Building My MINI GRAVITY FEED Smoker

[Puff]

Yippee ... The plans are not even dry yet and I am out ready to go. It is WAY TOO HOT around here but too BAD!...Makes it more challenging trying to see through a wet eye shield

Any how, I will document all of my elements of construction right here in ONE single thread instead of all over the place. Here is one issue I am having and it does present a problem for me. I spend several hours at night reading the posts of the day and pictures on smokerbuilder while mindlessly watching TV or some other equaling mediocre task. In the last 3 weeks.... I am UNABLE to get the smokerbuilder.com website on either the computer or the iPad. I can log in at work or a guest wifi but that's all.

I have called Fios and the guys there took over remote control of my stuff, checked it for proxy settings, and caches and cookies and you name it. NOTHING... Installed WIN 10 3 days ago hoping it would make any sort of change but other than me not caring for WIN 10...nothing there also. EVEN PRIVATE MESSAGES wont work. The links come into my email but accessing them or copy an paste does nothing.. Until I get this straightened out...I have what I call an major obstacle. I could login to almost any webpage in the world and it goes right thru....1 SINGLE SITE ( smokerbuilder.com) and it just goes blank.

If anyone has a suggestion, please pass it on here. I work in the office 2 days a week and will get to it ASAP.

THIS should be a very exciting time. I can visualize this " Family" sized smoker becoming the staple of backyard style B-B-Q smoking. You can move it easily, it is NOT so big inside that you need a map to find 4 slabs of ribs or a chicken. Fuel use is reduced since you're not heating a space the size of a spare room . AND, you can set the ball valve temp and let it do it's thing for hours without having to sit on it adding fuel even though that's fun sometimes too!

I would believe this has now given me the opportunity to really enjoy more que at home. I can go big with the 275 RF or the BIG GF anytime it might be needed but the baby will be a weekly thing !

[Rodcrafter]

I never even sign off of the site, on my phone and my laptop. So anywhere I'm at I just go to the site and I'm on. I know you are all pumped up about your new build all I can say about that is GO FOR IT!



I just remembered; Smoker Tom had so much trouble he changed his name to Pit Doctor. So you are not alone.

[Puff]

Thanks for the boost RC....BUT...I just got home a few minutes ago and IT WORKS... I AM IN ! I never sign off either. My login is always there so when I bring up the site, it is instantly on.

That issue was that it was just a white screen and a spinning circle.....

BUT here it is and its working ....oh Boy! oh boy! oh boy!

Get ready for a wild read ( I hope )

[Rodcrafter]

I have got to meet you one of these days. Your spirit it awesome!


Making memories.

[Tim Schmidt]

Puff, I also ordered the plans, have my cut list ready for frame, and should be able to start welding soon.
Good luck
Tim

[Big T]

Puff, I had problems getting on the site about 2 weeks ago , I couldn't get on from home and when I did it wouldn't let me reply. I asked on the fb page if anyone else was having problems but it seems it was just me. I don't know what changed but I was able to get on about 3 days ago and haven't had any issues since. Any how I'm looking forward to watching your build. I'm considering buying a set of plans myself because of the lack of knowledge on gravity fed smokers.

[Puff]

RC : that pleasure would be all mine and I look forward to it. In fact, this gathering that's being planned for the East Coast is something I am putting 99.7% effort into attending once you figure out where it will be. I have only one or two things that will absolutely screw it up... that's the 3/10 of a percent.

Tim : good luck to you also ... I really see this smoker design as a mainstay for people into barbecue but not needing anything the size of some of the smokers out there. While there are many smaller smokers available commercially, they are not gravity feed, they are not insulated, and they also would likely cost every penny and more of what it would take to build this gem. I am so thrilled to be working on it now I couldn't explain. I have almost everything I need, I am stealing the 8 inch wheels off of the large gravity feed and I may use some of the square tubing I have for a stack after I close it down somewhat with regard to its 4 inch inside square dimension.

ALSO Tim: Would you mind sharing the total length of frame tubing you decided to buy ? Trying to see if my calculation is correct

Big T : it is a good option to be able to login. As you know, staring at the page of rejection can be more than frustrating. It certainly was for me. yes I do have a life and time is limited so I truly look forward to being able to enjoy the rantings of everyone else and the photos and situations we get involved in by doing this smoking thing.

if I go out on a limb I don't think it was me having internal computer difficulties. Somewhere between here and the termination point there had to be a glitch. I would be able to login from guest Wi-Fi services at the hospital where I was taking my mom for her vein treatment but the notice of the " tapatalk" option would appear three times before I was allowed to post something or read something. I would need to click okay wait 15 or 20 seconds and then click cancel the other times. This happened one day may be 20 times, but since I had six hours to sit there and wait, I could not bitch about it to anyone so it helped to pass the time.

I see this in my mind as a solution to large smokers for people that just enjoy the process without needing to fire up a big unit and feed it hours on end. while my big gravity feed smoker is absolutely a performing star, I am still heating up a monster space with five shelving racks, and two slabs of ribs on one of them. Clearly a waste of charcoal.

