Bkndsdl's Insulated Hybrid

[Rodcrafter]

Cool, now I get it. I like the slide to dump ash idea. Good job

[Bkndsdl]

Cool, now I get it. I like the slide to dump ash idea. Good job

Thanks bro!

Well I sent off another RFQ for the second order of plate. Hoping to get it before Friday but doesn't look good, they haven't responded yet. I want to work on the little stuff but it is nasty cold and rainy out..........makes it hard when you can't work inside.

[Puff]

Mike, I haven't gone outside to even oil the hinges in the last month. Way too cold out. My mig gas bottle has only enough volume for a few hours work and it looks like that wonk be happening anytime soon since I'm waiting on a plan. Miller has a coffee table in their news letter. I may just have to build that for the mean time. How do I start a fire in a coffee table?

[Bkndsdl]

Mike, I haven't gone outside to even oil the hinges in the last month. Way too cold out. My mig gas bottle has only enough volume for a few hours work and it looks like that wonk be happening anytime soon since I'm waiting on a plan. Miller has a coffee table in their news letter. I may just have to build that for the mean time. How do I start a fire in a coffee table?

I imagine my cold is NOTHING compared to New Jersey cold! Cold I can stand, wet I cannot.

Well, first ya gotta have coffee........

[Bkndsdl]

Ok guys, my calcs say I need a 4" pipe chimney 30" long. I understand that part, as far as vol of fb vs vol of exhaust. But, where does the bottom of the exhaust need to be? I am thinking that the dimension should start at the fb to cc opening, not at the top of your cc. ie, your cc could be narrow and tall. I wouldn't think you'd still have to add 30" to the top of the cc if it was 3' above the fb to cc opening. Volume is still the same, based on your fb to cc calcs, but I am thinking that the height of the cc, and the location of the fb opening have to come into play here as well.

Any thoughts? Trying to keep my stack as low as possible but still be effective.

[Pete Mazz]

For vertical cookers the CC is the stack. Only a short exit stack is needed. In your case, if the WC has the only stack then all that's needed is a short stack as well. If the CC has the stack then you'll need to use the recommended stack length from the calc.

[Rodcrafter]

Yep
The Calc is for offset cookers not vertical.

[Bkndsdl]

Thanks for the quick reply guys!

Ok, shoulda clarified. I understand about the vert being part of the chimney. I'm mainly concerned with the offset. I am thinking, if by the calc I need a 40" exhaust, and my cc is 10" taller than the opening in the fb, I should only need a 30" exhaust, right?

[Rodcrafter]

No the stack is stack dims only

[Bkndsdl]

thanks guys, I see what I need to do now. I've moved the exhaust behind the smoker and lowered the exhaust openings to just above the lower grating. This will give me the needed exhaust height, and will also fit under the back porch (major DUH avoided).

Here's the finished design layout. The height of the opened cc door is around 6'. I am 5'-5", so this should be just fine. I may raise the whole thing up about 10" for the ash pan under the intake idea but for right now this is where I'm at......

[Rodcrafter]

Looks great

[Bkndsdl]

Looks great

Thanks man. Monday I was able to get the cabinet smoke channels tacked in, no pics as of yet. Got another load of steel in yesterday, didn't have time to work on it. Leaving a bit early today though so should have some progress pics up.

[Bkndsdl]

Got some time to work on the horizontal cc Wednesday.

Here's the top inside made up. Notice the grind marks.....built the square tubes flush to the wrong end the first time. First DUH of the day (notice I said FIRST).



Here's the bottom inside. It's made the same way as the top (but CORRECTLY the first time.........).



I got smart with the design this time and made everything flush with each other. This way you just line up the edge of one plate to another plate and it's automatically in the place it's supposed to go. Makes it easier to build as well. These pics are hard to see but everything lined up just fine.







Well, I didn't get too smart with the design.........I built this one backwards as well the first time. Second DUH..........Wednesday just wasn't my day. Broke the tacks and started over again.......

Laid the vertical on its side so I could mount the horizontal to it. Because of the two duhs I didn't get to mount them together. You can see just how cramped my little shop is.....this is how little room I have to work when it's raining, so needless to say rainy days the build doesn't get much time.

[Rodcrafter]

It's coming along. We all make mistakes on these builds. I just don't weld it out until it is all in place. That saves me a lot

[Bkndsdl]

Yesterday the weather went from the high 60's to the low 40's in less than 8 hours. The wind picked up tremendously, some gusts over 30 mph. It was very cold and very windy and needless to say I wasn't able to get much done due to the weather and my shop being so crammed.

