European Style BBQ (grill) on Pneumatic Wheels

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Hello all,This is probably going to be a long build because my wife is about to give birth to our first baby (a lady) in a few days. Docs have forecasted it for April 22nd. So this probably will put the whole project to a halt.Just to put you into perspective I also do all my work in a shared shop which is about 30minutes driving (30kms or curvy roads) from my city (where I also work, I commute with public transport). To save on gas and make the most out of each trip I don’t go as often as I would like. At most once or twice a week on the weekends (whole Saturday or Sunday morning/afternoon).Well, now on to the project!BACKGROUNDHere in Spain we don’t BBQ in the way you guys do it. We mostly grill the stuff. We get a nice bed of coals going and throw the stuff on the grill. Make sure it doesn’t burn too badly and that’s about it. Most of the commercial BBQ’s are round, semi-portable ones made of crappy sheetmetal. They don’t last at all. The sheetmetal rusts and the whole thing falls apart.I happen to have a nice supply of 4mm thick stainless sheets and I decided to put two stainless BBQs together. One for our shared shop (which is already finished) and another one for myself. I made the first one as means of practicing stainless stick welding which I don’t do too often.DESIGN CONSTRAINSI want my own BBQ to have a total size of 1000x500mm with two different cooking areas, roughly 500x500 each (minus the thickness of the different walls and such) which are big enough to use those foldable grills (for fish mostly) so I can flip them all at once and not worrying about it falling apart. Those foldable grills are around 450mm wide (a bit less once you cut the legs that I won’t need)For my own BBQ I wanted it to be portable because I will need to take it like 100m away from where it will be stored in order to use it, so a cart with nice wheels was in order. I wanted to use pneumatic wheels because it needs to roll on uneven soft surfaces and I couldn’t find any swivel ones… so I decided to build it just like one of those wagons (there was one posted recently by another forumite who inspired me build it this way).CARTI decided to start making the cart first so I could keep my project mobile while it was being finished.I found some 30x30x3mm angle iron and 30x30x3mm square tube in my scrap pile and decided to use it. I prefer to use bigger tube when possible even if it is thinner because it provides a more solid structure, but I wanted to keep the whole thing cheap.I don’t have too any pictures putting the frame together but it is nothing fancy. Square tube legs, angle iron top and angle iron lower shelf. I put the two short sides together first and then welded the remaining pieces. Even though I tried to keep the distortion to a minimum I ended up with a 3mm difference in the diagonals at the end of the legs. Top is as square and flat as it can be.FRONT AXLEI started on the front axle next. I happened to find some more useful stuff on my scrap pile… like a 20mm stainless round bar (somewhat bent and scratched) for the axles and 22mm OD 16mm ID stainless tube… which, after filing the weld bead on the inside, makes a perfect fit for a 16mm bolt (for the pivoting points).I also found a length of big rectangular tubing (4mm wall), cut two pieces about 40mm wide. I don’t have a bandsaw so I always cut oversize with the angle grinder and 1mm wheels and then square them to the best of my knowledge with the belt grinder (homemade).Then I added an stiffener plate because I didn’t feel comfortable relying only on the tube wall thickness for holding the axle (too much torque) and drilled the necessary holes in the drill press with hole saws.In order to weld the tubes as straight as possible (will be the pivoting points) I set it up in this way. The end on the right side is supported to keep the tube level.Tacked.Cut where needed and fully plug welded on the outside.Ground flush on the outside, took some measurements, cut some axle material, set up and tack weld.Cut some tables out of 6mm flat bar, drill to 16mm and dress them in the belt grinderNext.....
Reply:.....Tack weld tabs after the necessary adjustments on both sidesAnd then I realized I had made a huge mistake. As good as it looks in the picture (wide stance, impossible to tip it over, etc.)… it is too wide. 850mm wide for a 500mm wide cooking area. This is no good. I is not going to fit through the door of my parents garage! So back to the drawing area. I somehow got lucky. I didn’t even knock the lower tabs off, I just measure and cut the square tube leg and added some extra tube and plate… and this is what I came out with.I am using bronze washers in order to keep them turning smooth (you can see them in this picture). Time will tell if it helps or if it was just a waste of materials. I also plan on greasing the inside of the tube. May even fit a grease nipple on it… but this reminds me that I don’t own a grease gun… o well…Tacking the front axle in the main frame.REAR AXLEAt first I was going to run the axle material full length and just tack it to the frame… but besides not being aesthetically pleasing, I felt that the lack of support near the wheels might bow the axle. So I ended up making it in the same way as the front axle minus the steering.Next....
