the best way to ensure a proper fit is use a metal shim to set in between the door and the front surface of the smoker that is 1/2 the thickness of the gasket material. for instance if using 1/8" thick LavaLock gasket from BBQSmokerSupply.com then use a 16ga shim. if using 1/4" thick then use a piece of 1/8 or 12ga. this will give you the proper crush depth for a proper seal. I usually do this with the smoker on its back but the ratchet strap idea works great also!
Thanks for all the input. We're planning to finish it tomorrow night! I'll put some pics up before the weekend. I'm kicking myself for not taking pics along the way, but I thought about it! It just didn't happen. I'll take some detailed photos of things we modified along the way (and why).
I do have one final question and I'm afraid of the answer.... I sandblasted the interior. Doh! Was that bad? Everything looks great, but just feels "sandblasted". lol Looking back, I liked the feel of the original steel. Also, we ended up using 14ga sheets because we had tons of it.
Frank,
Thank you for the plans. We did make a couple of mods, but not because we thought it was a better design than yours. They were actually the result of improvising along the way on mess up's that we had. In the end, I think things look sharp and the powder coat friend really put the final touches on it to make it a show piece. I'll be proud to have it on my patio.
This forum and Frank's plans have been a tremendous help. I plan to stick around a long time to give back everything that was given to me. I apologize that I wasn't a contributor until the final days of my build, but I didn't have much to contribute. However, I've learned tons and very willing to share any knowledge that I gained.
I did some web searching on this subject. I learned there have been quite a few people successfull with using high temp RTV as a gasket as it does not dry that hard. I think they used some sort of wax paper against the cabinet and then just glued the RTV straight to the door. That way you end up with a custom fitted gasket. I have no experience with this "or any other gasket fitting for that matter" so take that into consideration.
I would 100% agree the best and the RIGHT way is cut them off, space them out 1/2 gskt thickness then re-weld. Im just passing along some info that I have read in the past.
Here are some photos from tonight. I was really hoping to season it this evening, but it's raining a very windy here in Nebraska. Have a good evening, all.
Thank you, guys. This is a great forum and I'll be around to contribute with any constructive thoughts I have. The only advice I have at this point is that purchasing the plan set will save you $hitload's of time and $$$. That drawing was our compass! Thanks again.
Nice work on that baby..... Love the hammered grey color paint, the flat Nomex, removable shelf ...
If anyone wants a little motivation...those pics are IT!
Make no mistake, there ain't no powder in this Puff ! And... I'm not really a crazy person but I play one in real life
I think it is the firewall at my work that will not allow me access to see that website for some reason. If you could email them that would be awesome! crashst78@msn.com