I was able however to get the bottom laid out for the drain. I racked my brains about this a lot, and this is what I eventually came up with. The bottom inside of the horizontal cc will drain from the vertical side to the opposite end of the horizontal. This way I won't have to worry about my grease bridge at the fb to cc opening being to short to keep grease from draining into the fb (it is at 1/2" now). The slope will end with a piece of square tubing, draining through the bottom to a nipple and ball valve. The slope will mean a bit less insulation on the bottom but I'm not too worried about it. Here's the layout.



What I basically did was to lay out the lines, and make the cuts that I won't be able to make once the bottom is attached to the rest of the horizontal cc. I also scored the plate where I will bend the bottom to create the slope. I will simply cut the bottom down the center, push the now separated plate down in the middle, bending it on the scored lines, until I get the slope I want, then fill in the gap created with scrap material. I had to do this because I didn't want to cut up the bottom then have to worry about fitting up the individual pieces. This will allow me to install the bottom just like you see it here, and when I get it locked in with tacks and a few welds I can go ahead and finish the cutting without worrying about having it shift on me.

After I got this done I made a test fit on the horizontal to the vertical, and I am very pleased with how it's going together fit wise, BUT.........it will be WAAY too heavy for me to lift it upright once I put the horizontal on, so I have decided I will get the top and back of the horiz cc tacked on, atttach the bottom of the horiz cc to the back of the horiz cc, then remove the horiz from the vert, install the vert bottom insulation, bottom plates, and casters, stand it upright and build the horizontal frame structure with the casters on the end, THEN reinstall the horiz cc and permanently attach it........

[Big T]

[Puff]

I like that way of creating the slope. In my gravity feed the slope is a bit agressive but not totally symmetrical. That method you have keeps it looking clean

[Bkndsdl]

It's coming along. We all make mistakes on these builds. I just don't weld it out until it is all in place. That saves me a lot

Same here man, I'm only welding where I have to due to access. I'll burn some rods on this one..........

Thanks Big T! Where from in Lower Alabama? I'm in Grand Bay, just north of Bayou LaBatre, Forest Gump's place.

I like that way of creating the slope. In my gravity feed the slope is a bit agressive but not totally symmetrical. That method you have keeps it looking clean

I have a thing about symmetry........I think it's called OCD, but I refer to it as CDO (gotta be alphabetical).

[Big T]

Bknsdsl, I'm just north of Saraland, born and raised here. I'm glad to know that there's someone close by, seems like most of the guys on here are from around Missouri.

[Bkndsdl]

I didn't have to go in to work on Saturday so I got a good bit done on the smoker.

Here are the braces for the bottom where the caster plates will rest on. two sides of the caster mounting plate will rest on the outside square tubing and the other two sides would've been resting on nothing but 1/8" plate, so I made these to fit inside the bottom angle and square tube.



Here they are in place.





Here's the insulation I'm using; it is 1" thick marine grade mineral wool. We had some left over from one of our jobs and this was given to whomever wanted it. I quickly grabbed three big bundles of it. It cuts really easily with a knife and is rigid enough to handle easily. Just cut it to size and stuff it in place.





Here is the bottom done, ready for the outside plate.

[Bkndsdl]

Next I had to drill holes in the bottom plate so as to weld it to the square tubing frame so I wasn't welding directly to the 1/8" plate. Here is one of the bottom plates all drilled and set in place.



Then I could install the casters. These are HF casters, they are pretty heavy duty. 5" diameter and the bearings are greaseable. I have them just tacked on right now, because I don't wanna fully weld them out until I have the rest of the bottom framing built.



Next was on to the intake. I cut the holes with the torture discs......really wish I had a plasma at these times.



Here's the intake built. I decided to build a tray for the ash rather than having a slide out bottom because of just how low this intake is now.....

Tray in place:



Tray slid out:



I figure if I have to add to the sides to hold more ash that'll be pretty easy to do later on. Here's the vertical standing up. This thing is HEAVY......



Remember how close I said the bottom of the intake was from the ground? It's very close........1/2".....



I figure if it gives me too much problems I'll cut the sides of the intake and bring it up, I have a good bit of room. Gonna leave it as is for now.

[Bkndsdl]

Got the horizontal bottom attached to the top, back and sides. I can now attach this to the vertical, but I need the frame built first so I can support it. Unfortunately the oxygen bottle gave up its last as I was beginning to make the coping cuts on the 1/4" angle......Have to wait until I can get a refill because I REFUSE to cut this with the torture discs.......it can wait!

[Big T]

[Rodcrafter]

Very cool

[Bkndsdl]

Bknsdsl, I'm just north of Saraland, born and raised here. I'm glad to know that there's someone close by, seems like most of the guys on here are from around Missouri.

Talk about close! Parents and sibs are in Mobile, we all migrated from Louisiana in '88 (and YES, I am sick of hearing 'Ya know yall stole Mardi Gras from us'........Lol, isn't true, but I tolerate it). I worked in Citronelle for awhile, got some friends that live in Saraland.

Thanks for watching!