LARGE trailer cabinet smoker.. need advice

[hexed]

So I have revised this MULTIPLE times based on advice and I wanted to see if you pros had any good advice for this build. I am not the one building this smoker, but I am designing it so I want to make sure it is the best bang for my buck.

Here are the pics









Inside the cabinet





Disregard the wheel well.. that will have to be moved to a correct location to not tip over of course.

First question I have is.. for the main cabinet, should we go with 3/16" or 1/4" steel?

[Smokeone]

Interesting design. I want to see this one come together!

[SmokinFF]

Damn! I like the design. I'm gonna leave the big question up to the pros. I wouldn't think you'd need 1/4 tho.

[hexed]

Just realized I had not modified the door. The door will be a single door.. pretty large I know. It will actually extend the door to the edges and hopefully have 4 hinges keeping it on.

[Gizmo]

Those are some VERY nice drawings.

I think you should just buy your barbecue "ready to eat" so you can devote more time to drawing up cookers.

Solidworks?

Are the walls insulated? If not I think most guys are gonna tell you to go with 1/4 inch. Lots of mass in that and great for stabilizing temps.
Otherwise on insulated walls I use 14 to 18 gauge liners myself. Careful with the rail mounts so they can carry the load.

[hexed]

Thanks for the comments so far. One of my main concerns is weight and I'd like to keep it as trim as possible and thought 3/16 might be an answer... but I am also very concerned about the temperature control. Trying to gauge how heavy this thing will be for towing purposes, and how much more it is going to be for 1/4" vs 3/16". Most likely cannot afford the extra price to insulate but still wanted to get the best bang for my buck.

[Smokeone]

I too assumed you weren't gonna insulate. If you don't insulate I say go 1/4.
Insulating might be cheaper, but I am not sure. One of the wizards will be along to help on that one.

[TuscaloosaQ]

I would go 3/16 and never look back prolly 1/4 on the bottom Tho!!!!!!!

[hexed]

After reading up on thermal mass the steel's ability to retain that heat couldn't be THAT different from 1/4" to 3/16". I mean it is 25% less in thickness, but I have this feeling that the 1/16th of an inch wouldn't equate to "that" much more consistent temps. I am in Dallas though so I am usually not subjected to temperatures below 30...and NEVER below 20. I do like the idea of a better, more even heat disbursement which is why I have made that diffuser. I have a feeling that will have to be reworked until I find the right tuning.

The slide out firebox, slide out water pan/baffle, and brackets will certainly be made of 1/4".. maybe even 3/8 due to the intense heat. I will not be using "thin" grating even though the picture shows that.. I was trying to make the drawing reflect that there will be grating there and will not be a solid box.

Thanks for all of your opinions so far and I'm glad you guys think it looks decent so far.

[Tom_Heath]

Your looking at 1500 lbs if you build it from 1/4 and thats just the walls only......no baskets ....no shelves...no nothin but the skin.

Not to mention the price of plate. I would think that you can buy 16 gauge and insulation cheaper then just the 1/4 inch plate.

In my eyes, 16 gauge is more then plenty thick if you plan your bends properly.
Insulation is really not all that expensive, I did a cabinet 36 wide 48 tall and 30 deep. Insulation is 3 inchs thick and I spent 40 bucks. Had I been 1.5 inchs thick it would have covered a cab twice the size, nearly the size you are talking about.

In my eyes, if you build from 1/4. I bet your final build will be around 2000 to 2500 just for the smoker. At Least.

FYI 1/4 inch weighs roughly 10 lbs a sq foot

Love the design though.

[Gizmo]

What TOM said times 2 .... insulated is lighter and costs less.

[hexed]

wow.. excellent advice! Yeah, since I am not the one actually welding this the price of insulation would probably be way more than 80 bucks or so. But this is what I was thinking, thanks for the compliments and keep the ideas coming.

[hexed]

So just out of curiosity, could I then change the thickness of the metal used to 1/8", then insulation, then a layer of thin metal around the insulation? Checking to see if I can save money on the cost of metal, to allow for the builder to do insulated for the same price... and it will make it much lighter too. I also have a concern though that the bottom 1/3 of the cabinet would need a thicker gauge just because it is where the fire will be.

[hexed]

just noticed you said "solidworks".. had to look it up to realize what you were asking. No, I am using Google sketchup.. it's free (well the free version works for what I am trying to do right now)

[Frank_Cox]

I like it!!!
You may consider a Vertical reverseflow design. Click here : see KenV's thread
I use mostly 16 gauge for cabinet builds and insulate them. You will build a framework out of 2" or so 14 gauge tubing. if you want to use heavier steel for the inner and/ or outter skins that is fine. you will have better control of your hot and cold spots with the vert. RF design IMHO