I guess my boss likes me.

The only thing I haven’t ordered is a fan and controller. Any suggestions/recommendations? I’m at a loss since there are too many and can’t seem to find an all in one kit. I’m not looking to brake the bank on one either.

Thanks Jeff

pr0wlunwoof · Post by **pr0wlunwoof** » June 30th, 2019, 3:22 pm

I have a heatermeter. It's not plug and play but you cant beat it for functionality and versatility.

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jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » July 1st, 2019, 3:36 pm

You got to love amazon. I don’t have all the steel cut yet and already have parts showing up.

Dirtytires · Post by **Dirtytires** » July 3rd, 2019, 4:25 pm

Better get at it....lol

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » July 25th, 2019, 4:03 pm

I finally have time to start on the smoker. I was wondering in stead of filling up the firebox side with insulation couldn’t I just line the inside with sheet metal like the cook chamber and insulate it that way?

pr0wlunwoof · Post by **pr0wlunwoof** » July 25th, 2019, 7:07 pm

I wouldn't skip it. The insulation is there to regulate the burn rate and also temper the surface temperature on the outside.

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JKalchik · Post by **JKalchik** » July 25th, 2019, 7:21 pm

What @pr0wlunwoof said. I need to cut open the firebox end of my double pan GF and add more rockwool insulation. You don't really want to prevent heat from getting into the cook chamber, but you do want to keep it from the exterior. The firebox end on mine gets rather hotter than I'd like.

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » July 25th, 2019, 8:18 pm

I’m talking about lining the inside of the firebox frame with sheet metal and insulating it the same way as the cook chamber side. It’ll be insulated. It’ll take a lot less insulation.

JKalchik · Post by **JKalchik** » July 25th, 2019, 9:12 pm

That's what I figured..... in my opinion, that's nowhere near enough insulation around the firebox.

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » July 27th, 2019, 5:17 pm

Made a little progress today. Got most of the parts cut and sheered. I also got the frame tacked up and the firebox welded.

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » July 27th, 2019, 6:55 pm

Here’s the other pics I tried to post.

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » July 27th, 2019, 6:58 pm

Sorry but it seems that I can only upload one pic at a time on my phone.

Dirtytires · Post by **Dirtytires** » July 28th, 2019, 12:19 am

Nice start....looking good

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » August 1st, 2019, 5:41 pm

I haven’t been able to do much since my last post since the wife is kicking me out of our front garage to the back garage. It’s a cluster and I do my wood work there so I have a lot of cleaning to do. Don’t want any fires plus I have to run 220 for my welder. Plus side of it all I get to work in a/c.

ajfoxy · Post by **ajfoxy** » August 1st, 2019, 7:57 pm

Yeah, watch out for that sawdust when welding...

Post by **Big T** » August 1st, 2019, 8:48 pm

Smokerbuild · Post by **Smokerbuild** » August 12th, 2019, 9:08 am

jsbm wrote:I asked frank the other day and he said I shouldn’t have any issues.

I have all the parts ordered just waiting for them to show up. Steel is going to be under $100. I guess my boss likes me. [emoji16]
The only thing I haven’t ordered is a fan and controller. Any suggestions/recommendations? I’m at a loss since there are too many and can’t seem to find an all in one kit. I’m not looking to brake the bank on one either.

Thanks Jeff

I use FireBoard controller with their 20 cfm fan. You can plug into 120 outlet or run it off a power supply stick. It takes about 8 minutes to get the CC put to temperature. The fan is very helpful when you open the door of the smoker to quickly get the temperature back up. It’s WiFi and graphs the temperature of your entire cook.

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Smokerbuild · Post by **Smokerbuild** » August 12th, 2019, 9:13 am

jsbm wrote:I’m talking about lining the inside of the firebox frame with sheet metal and insulating it the same way as the cook chamber side. It’ll be insulated. It’ll take a lot less insulation.

I built the GF mini. I packed the entire area around the firebox with insulation and also filled the square tubing with insulation. Even with all the insulation, the area around the firebox usually runs about 300 degrees. All other exterior surfaces usually stay around 100 degrees. I would skimp on insulation.

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bjustison · Post by **bjustison** » August 13th, 2019, 4:56 pm

I am using the BBQ Guru CyberQ Cloud with the Pit Bull fan (25 CFM) on my mini GF. I really like that setup. I also completely filed in the area around the firebox with the leftover Roxul insulation. I also filled each piece of tube steel. The outside gets warm but you won't burn yourself if you touch it.

Chromeski · Post by **Chromeski** » August 15th, 2019, 3:52 am

Your build is looking good. I only wish I got steel for same price (or triple) as you did. I have a cyber q for mine, but since I still haven't actually got mine built I can't comment on how well it works. Not sure if I'll ever actually get mine finished, but I'm trying

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » August 15th, 2019, 8:40 am

Frank told me why to fill the firebox side and I will. I was trying to save material for another build. I went with the HeaterMeter but been having issues with getting it hooked up to my WiFi. I think I figured it out and we’ll see this afternoon. Been busy at work and still haven’t touched the smoker since my last post. Hopefully next week I’ll have time. As far as steel goes it ended up costing me nothing. Most of it came from drops and my boss let me have it.

jsbm · Post by **jsbm** » August 21st, 2019, 4:03 pm

Looks like I should have some time this weekend to work on the smoker. I’ll be putting the inner cook chamber panels in and the firebox. Before I go any further I would like to add a port for all my probes. I seen where someone made a recess for their controller with a port. I don’t want to recess it just add a bump out for the controller and run a tube at an angle for the port. Would there be heat issues for the controller since it will be on the firebox side?

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