Reply:...STEERINGNow time to deal with the steering. I have never made a wagon before so after some thinking I came up with this. I realized that in order to keep the parallelogram in shape, the steering “arms” needed to be aligned to the pivoting points and square to the axle. To have enough clearance I decided to run the arms at an angle from the spindle. Just in case I only tacked the pieces. (no pictures)For the bar that will connect both spindles I didn’t want to spend any extra money on rod ends or anything so I put them together as you see in the pictures.I wanted to be able to adjust them a bit so I dug in my nuts and bolts pile and I found some 10mm hardware what will suffice. Ground flats on the allen head bolts, cut some flat bar strips and came up with this.Held everything in the bench vice and welded away.Then to the drill press and now let’s see the size of the square tubing (15x15x2mm) that will hold them togetherWelded and dressed on the belt grinderAnd on to the cartDouble shear 8mm bolts will suffice for now. I will add some rubber washers to get rid of the up/down play and rattling.And this is how it sits now. I want to finish the steering next and then start with the grill itself.Will keep you all updated. I hope this helps anyone who wants to put something like this together.Mikel
Reply:Wow!  Congrats on your first born!!!!  She will change your life forever, for the good! Another Wow for the BBQ!  You really went all out on the axles!   That looked like a lot of extra work, but it sure looks nice so far!  Keep it up!Lincoln Power Mig 216Lincoln AC/DC-225/125Miller  625 X-Treme PlasmaMiller 211 Forney 95FI-A 301HF 91110Victor Journeyman O/PMilwaukee DaytonMakita  Baileigh NRA Life Member
Reply:Originally Posted by SuperArc...You really went all out on the axles!
Reply:Have you ever tried BarBeQue like we do in the US with long slow smoke process?  Grilling is great, we do it here too.  But smoking and creating true barbeque is fun and it is an art.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:I lived for a whole year in Wisconsin (Fountain City) when I was 16 (that's like 16 years ago) and although I remember some BBQing... I don't recall seeing any closed BBQ's like the ones I see being built here in WeldingWeb. I do remember that once my american family did grill something (don't ask me what it was) and instead of keeping the grill open and flipping the meat pieces every once in a while... they just closed the lid over it (shell shape) and forgot about it for a while. For A LONG WHILE I must say. It was like chewing on a piece of thick leather. XD XD XDI remember reading a truly instructable post linked here in WW regarding the different ways of cooking stuff in a BBQ/smoker and the different temps, times and which meat pieces was each process meant for. I think that most of our cooking is based on relatively thin pieces of meat (say an inch at most, like rib eyes), brochettes or several kinds, small fish (sardines), medium fish (1kg at most, open in the middle) and sausages of several kinds. That's why they seem to be well suited for grilling.Probably some of those meals could be perfectly cooked in a smoker but around here I haven't seen any. I may try to put one of those smokers together as a next proyect but I will need to blatlantly copy the design since I hace no idea about the volumes needed for each chamber...Or I may need to go back to the US and invite myself to any of your parties and learn the art of BBQ'ing!
