Bkndsdl's Insulated Hybrid

[forty_creek]

Strong Work!


Drankin, Smokin and Dreamin

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[Bkndsdl]

It was a VERY good and productive weekend! I got over a major hurdle with the firebox to horizontal gate open and close mechanism, which is working like a charm.

Here's the actuating arm. It is in the down or gate closed position.



Here it is in the gate open position, which is default. You get a good view of the operation here; basically an actuation arm with a rod through a pipe that moves the arm up and down on the other end of the rod.



It took a while to get it to this point........lots of tacking, working, moving, untacking and retacking, adjusting.......but it works friggin awesome now, just like I'd hoped it would.

Once that was done, I braced the side, insulated, and installed the outer plate, just like all the others.



Insulated.......



and outer plate in place. Notched it for the actuator angles and the actuator arm hole.



Once I got that done, I did this..........



One of my other hobbies is flying model aircraft. My youngest is just now getting into them. This plane was given to him, and we've been working on it for a while now trying to get it flight-worthy. Friday I surprised him by picking him up from school with the plane loaded up and ready to go. We got one flight in but it was very windy so I decided to pack it up for the day, but at least we saw it fly.

[Bkndsdl]

I try to make everything that may give me problems removable, so here's how I did the actuation arm. If I welded everything in place, I wouldn't be able to get it out, so I made a removable piece for the upper guide. I drilled a 3/4" hole in two pieces of 1" angle as a guide for the rod. When I got everything just right, I cut the top angle right through the middle of the hole. Then I welded an extension piece on the end that I cut off, drilled a hole in it, drilled a matching hole in the angle that was welded onto the grill, then welded a nut on the backside. All I have to do is remove the bolt, and remove the clip, and the rod comes right out of the top and can be pulled out of the bottom hole.

Here's the clip.



And here's the clip in place.



Here it is removed, and you can see the bottom just slides out of the hole.



This is how I will lock the arm and gate in place; I notched a piece of 3/16"x1-1/2" angle. I will weld this on the side of the firebox in this position. The actuation arm rotates, so when I want to open the gate - like in horizontal mode only - this is where it'll be.



When I want to maybe slow down some heat to the horizontal chamber, I will simply rotate the arm out of the notch.......



......and move it to another notch. The notches are fully open (top), 2/3 open, 1/3 open, and the bottom is fully closed. Here's another shot.



All of this side will be covered by another plate, which will cover up all the innards of this side so as not to be hindered by whatever is under the smoker in this area.

This doesn't look like much, but that is a full Friday and Saturday's worth of work. I did manage to brace, insulate and weld out the piece above the horizontal on the side of the vertical cabinet, and was also able to get the angles for the vertical's racks put in place. I am very glad I got this done, this was a big hurdle to overcome. I woke up this morning and realized I only have a little less than two months to get this finished and I started freaking out!

Thanks for looking!

[Big T]

[Puff]

Got to agree....lotta planning and work in this smoker.

You know I built a SIg Cadet in 1979 and a Sig Commander in 1980. Took the wings off and steered them around the yard. And here they still sit along with MRC radio equip, motorized starter and flight box...36 years

[Bkndsdl]

Thanks guys!

Puff, I love those big Cadets. I have been flying since '94, but put them up for several years when the boys were born. Just now getting back into it. The boy and I are building a Seniorita right now, adding ailerons.

[Rodcrafter]

Good work


Making memories.

[Puff]

Mike, after all the time putting those things together, I was afraid to crash it first time out... I knew nothing then about flying and nothing now ...but I loved watching them fly so I had to try it, then I chickened out

[Bkndsdl]

Mike, after all the time putting those things together, I was afraid to crash it first time out... I knew nothing then about flying and nothing now ...but I loved watching them fly so I had to try it, then I chickened out

Man do I know the feeling! My first, and Eagle II, was in the air about 3 seconds on its maiden......aileron servo in backwards! I rebuilt it for $1.55 in balsa, and flew it for another 10 years. It's like a new truck, you spent all that money on it and don't want to get a scratch in the bed, just throw some rocks in the bed and get it over with. If you fly, you WILL crash.....once you get over that you'll be fine. I've had my share of crashes and complete destructions!! Typically the electronics and engine survive, they are the expensive parts; I like building (as you can see by this thread, lol), so it's not a big deal to me. Fixing can be a pain, but honestly crashes are rare and usually only a minor scrape or ding is what I have to fix nowadays.

[Bkndsdl]

Good work

thanks RC!

