Oxy Moron's BBQ Smoker build.

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Seeing that everyone is building spits and smokers, i dont want to feel left out.here's a little back ground:I bought a 60 gallon speedaire compressor from craigslist... long story short, after months of struggle and learning more then i wanted to about air compressors, I finally bit the bullet and bought an Ingersoll Rand (SS5L5).what to do with the Speedaire?  i didn't want to use it as a second tank because i didn't trust the tank anymore.  the only thing salvageable from this thing was the 220v motor.  the pump is shot, it leaked oil, the tank is rusty.  So, the pump will be recycled, motor will be saved for future projects.  But the tank is so big and it's in the way.  since i only have a 2 car garage, its gonna have to be dealt with.so, i'm gonna make a bbq or smoker out of it.  here's the action shots: Attached Images
Reply:more pics.   that's how it pretty much sits right now. Attached Images
Reply:Just did a bunch of rust removal last few dayscoming up:casters.little wood platform  (right where that output pipe is)remove that output pipe, seal it shut (might use it for air inlet, if its not too small.)hinge1.5" or 2" wide strips around the openinghandle on the door.for now, i will use the grill racks from my natural gas bbq.  eventually, i'll build some SS racks.more to come.
Reply:Looks good so far.....South Arkansas RebelMiller 210 W/ Spoolgun& dual tank rackMiller Thunderbolt AC/DC
Reply:Lookin' good. I wish I had that plasma cutter when I cut my propane tank.
Reply:Gonna have one of your trademark "unique" handles??A front-to-back stretcher between the legs would go a long way in stiffening them up."Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:Looking good man!!Let me know when the trial run is....I'll bring some beer and steaks.http://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:When you cut the lid out, don't cut the corners and weld your hinges on. Then cut corners and the lid will be centered up.
Reply:Looks great man!! I bought a 60 gallon husky compressor and had basicly the same thing happen. Whenever the guy in town comes through and sells me a torch, ill be right where you are... Do you have any advice i might be able to use??Good luck with that thing... Are you selling it or keeping it??
Reply:Nice action shot of using the plasma cutter.  And you free-handed all those cuts?  Pretty darn straight for free-hand.  What's with the 'angry Sumo face' (Post  #2, picturre #3) ?  And as already mentioned, if you had mostly cut out the lid but left it still attached and then welded the hinges in place, the lid would have been pretty much centered and positioned.  Now it's a little more difficult to line the lid up and hold it all in place and put the hinges on with the lid totally cut out.  Oh well.  Hindsight and all that.  The best laid schemes ... Gang oft agley ...
Reply:Looks good so far.www.thefusionsolution.com
Reply:I thought you were wasting a good compressor tank til I saw the rust LOL that'll be nice when it's done!HH187Hobart 500i plasma cutterClark 4.5" GrinderDewalt 14" chop saw30 gallom 1.6 hp compressor10 gallon pressure pot sand blasterlots of hand tools
Reply:keep posting pictures.  Looks good so far!Millermatic 135Syncrowave 250
Reply:Nice work Oxy! Those cuts are nice and straight. Seems like a lot of rust in there, did you drain it daily? Just curious.SteveJunkYard Tools .com
Reply:thanks for all the positive comments.  the compressor was purchased used.  the date on it was 198x.  After taking the pump and motor off, while rolling the tank around, i can hear stuff inside the tank, which i guess to be rust.  and i turned out to be right.  I dont know if the previous owner(s) drained it daily, my guess is no.  I have a friend who has a 30gallon Speedaire that's been going strong for at least 30 years.  which is why i bought another speedaire.  unfortunately, i didn't think of moronic owners who dont take care of their equipment  Originally Posted by hvwLookin' good. I wish I had that plasma cutter when I cut my propane tank.
Reply:Originally Posted by LanseLooks great man!! I bought a 60 gallon husky compressor and had basicly the same thing happen. Whenever the guy in town comes through and sells me a torch, ill be right where you are... Do you have any advice i might be able to use??Good luck with that thing... Are you selling it or keeping it??