Reply:Wisconsin isn't exactly the heart of barbeque...true barbeque.   They know cheese and beer, but not much else.  Barbeque is typically a southern ting.  A lot of people call what they do Barbeque, but it is really just grilling meat.   Barbeque involves complex cooking/curing with smoke at relatively low temperatures over an open pit, or in a specially constructed smoker.  There are People will argue that point, but it's people who don't know the tradition or history of how barbeque got started in this country.   Most cuts of pork and chicken work well for barbeque. Slow Smoked chicken and turkey are great.   Smoke pork loin, ribs or pork butt are excellent.  Beef brisket is good. Fish in a smoker can be good too, like Salmon.  Some cuts of beef don't smoke as well, but almost anything can be smoked.  Smoking involves usually a whole part, like a loin or a rack of ribs, before it is parceled up into smaller pieces like chips or individual slices.  Chicken can be smoked whole or in sub parts like halves or quarters such as a the thigh and leg, or the breast and wing together.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Very nice construction! Ever find yourself in Texas give me a holler and we'll smoke a couple briskets and some sausage and whatever else we decide we want.Doing a couple of pork shoulders tomorrow to make pulled pork for the weekend.GravelThe difference between theory and practice is that in theory there is no difference.
Reply:Very sturdy looking Q you are building there.   You will be the envy of all of Spain.  Gravel, what kind of wood ya gonna use?  Everyone tells me pecan is their favorite, but I'm a die hard hickory flavored guy.  Mesquite sucks. "Hey I didn't come to look and learn, I came to turn and burn.... If I can't light up, I'm gonna light out!"-JodyIdealarc 250 "Fatman"MM 252MM 211 "Little boy" Victor Torches
Reply:Originally Posted by ANVILVery sturdy looking Q you are building there.   You will be the envy of all of Spain.  Gravel, what kind of wood ya gonna use?  Everyone tells me pecan is their favorite, but I'm a die hard hickory flavored guy.  Mesquite sucks.
Reply:Just a quick update. I am working in two projects at the same time (soon to be posted here in WeldingWeb as well) so the progress is not as quick as I would like, but some progress is better than NO progress at all.STEERINGI took some measurements and I sleeved a piece of 30x30x3mm square tubing from my scrap pile (the same material I used for the legs) with a piece of the same stainless tube I used for the spindles. Since all the pulling and pushing of the cart is going through this piece I thought it could be a good idea to somehow overbuild it a bit.I realized I was not going to be able to fit the whole cart into the drill press so… I broke out my biggest corded drill and a 16mm drill bit. Now I realized it could have been a better idea to sleeve it as well… but I guess is too late now.16mm bolt fits right through!Mockup of the steering. I don’t have any dedicated transfer punches so I got a piece of 4mm rod I found in the scrap pile, chucked it into a cordless drill and I sharpened it in the bench grinder. Just like I was sharpening a piece of tungsten. I pilot drilled one of the pieces to 4mm and… transferred the hole on the other piece.Then I drilled this second hole (no load bearing) in both pieces to 10mm (should be enough) and welded nuts on both pieces.And this is how it looks right now. The 16mm bolt is too short to engage the welded nut on the bottom so I just bought a longer one along with two more brass washers.I only need to put together the pulling/pushing handle and it will be done. I am debating whether I should go with a straight or curved design. I don’t know how much leverage I need in order to get it to turn easily… I don’t want so struggle with it to move it around. Suggestions?PUSH HANDLEI added a push handle on the opposite end of the steering of the cart. I found some round tube (30mm I believe), cut to size, drilled through a piece of 40x40x3mm square tubing with a hole saw (to make two copings at the same time) and reused the drops as plugs for the round tube. Nothing is thrown away in this shop!I don’t have any dedicated pictures of it already welded on the cart but here you can see it anyway.
Reply:Dam.....   a grill will ackerman.  should be good to 60 mph (90kph) with complete stability.  You are not taking this to its full potential.  4 wheel steering is certainly called for in this case!   Nicely Built!  congrats
Reply:Nice craftsmanship! I spent a little more then a week in Spain for work and was only able to find a real steak once and it was cooked horribly. But the other food (and wine and beer) was good!Airco Heliweld II AC/DC HomeMade Wire FeederLincoln 255PLincoln HD130Everlast PP804x8 CNC TableWelding helps me build my hobbies and takes up time on the side.
