Bkndsdl's Insulated Hybrid

Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 15th, 2015, 2:57 pm

After scouring this and other smoking sites, building a few smokers for myself (check my sig line), I've decided it's time to build a smoker that'll do all that I want. I am going to merge several builds into one. I want an insulated fb, tuneable cc, and a rf cabinet. My plan is to merge these three builds:

The Iron Maiden

Insulated Cabinet RF

120 Insulated Firebox

The main thing I want is to be able to use this one smoker for a multitude of things. I want to be able to use just the cabinet if I want as a rf stand-alone smoker, or use the cc as the cooker and the cabinet as a warmer, or use the cc as a grill. I am planning on two racks in the cc, and at least 5 racks in the cabinet. I will insulate the fb, rf cabinet, and cc. I plan on using a bi-fold door that I've got a design for in my head. I will use an 80 gallon compressor tank as the cc and will build the fb and cabinet from square tubing and sheetmetal. This will be a loooong build, but one that I hope will be able to meet all my needs. This build will also serve as a test platform for a larger smoker made from a 150 gallon propane tank.

Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 15th, 2015, 2:59 pm

This is what I'm starting with.

The side (now bottom) fitting will serve as a drain.

It's hard to see, but the tank tag says the shell is .105" thick, just shy of 1/8". Not as thick as I would like, but I gotta work with what I got.

Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 15th, 2015, 2:59 pm

Lots of calcs........I am an AutoCAD operator by trade, but unfortunately I do not require AutoCAD at my present job. So I have to go back to the drawing board......literally.

Here's the initial concept (VERY rough draft).

Here's some detail on the rf cabinet. It has two smoke channels on each side. The smoke and heat will come from the fb through the channels and into the chamber, then down to an exhaust opening in the back of the cabinet, near the bottom.

Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 15th, 2015, 3:00 pm

Here's a top down view of the fb and cabinet divider. It's a 1/4" plate with two slots cut in each side; this is where the heat/smoke from the fire come into the cabinet. When in cabinet mode these will be open; in cc mode, the holes will be covered up. The hole in the center is for a water pan; it will be covered up in cc mode as well.

Here's my bill of material. I am figuring two sheets of 1/8" sheet, 5'x10', and at least two sticks of 1" x1" x20' tube. This is for the cabinet only.

Post by **Rodcrafter** » January 15th, 2015, 3:26 pm

I don't want to sound like a downer but that sure is thin.
I'm not sure about the thickness of material you are wanting to use. I would never do as much work as this requires using thin stuff like that. But hey you might teach me something.

Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 15th, 2015, 7:40 pm

Rodcrafter wrote:I don't want to sound like a downer but that sure is thin.
I'm not sure about the thickness of material you are wanting to use. I would never do as much work as this requires using thin stuff like that. But hey you might teach me something.

I understand your concern, I had my doubts at first. I've done a lot of research on it and I'm plenty confident it'll do what I want. If you think about it, most smokers you see out there now are about half that thick. Heck, the webers are much thinner than that. I did consider making the inside liners removable, but I decided I've seen enough smokers thinner than this work for a long time, and all of the double wall designs I've seen that have been working well are of the same construction.

Please don't misunderstand, I greatly appreciate you voicing your concerns. In this instance, however, I think I'll be just fine.

Thanks for watching!

noXcuse · Post by **noXcuse** » January 15th, 2015, 10:14 pm

Just FYI, my current trailer smoker is all 1/8" steel. That was a huge mistake on my part. It was my first build and I never knew about this site. The firebox is all kinds of warped and it doesn't hold heat worth a crap. If I get rained on for 5 minutes, I'm screwed. I'm collecting materials now for my new build. That's going to be all 1/4" with an insulated firebox and warming cabinet. I would highly recommend listening to these guys on here. A lot of them are professional pit builders and know what their talking about.

Post by **Rodcrafter** » January 15th, 2015, 10:41 pm

All I use is 3/8" I can get my cookers up to temp the open it and load it and it is back to temp in just a few minutes. I will leave my smokers in my will.

Puff · Post by **Puff** » January 16th, 2015, 12:03 am

Oh my! That's a bizarre but real thought RC. I just realized that. My son has his now so he won't need it...my son in law is getting one shortly, so he won't need it... My grandson is only a few weeks old but my son will be able to pass his on to him, so he won't need it.