Reply:Instead of a midget to hold your door for you, wrap the edges with 12 ga. strap. It'll hold the door in place to set the hinges and it helps keep the smoke and heat inside the BBQ. See how I did it in this post:http://weldingweb.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=28855Some folks use the same idea, but put the strap inside the barrel...giving the door a place to sit on. Your BBQ your call, do it how you want, just a suggestion.  Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.                                         -Cree Indian ProverbSA 200 LincolnVictor Torches
Reply:You don't need a little person. I cut my lid out all the way just as you did. I really needed to since I have three doors and it was easier on me. We just tacked support tabs to the  top and bottom of the door opening,  and laid the doors over them. They supported everything perfectly and allowed the doors to be centered and aligned with the tank no sweat.  Just knocked them loose after the hinges were on. Doing it that way also makes for a neater job on the flanges IMHO. Our hinges are welded onto the flanges rather than the flanges being cut around the hinges. (Does make any sense at all?). I plan to be done with mine this weekend! Just needs legs. And I'm ready. I want to be making pastrami by next weekend. I looked for an air tank like yours but couldn't find one and ended up with this 100 gallon propane tank. The problem I've had is that it must weigh near four hundred pounds so it's hard to work with. We've had to be very careful not to let it fall and hurt somebody. Yours is looking good.
Reply:Pit looks good.  Can't wait to see it all done.  I echo the hinges before totally cutting out the lid, but your midget idea is a lot more entertaining
Reply:Oxy...I'll be in my shop this weekend if you need anything for your Q!!http://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:Originally Posted by ZTFabOxy...I'll be in my shop this weekend if you need anything for your Q!!
Reply:She don't need no stinking warm up!!That baby's ready to rock and roll 24-7!! http://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:hahahahaha, alright, i'll be needing some 1/8" strips made from the 1/8" thick sheet from the bed project.  this will be for around the opening of the bbq to hold the door up.oh yeah, a mig lesson wouldn't hurt either.  tig has been improving.. but mig just doesn't want to improve.
Reply:No problemo!You'll get the hang of MIG. You've already come a long way from the guy that walked into my shop with nothing but an oxy/fuel setup! http://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:OK, guys and gals, here it is in action.Pouring the first chimney full of charcoal. without the special handle, nobody would know who made it, right, Samm?spcial thanks goes out to ZTFab for shearing and rolling the strips on the side of the lid.  Oh yeah, and that $5 a foot of DOM 1.5x0.125... plus countless shop hours (put them on my tab, Paul)the lid goes back a littlt further back then i like, I'll have to do something about that.here's money-shot number 1.money-shot number 2.  I'll remind you, that this is a 60 gallon tank.  there's an ENTIRE BAG of charcoal in there (16.6 pounds)one more for funone of my helper, my other helper is shywith the entire bag of charcoal, it was able to maintain 675F for two hours now.  I dont plan to cook anything at this temperature, and i dont know if any of you guys do this... but growing up around woks (see the above "angry-sumo" pic) we "season" woks.  So, this is my seasoning session.  you can see the lid has a nice shiny-black coat on it now, and in one of the money shots, you can see i begun to season the rest.  I think its similar method for seasoning a cast iron skillet.needless to say, the entire tank got really really hot.  With the lid closed, you can feel the heat from 3 feet away.  I think i might use this as my fire pit comes winter (dunno what i'll do with my natural gas firepit... )comments, concerns, critiques..... fire away!
Reply:Any plans for a colour change?Pot Belly Black maybe?Are you making your own grill?  Is it in the making?Looks great and seems to work just as well..
Reply:Originally Posted by oxy moronspecial thanks goes out to ZTFab for shearing and rolling the strips on the side of the lid.  Oh yeah, and that $5 a foot of DOM 1.5x0.125... plus countless shop hours (put them on my tab, Paul)
Reply:I'll be looking for a small tank now.  The size is what I am after.  This one is being put back for a future project.  Excellent idea and great turn-out!dmc
Reply:Coming out nice, are you going to blast and paint??HH187Hobart 500i plasma cutterClark 4.5" GrinderDewalt 14" chop saw30 gallom 1.6 hp compressor10 gallon pressure pot sand blasterlots of hand tools
Reply:I'll be painting the legs i built with bbq black paint.  the legs get pretty hot.  as far as the tank?  I dunno, I'll keep it in the patio when i'm not using it.  if it starts to rust badly, i'll paint it.... i guess bbq black.