Reply:Originally Posted by bbscampDam.....   a grill will ackerman.  should be good to 60 mph (90kph) with complete stability.  You are not taking this to its full potential.  4 wheel steering is certainly called for in this case!   Nicely Built!  congrats
Reply:Manresa. I loved your country! Can't wait to bring my wife back for a vacation in the distant future when my kids are older and moved out. When I was there we were being wined and dined as we bought a fair bit from the company and our hosts girlfriend worked for Spain's oldest winery as a sales marketer.Airco Heliweld II AC/DC HomeMade Wire FeederLincoln 255PLincoln HD130Everlast PP804x8 CNC TableWelding helps me build my hobbies and takes up time on the side.
Reply:Yesterday I had the chance to work some more on the BBQ.PULLING HANDLEI had steering but I didn’t have the handle made, so I was getting sick of bending over to turn it by hand anytime I wanted to move the cart. So I finally put together the pulling handle.I found a piece of round stock (recycled from a cut down chicken crap conveyor belt structure) cleaned it up and realized that it was 27mm OD (not pictured) so I cut a piece of flat stock (3x40mm) lengthwise to narrow it to 27mm. It is also somewhere around 450mm long.Not having a roller of any kind, I used the setup in the picture to give a nice gentle curve to the piece of flat stock.It was not springy at all (hot rolled) so it bent easy.I found some 30x30x1,5mm stainless square tubing that used for the handle. I have run out of 30x30x3 hot rolled and for what it is, it should hold fine. Firs thing I did was capping the bottom end with a scrap piece of 3mm thick steel.Welded around the seam and dressed in the belt grinder. Then I fixed some pieces of 6mm flat strap. Drilled in the drill press, dressed on the grinder and set up for welding.Welded with the MIG and steel wire. I am going to paint it anyway, and I don’t have stainless wire.Then I attached the D shaped handle. It is not just butt welded to the tube (too thin to insure a nice weld). Instead I fixed a 6mm thick cap (tight fit inside the square tube, tack welded to the D handle, and then inserted halfway inside the tube. I welded around the exposed cap surface and ended up with this. Flat spots were ground smooth with a flap wheel.This is what it looks like when installed.I am still debating whether I should add some kind of stop, to prevent the handle to fold all the way against the BBQ and allow me to push on it and use it almost like a transpalette. Also I am planning to add a piece of spring between the horizontal piece and the vertical one… so it comes back straight after using it (again just like a transpalette).At least now I can move it around with ease!
Reply:BBQI fill be finishing all the little details in the cart soon (so I can paint it) but in the meantime I wanted to start working on the BBQ itself so I can take my measurements (just in case they differ from the original design) and order the remaining material (rebar and stainless round stock for the grill).I don’t have a plasma cutter so the least cuts, the better. And the least I need to relay in the accuracy of my cuts, the better also. I took my tape measure and I figured out that these two pieces of plate (4mm thick) should serve me well to get the main structure of the BBQ.Keep in mind that all the cutting is being made with a 4 ½” grinder and cutting wheels (1mm thick). The hardest part is making the first scoring accurately along the markings. Then it goes easy.I also try to make bends when possible so I don’t need to have six hands to hold everything in place for tacking. I score along the line about 3/4ths of the plate and then bend by hand.Measuring, cutting, scoring and bending these two pieces took me a while and used a couple cutting wheels (one is still usable).And they fit like this (they are just standing there in the picture).And this is my progress so far. For the next day at the shop I will try to cut the middle panel and tack weld the corners so it doesn’t fall on anyone.I must confess I noticed a 2mm mishap in one of the pieces (the bottom rectangle)... I will try to fix it while fitting the pieces for welding. I also tack welded some tabs on the cart frame to prevent the whole thing from slipping out of it.
Reply:I think it may have been my wagon you got the info about the steering from.  I'm glad someone found it useful.  Now this has me thinking of changing the wheels on my grill.  The bigger tire would make it easier to move from the shed to the patio.  Congratulations on the first baby also.
Reply:Originally Posted by bbscampDam.....   a grill will ackerman.  should be good to 60 mph (90kph) with complete stability.  You are not taking this to its full potential.  4 wheel steering is certainly called for in this case!   Nicely Built!  congrats
Reply:Today I had the chance of working some more on the BBQ.BBQFirst thing I did was tacking the previously cut pieces to prevent any accidents. Then I measured again and I cut the middle piece (roughly 490x400mm). This will allow me to have two identical (more or less) cooking areas. One or both will be used depending on how many people are to be fed or the kind of food to be cooked (meat on one side, fish/seafood on the other side). This will also all Dressed the edges, measured again, checked for square and set up for tack welding.DetailBTW, I just noticed these old clamps of mine were made by Bessey....