I'm out of bequeathed

Post by **Rodcrafter** » January 16th, 2015, 6:51 am

LOL,

Boy that's a problem PUff!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 16th, 2015, 8:04 am

noXcuse wrote:Just FYI, my current trailer smoker is all 1/8" steel. That was a huge mistake on my part. It was my first build and I never knew about this site. The firebox is all kinds of warped and it doesn't hold heat worth a crap. If I get rained on for 5 minutes, I'm screwed.

noxcuse, thank you for your input. My smoker will not be 1/8" only, it will be built with 1/8" skin inside, framed up with 1" sq tube, insulated, then another skin on the outside. It is not 1/8" exposed. I would not be even thinking of building it out of 1/8" and not insulating it. I would be surprised if the door even closed after the first run.

noXcuse wrote:I would highly recommend listening to these guys on here. A lot of them are professional pit builders and know what their talking about.

Please guys, I don't want to disrespect anyone here, you guys are master craftsmen and I am in awe of the work done here. I have done a lot of research on this and I am very confident that what I'm building will be just fine. I seriously considered a removeable liner for the firebox and still may do so. The top of the firebox will be at least 1/4" thick, maybe even thicker, and will be removeable, because the top of the firebox gets pummelled with all the heat. I have not seen any of the designs I based my smoker on fail or warp.

Thanks for the concern.

Pennywise · Post by **Pennywise** » January 16th, 2015, 11:14 am

Puff wrote:Oh my! That's a bizarre but real thought RC. I just realized that. My son has his now so he won't need it...my son in law is getting one shortly, so he won't need it... My grandson is only a few weeks old but my son will be able to pass his on to him, so he won't need it.

I'm out of bequeathed

I volunteer to be your bequeathed.

noXcuse · Post by **noXcuse** » January 16th, 2015, 6:13 pm

I don't think anyone is trying to knock your project. Just some advice on what to watch out for. I think even with the 1/8" inner skin, you stand the chance of having warping issues. I hope it works out for you. I just wanted to warn you first what I went through.

Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 16th, 2015, 8:17 pm

It's all good.

Doing some mockups with dollar tree foamboard so I can get the dims just right, lol.

Post by **Tom_Heath** » January 16th, 2015, 9:58 pm

My pellet cabinet was 10 gauge inner skin and 16 gauge putter. It was a gravity freed before it was a pellet.

Second one we built with 16 gauge inside and out.

The coal chute did have some warp but that was on the chute itself.

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Post by **Rodcrafter** » January 16th, 2015, 11:42 pm

I think the small fire in either of your cabinet smokers Tom would be very small when comparing to this offset RF with warmer box. But we will see how it goes.

Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 23rd, 2015, 6:01 pm

Here is my design layout. This was done in SketchUp. It's pretty easy to use; I am an AutoCAD operator by trade and I was pretty surprised at the versatility of this free software.

The pink box in the bottom is what my recommended firebox size is. As you can see I have plenty of area. The v shaped object in the bottom is what I plan on for my coal grate. It will be able to be slid out of the fb on 1" sq tube rails. I am going to build the intake out of the bottom, it will protrude from the bottom and the sides of the protrusion will have the intake slides. The very bottom of the protrusion will be removeable for ash dumping.

Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 23rd, 2015, 6:06 pm

A few other views.

Post by **Tom_Heath** » January 23rd, 2015, 6:09 pm

If you are not already planning it. I would make the basket hang and slide out on rails mounted toward the top.

Nice drawing as well.

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Post by **Tom_Heath** » January 23rd, 2015, 6:09 pm

Oops... Didn't see the second picture.

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Bkndsdl · Post by **Bkndsdl** » January 23rd, 2015, 6:17 pm

This image shows just how awesome this software is; plate nesting. I can draw a 5x10 sheet of plate, then lay all the parts and pieces on it so as to utilize as much of the plate as possible.....saves a ton of time and money.

Post by **Rodcrafter** » January 23rd, 2015, 7:27 pm

The Czar · Post by **The Czar** » January 24th, 2015, 8:52 am

That's handier than a pocket on a shirt!!!

Post by **Tom_Heath** » January 24th, 2015, 9:01 pm

Heck of a comment coming from a pocket hater.

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The Czar · Post by **The Czar** » January 24th, 2015, 9:23 pm

Pocket lover....

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