[Bkndsdl]

Got the bottom of the horizontal insulated and got the plate put on; I have it tacked, haven't fully welded it out yet. This was pretty tough, I had to get my jack and a piece of wood to push the bottom plate up to the bottom angles to pull it up tight.



FINALLY got the front shelf brackets put on, insulated the front and placed the front outer plate on. This was by far the hardest and most time consuming plate to do. But it's done now!

Here it is insulated.



Front plate fit. That's a lot of holes to weld and grind..........



Front plate welded out and all grinding done. PHEW. Getting closer!!!

[Big T]

It's looking great ! What's the estimated tonnage on this unit ?

[Rodcrafter]

Sweet, coming along nice.


Making memories.

[Puff]

Good question Big T,

I remember when you were saying it was going to be difficult to maneuver as the skin was attached near the doorway of your shed.

[Rodcrafter]

It doesn't matter if you have a big enough forklift. Lol


Making memories.

[Bkndsdl]

It's looking great ! What's the estimated tonnage on this unit ?

Thanks! That is a very good question, not quite sure but I do know it takes me a good while to shove it into the shop; I ended up pouring a small slab just big enough so I could roll it in and out of the shed. I made it about 3" lower than the slab in the shed, and pushing it up that ramp is a bear!

Sweet, coming along nice.

Thanks man!

It doesn't matter if you have a big enough forklift. Lol

I wish I had a forklift.......I plan on backing my trailer up to it and winching it on the trailer when it's time to move it for blasting and painting and also to get it to the back porch. No way is it gonna make it in the grass!

Making the last steel order today, called the steel shop and said they'd call back when they are ready to process it. Can't wait!

[forty_creek]

Strong Work


Drankin, Smokin and Dreamin

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Puff]

After I'd gotten wide tire, non flat $$$ casters. My biggest disappointment could only be that I cannot move it through the grass. I can't even move it over a concrete floor. RC must be playing with some monster hydraulics.

[Bkndsdl]

After I'd gotten wide tire, non flat $$$ casters. My biggest disappointment could only be that I cannot move it through the grass. I can't even move it over a concrete floor. RC must be playing with some monster hydraulics.

Mine has swivel casters, 5" diameter and about 3" wide. They move on concrete just fine, but if I put it on grass it'd just sink. I don't plan on moving it much, but I did want it to be able to be moved if I had to reposition it or something. I have a tilt trailer, so if I need to move it to another location it shouldn't be a big issue.

[Bkndsdl]

Strong Work

Thanks Forty!

[Rodcrafter]

I can sense your excitement, it seems like the final details are hard because we waited so long and done so much work. But be patient the details make it awesome!


Making memories.

[Bkndsdl]

I can sense your excitement, it seems like the final details are hard because we waited so long and done so much work. But be patient the details make it awesome!

I know, I know......I'm hoping I get the material in Friday so I'll have lots to work on, but looks like it may not happen this Friday. I still have a lot to do without the extra material but I can only go so far on others......I guess I can catch up on the welding that needs to be done, but that isn't that much to do right at the moment. I have a buddy that's going to machine the fold-down shelf slots for me hopefully this Friday, so if I get those done I can at least work on the shelf this weekend. I can build the vertical racks, I can finish the holding area under the horizontal, I can install the false wall........I need to stop, the more and more I think about what's left the more I start freaking out!! Turkey day's getting closer!!!!

[Bkndsdl]

My spring handles came in, I ordered 5" stainless steel springs.

Got some work done this weekend. I was able to get one side and the horizontal top insulated and covered yesterday, and then welded and ground out.

Here's the side insulated.



Seems like this is all I ever do..............grind, grind, grind. Wife snuck some shots of me with the grinding shield down.



With this shot, you can clearly see the gate between the horizontal and the firebox.



Here's the side plate before it's put on.



There are 38 holes in this piece. That means I have to drill 38 holes twice - one from one side, and turn it over to clean up the hole, then when I fit the plate I have to touch all 38 holes with a hot tack, then I weld 38 holes in some sort of sequence to keep the distortion down, then finally grind the 38. That is how every outside skin plate is put on........it is very time consuming, but the end is getting near and the end result of all this work is well worth the wait.

Here is the top, before I welded it on. Yesterday was very productive.......unfortunately today it is raining. So, hoping I get a full two days in next weekend.

[Rodcrafter]

Coming along. All that grinding will be worth it. I bet it keeps you from doing that again too. It is still cool. People will say "hey will you make me one like that" and you will not have to think about it. NO NOT EVER!


Making memories.

[Bkndsdl]

You are so right! I have about $15-1800 in it just in materials, the labor would put it up to the $1,000,000 mark....