With the summer and fall fishing season coming to a start, my weekends are a little preoccupied looking for striped bass. the one fish I have never caught in 53 years. The summer before hurricane Sandy, I saw a gentleman on a boat pull up what looked like a 3 foot striper kiss it on the head, and then release it. that was like a movie... a bit of suspension of belief

Anyway I am starting full tilt and it's great to be able to read the posts of people I consider to be great folks and learned smokers. I have learned so much here in the last two years it could fill a book.

Can you just picture these two lonely racks of rib sitting in that big GF?

iGrill 2....first time use...LOVE IT ! So simple to setup

[Rodcrafter]

I think you might be showing off now! Nice looking Q! Lol


Making memories.

[Frank_Cox]

Awesome fellers!
About the difficulty logging in at times, there is a security thing that runs on the server called MODX it was recently updated and some more strict rules were put in place. If you think you are being blocked by this, go to smokerplans.net or bbqsmokersupply.com and see if you can access those sites. If not then let me know. I will check into it for you.

[Tim Schmidt]

Puff
Per drawings on page 4, I came up with 595" including the door curbs. This comes out to just under 50 ft.
My supplier sells the 16 g tubing in 24 ft lengths. I will pick up 3 lengths.
I am also going to make the legs taller, so I can mount a shelf under the smoker for storage and a grease pan.
Seems like a straight forward build.. My only concern is welding the sheet metal inside and outside corners. I know it's just a smoker, but I would really like the corners to turn out nice.. I'm thinking about wrapping the corners in angle iron. How did you deal with the corners on your other build.
Tim

[Puff]

Wrapped the corners in 1" aluminum trim. Not happy but looks ok. I'm trying to brake bend these corners . My supplier only carries 14 ga so I have 70' here between new purchase and left overs from my other projects

Frank, I can get into both sites today. Not sure what the update entails regarding a byte in the data stream that might block some users but that is nice to know... Whew!

I have a near full box of 2" insulation. Since I can trim a 1/2" off of each panel it would be simpler to get a 1 1/2" thick piece which I don't seem to find currently. Found a roll of refractory heavy duty roll material called Fiberfrax. It's 1 1/2" thick by 24" by 25 foot long. Melts at 3200 degrees but is recommended for boilers and kilns and that kind of stuff . Basically the same cost. Any thoughts? Yes it's food safe too.

[Rodcrafter]

I would use that Puff.

[mp4]

image.jpg
iGrill 2....first time use...LOVE IT ! So simple to setup

I just bought one too and am looking forward to using it...

[forty_creek]

RC your right...Puffs spirit is inspiring! I love it when he gets off subject! I'm the same way!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SmokinDTown]

Puff,
This is the stuff I used, because I live in the sticks, and even if I drive for an hour or two, I'm still in the sticks!



He has it in 1 1/2" thicknesses as well.

[Puff]

SmokinDTown,

I know it's hard to believe, being NJ, but I live in the sticks too but after a few miles....yuk! I wish I could move back to Vermont but now that we have a grandson, my wife's feet are even more stuck than before.

Actually, that is the same price for the blanket material I was looking at and it sure look the same. I'm gonna go check out the spec. I can also slice the 1/2" off of the 5 full panels of Roxul that I have and use the " trimmings " for the frame tube packing. The specs on the blanket material is nearly 50% higher than the Roxul but it may just be overkill...I'm smoking at under 275 most of the time and currently, my outer skin summer temps are 95....would 85 be better? I don't think it matters .

MP4....their customer service has been spectacular. I did have a power button problem and they replaced it via email within 18 hours. Of course shipping takes longer.

Forty_creek, that just shows how into it we all are. Hard to discuss only one thing.

[motoridr09]

Where are the mini gravity feed plans at?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I537 using Tapatalk

[Puff]

http://www.smokerplans.net/index.php?ma ... cts_id=177

[SmokinDTown]

And this is what the mini's big brother kicked out today!

[Rodcrafter]

Hey that

[Puff]

She's a beauty. How long did that cook for and how much charcoal did you use. I seem to routinely over fill the chute and after a 6 hour cook, it burns for another 3-6 hours. That's one difference between this gf and the rf stick burner. Can't really see down into that firey, smoke filled chamber

[SmokinDTown]

Puff,
Started the coals at 4:30 am. Put the meat on at 7 am. It was done 5:30. Internal temp was 197. Came out great!

I had coals left in the chute.

[forty_creek]

Nice SmokinD!!


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[Puff]

Had about 2 hours outside be the scorching heat developed today so I was able to cut all of my tubing. Decided to cut a few panels of the leftover Roxul and will use it to pack these tubes. Ordered a roll of the ceramic 3200 degree blanket material to use inside the flats and the firebox.

[Puff]

By the way SmokinDTown, 4:30 is a bit early but it takes about 75-90 minutes for my CC on the GF to reach temp and get to the thin blue..! I start it about 10:00 for those longer cooks. We eat later !