CENTERFEED RF

[DUAYNE B]

Howdy all, starting a new build. It is a centerfeed rf. Cookchamber is 38 x 36 x 24 deep, it will have double swing out doors.

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[DUAYNE B]

The bottom plate has schedule 40 4 1/2 in. Diverter cut in quarters to deflect the dieect flame away from baffle plate, which I will be making tomorrow. I was going to do a diverter plate with airgap un baffle plate but thought I would see how this does

[Big T]

[DUAYNE B]

Got a little more done today, cc is sitting on fb for a place to work on it. Got the rack rails built, will mount them next weekend and finish installing bp.

[DUAYNE B]

Bp will get quartered schedule 40 for flow and act as dam for grease. I will raise the bp up another inch and I think I will add a shadow plate underneath.

[Gizmo]

I think you're gonna like that rig a lot

[DUAYNE B]

What do you think of the temp control Rick? I, m wondering now if it will want to run hot. Also it will be insulated with 1 inch pad, bottom of fb and back of firebox will be also.

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

[Rodcrafter]

Nice work DB.

Considering you are thinking it may want to run hot, it may be better to not insulate the FB, so some of the heat can be lost from the sides of it. Once you insulate it, all the heat goes up because there is no other option. The main thing on these cookers seem to be sealing them up, it will run away if you can't seal it up. Of course Gizmo has more experience with these than I do, but I agree with what he said already, "you going to like this rig a lot".

jm2cw

[Gizmo]

RC makes a good point - Edgar's FB was a double wall but without insulation - only CC was insulated.
Your quarter-circle diverter plates probably eliminate the need for a shadow plate immediately above them.
As far as runaways - did I miss something? - are you going to run this on a conventional RF fire basket or a maze?
Answering your temp control question is hard - I can't see your draft intake in any of these pics….

[DUAYNE B]

I like the two of yous thinken, i think i will just box in around fb with just 1.5 in. airgap. it is going on a patio trailer so it need some type of barrier to protect trailer. as far as intake goes, i will be building the fb door and ashtray next after bp. i,m wondering on this unit how the ball valve setup would be, i have a couple of two inch ball valves that could be used. Thanks for your input, some of this stuff is just in my head and it gets released as i go along, lol

[Gizmo]

I don't think you'll want the ball valves at all for an RF.
On any RF your airflow is high enough to get the rig to function properly that a reliable/repeatable/adjustable draft door should do just fine.

If you want to play with it then just build a draft door with a threaded hole in it where you can screw in the ball valve or remove and plug it. Then you can change your mind once you know.

But I've been wrong before.

[DUAYNE B]

This is why I come on this site,,,,,,,,,, wisdom is here!!!!! As we get older it is easier to seek advice then fix mistakes........ I will go with standard slide intake in the door....

[PetesMeat]

Yeahhhh more center feed! It just makes so much sense! Your build looks good, I'm very nearly done on my centre feed too. Your throat opening with those curved baffles is interesting....

[DUAYNE B]

I spent some time reading Pete and Ricks builds before i decided to do a centerfeed, it does make since Pete, specially when your trying to keep the footprint in a certain dimension. this one and a bigger one are going onto a bbq patio trailer and i only have so much room. will have more done on this one in a few days, it is coming together at a pretty good pace, much better than deling with old propane tank.

[PetesMeat]

Also as heat rises, it makes sense from a draft/draw point of view and efficiency, far less heat would get lost as it won't float away into nowhere, heat will float into the cooking chamber. It's a great idea. Hoping to light it this weekend

[DUAYNE B]

Cant wait to see Pics Pete, thats a really nice unit you built there.

[DUAYNE B]

Got a bit done today on the cf. Cabinet welded in, baffle plate and grate tracks in. A couple more weekends and it should be burning wood

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[DUAYNE B]

It always helps to have a wood shop too, made the stands for the baffle plate, I figure they will burn up after the first light up.lol.
I was thinking of doing two doors but haven't quite figured how I will keep them closed.

[Gizmo]

Is there a gap along the right and left sides of the baffle plate/floor of that cook chamber?
I can't tell for sure from the pic

[Puff]

The more I see these smokers the more I just love the idea and I really gotta get the ball rolling. I may just toss the two compressor tanks I have in the barn and just go ahead with this design...

I think your work on this is great

[DUAYNE B]

Thanks alot Puff, it is defifinatly alot easier than dealing with the propane tanks. Looks to me like Petes is gonna work out nicely, so I, m hopin mine will too... Rick as far as BP gap, there is an 1 1/2 opening on each end. I took and quartered 3 1/2 in. Schedule 40 for curvature and welded to the ends. I think I am gonna put a drain on this one. I have room at the center rear that will allow me to go out cc with being in fb..........

[PetesMeat]

I think building a more squared off cabinet from scratch makes more sense than using a propane tank. Several reasons...

First off, (this only applies to some people) it can be hard to get hold of propane tanks. In the UK at least, we don't really use them, and I couldn't find any when I looked.

I also believe you get much more usable space from a square cabinet. If you take a pipe say 60cm (or two feet) in diameter, and then build a 60cm square chamber of the same length, you don't get the round eaves that you get in a round tank, and you have loads more headroom in the square cabinet compared to the round tank.

You can also make it exactly the size you need. I sized my smoker based on two things. So it could fit in the back of my pickup truck and so it would fit down the side alley down the side of the house so I could get it out of the garden. If i'm using propane tanks, I am a slave to the dimensions of the tank.


A few considerations though, building a cabinet from scratch can be a pain. There is a LOT of welding. It can also be hard to position two big thick heavy steel sheets in the right place to weld them when you are first starting the build.

One thing I was also worried about which didn't end up being a problem was metal expansion. I was terrified that the smoker would reach a certain temp then it would go POP and a panel would bow out or something, and it just didn't happen. I did build expansion into the design, and everything can slide around a bit.

Also with flat surfaces and not round surfaces, its much easier to mount things, and I was able to make my smoker in separate parts that can disassemble for transport.

When I did my cabinet, I welded it together fully and then cut the door out, but you could do as Gizmo did on is centre feed, and build the cabinet and the door separately.

Have you decided yet Duayne, are you going to do exhausts at the top of the box or at grate level? My previous offset had the stack at grate level, but as this has two grates in and its taller, I went for stacks at the top of the box. I was skeptical, as people say, you kinda want the heat to stick around, but the increased power in the draft kept the heat flowing and it had no trouble holding temp, I would advise installing a socket with a hose clamp so you can slide the stack in and out to find the right height. I have left my stacks at top of the cabinet height and its working out very nicely.


Pete.

[DUAYNE B]

The stack is flush withe the top Pete, I havent found a reason to be at the grate yet. My first smoker, a store bought unit has stack at grate level, it was an offset though. Have done five RFs now and all the stacks are flush, works very well.

[DUAYNE B]

Got some time to spend building the racks this weekend. Lots of cutting and welding. Finished the frame around the cc and got the piece cut for the gap at the bottom of the cc. Need more days to work on this to get it done...