Thanks for the feedback. I learned years ago it is much easier to learn from other people's mistakes than fix my own.dacolson wrote: ↑January 13th, 2021, 5:45 pmI don’t think you can ever overthink a build. Really nice layout.
Things to consider:
- Baffle plate gap - smaller tends to be better than larger than your throat area. It’s good you have a way to adjust it down in size later on. If your heat gets too hard to keep down, consider restricting the baffle gap by closing that down a bit.
- Shadow plate - radiant heat through the throat tends to really heat up the fb end of the baffle. Consider adding a shadow plate below your baffle. It’s like a shorter baffle a couple inches below you actual baffle that protects the first 12 to 18” of your baffle from direct heat.
would you bring the shadow plate back in to the firebox a couple inches
- rack space between racks - consider moving your top rack up a bit. Even if it’s just an inch. I’ve knocked the bark of too many pieces a meat sliding my racks out at 6” gap. You can dedicate your top rack to ribs and wings.
I currently have 7" between grates. Insufficient?? 8" would still leave 5.4" over the upper grate
- chimney cover - good idea for rain cover but control your heat with the fb vents, not your stack. It kills the draw.
- Fire grate - I’ve had really good luck with v-shaped racks vs flat racks. The v keeps the coals together so nicely that fire management is a piece of cake. No logs shifting during a burn or blocking your airflow. Just a thought.
I can turn some angle over easy enough. 1x1 or 3/4x3/4?? What gap is advisable between the angle for airflow. Do you run the angles side to side for better weight support or front to back which would allow easier clean out?
Your drawings look awesome. Thanks. I do machine design for a living and have a full version of SolidWorks.The counterweight design is super cool. She’s gonna be a fantastic cooker. Can’t wait to see your build. Me too lol. My buddy is a welder fitter. I wouldn't want to cook on anything I welded together. Good luck!
rob g wrote: ↑January 13th, 2021, 7:24 pm
would you bring the shadow plate back in to the firebox a couple inches
- does your baffle sit directly above the top of your throat opening? If you have a few inches between the top of your throat and the bottom of the baffle, just put the shadow plate directly at the top of your throat. You say you have 4 5/8” between your bottom grate and the baffle plate. You could always move the baffle up an inch and a half to make a bit of room for the shadow plate. A 3” gap between baffle and grate is ok.
I currently have 7" between grates. Insufficient?? 8" would still leave 5.4" over the upper grate
- this is a convenience and use preference. If you plan on stacking pork pork butts on both racks you might leave them closer together to get more use out of the top. Otherwise you can prioritize thick on the bottom, thinner meats up top. Really up to you. I’ve been trying to keep mine spaced close to 8”.
I can turn some angle over easy enough. 1x1 or 3/4x3/4?? What gap is advisable between the angle for airflow. Do you run the angles side to side for better weight support or front to back which would allow easier clean out?
Not sure I’m catching what you mean here. Angle iron instead of the grate? If you're going with a flat bottomed log grate, the expanded metal is fine. Very usable. I’ve built some v-shaped baskets as have a few others on here that I really like but there are many many fire grates like yours that work well. Here’s a pic of one of mine:
This is what I was thinking of when you mentioned angle for the firebox.dacolson wrote: ↑January 13th, 2021, 9:04 pmrob g wrote: ↑January 13th, 2021, 7:24 pm
would you bring the shadow plate back in to the firebox a couple inches
- does your baffle sit directly above the top of your throat opening? If you have a few inches between the top of your throat and the bottom of the baffle, just put the shadow plate directly at the top of your throat. You say you have 4 5/8” between your bottom grate and the baffle plate. You could always move the baffle up an inch and a half to make a bit of room for the shadow plate. A 3” gap between baffle and grate is ok. I've made the changes to get the shadow plate off the top edge of the firebox with a 2" gap to the baffle plate
I currently have 7" between grates. Insufficient?? 8" would still leave 5.4" over the upper grate
- this is a convenience and use preference. If you plan on stacking pork pork butts on both racks you might leave them closer together to get more use out of the top. Otherwise you can prioritize thick on the bottom, thinner meats up top. Really up to you. I’ve been trying to keep mine spaced close to 8”.
I can turn some angle over easy enough. 1x1 or 3/4x3/4?? What gap is advisable between the angle for airflow. Do you run the angles side to side for better weight support or front to back which would allow easier clean out?
Not sure I’m catching what you mean here. Angle iron instead of the grate? If you're going with a flat bottomed log grate, the expanded metal is fine. Very usable. I’ve built some v-shaped baskets as have a few others on here that I really like but there are many many fire grates like yours that work well. Here’s a pic of one of mine:
59F2C3D8-8EF0-4883-BAC1-56EBCA459D36.jpeg
Thanks for your feedback and help. I can start doing detail drawings now and get material quoted.
It was our first build. I take no credit for the build though. I do machine design for a living but haven't welded anything since highschool lol. My friends wanted a smoker and had a tank to base it on. One of the guys is a millwright with fabrication skills and he gets the kudos for the build. All of the experience on this site made the design a whole lot easier. Just a matter of a little reading and asking a few questions.Kcd2016 wrote: ↑April 2nd, 2021, 7:39 pmPost #1 implies first build, correct?
I'd grade this a solid 75... Out of a scale of 1-10!
Y'all knocked it out of the park!
Those hinges are really interesting... you got my wheels spinning now. I had the same plan with installing mounting brackets with bolt holes instead of permanently welding it to something. I'll probably also weld on permanent attachment points for tie downs/hoisting.
The door issue is mostly resolved. There is a brisket going on it tomorrow. Dustin got tired of burning wood in while we were sorting out problems and not eating so he threw some sausages into it this morning while we were testing.Dirtytires wrote: ↑April 3rd, 2021, 10:50 amNow the fun really starts! Cooking, learning, eating....,repeat!
Congrats....