Learning generally boils down to "Repetition or the avoidance of pain", some people learn by doing, some by watching and some just have to pee on the electric fence.
Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right. Henry Ford
Not much to speak of this week but made a little headway. Got the top section all cut out, chute door placement and gaps look nice. Insulated the tubes and fully welding What’s here as we speak. I should be able to get the bottom done next week and probably weld in the upright supports. We’ll see!
Also should have my bullet hinges at my door when I get home, as well as some gasket material.
Rule of thumb is to allow 1/2 thickness of gasket for your closed gap. So when welding the hinges on the doors and using. 1/4” gasket... use 1/8” spacers to mimic the compressed gasket. Correct?
Got a little more done. Fully welded, and due to my lack of patience and not pre planning for it, it warped of course. Pushed it back out and it’ll work for now.
Due to the flush door, and the way I have it designed, the cross bar that’s usually flush with the lid interferes, so I welded it in underneath and spaced it 1/8” as it now a tad as part of the door sealing surface.
Shaped out the extended lower frame, with flush firebox door. You can see the 1/8” shims I’m using as spacers for the gap and gasket spacing. I’ll burn it together tomorrow and hopefully join the top and bottom by the end of the week.
Already at it today. Uprights tacked in, top set on. I’ll need to massage it some before tacking the top frame on. Starting to look like a smoker a little more everyday! I can already smell the que... oh wait, that’s a hot in my shoe...
Side note, figured out the pic situation as long as your taking/posting from a phone. Make sure you take your pics horizontally. Seems like the attachments/website expect a wider pic over a taller one.
Was out of the shop a lot today but still managed to get the CC framed out. Just have one more bar to insulate and tack in, and I’ll move onto the chute and ash box.
The exhaust... I know GF or well vertical cabinets in general use the CC as part of the theoretical exhaust. Will it matter if mine exits out the side and doesn’t terminate ABOVE the cabinet?
The intake... I have a different plan for my ball valve to stay hidden. Will it matter taking air from either A. Under the smoker or B. Some remote location plumbed by tubing?
Just want to make sure my ridiculous ideas don’t hinder the actual performance or science behind the design.
The exhaust can exit out of the side or back of the cabinet as long as you mount it as high as possible. I've seen guys plumb their intakes in from underneath the FB so it shouldn't be an issue, especially if you're running a guru or some type of fire management system. If you plan on using a natural draft then I wouldn't have the plumbing making a lot of turns or covering a long distance.