Reply:.....Once I finished with the middle piece I decided to put together the ash trays (ash drawers will be a better description).First I dug out a piece of stainless sheetmetal that was to be returned the manufacturer because of a flaw but somehow never made it back to the factory.304 stainless Size 2000x1000x1,5mm… and it is all mine… and all free!This is the flaw I was talking about. Some kind of delamination. Doesn’t interfere with my design.After some measuring I cut two identical pieces of sheetmetal and made a layout on top. Cutting the small squares and scoring along the lines I should be able to bend along those lines and get my desired trays.First bend is the easiest one because you can push down on it.From then on, it gets a bit more difficult. I cut a piece of scrap angle iron to fit inside the tray.I used a crescent wrench and two clamps… but boy is it hard to bend stainless! Even after scoring along the lines, it took a bit of muscle. The problem is also that this setup does not allow to make the full bend in one fluid motion. The clamps get in the way. So when everything fails… go find a hammer. And when it keeps failing… get an even BIGGER hammer. Then everything goes smooth! I chose a soft head hammer so as not to put dings on the stainless and it worked fine.Once all the bends were made I wanted to weld on the vertical seams. Not necessary rigidity wise since they are more than stout… but just in case and also they should look better.Ever heard about spaghetti-welding or wet noodle welding? Well… this is what actually describes the use of 1,6mm rods. My rod holder didn’t even clamp them as tight as I wanted!To adjust the machine I run a couple filets using the square cutouts (35 amps).Fair enough! Then I welded the real seams a bit colder (30 amps) since the outside corners are easy to melt through. Some of them had a slight gap. Tried to run a quick stringer but I melt through a couple times, so I started doing a slight side to side motion. With a new electrode I didn’t even bother… it swung from side to side all by itself! This is one of them (edges to be dressed with the belt grinder during the touch-up phase!)And this is the status so farThere is one more piece on each tray (make up stainless angle iron 15mmx35mm) that will be welded above the trays (on the front side) which, along with three more pieces on each cooking area, will support a thick rebar tray (to make the fire on top of it).I will keep you updated!
Reply:This is a very nice build keep it coming!
Reply:Originally Posted by cableguy344I think it may have been my wagon you got the info about the steering from.
Reply:Originally Posted by e30alldayThis is a very nice build keep it coming!Thanks for sharing so many picture  , keep them coming please !!great built sirI will try my best to be understoodMY DREAM GARAGE
Reply:Build has come to a halt because I had the chance of work on a paid welding job... so I want to finish it off as soon as possible. But I expect to be back to work on this BBQ like in three weeks or so.From now on everything is going to be stick (for tbe BBQ) but a few odds and ends I need to do on the frame will have to wait untill I get a new bottle of gas for the MIG... I just run out of it! If it takes me longer than expected I could use some 2mm 6013... Mikel
Reply:Originally Posted by bbscampDam.....   a grill will ackerman.
Reply:Mikel, this is very cool project you have.  Thank you for posting all of the pictures.  Nice work!
Reply:Well, I am back.After welding a few tabs, knocking some others, welding four gussets in the corners in the top shelf (in order to bolt down the BBQ to the frame to prevent it from getting knocked over), and some rust removal (via wire wheel), I painted the frame.After degreasing the whole thing the best I could I gave it two coats of the paint I have been using lately. It is called “martelé” and gives the appearance of a forged piece. It is the same paint I used with the last welding table frame and it has hold up great. I don’t expect it to last too long in contact with the BBQ on top, but I can live with that.I didn’t take the time to mask anything so I expect to spend some time removing paint from some spots when I reassemble the whole thing. Also I didn’t have my camera with me, so here is a cell phone picture of it a few minutes after painting. The long screws are there just as stand offs. Will be removed later on.In order to prevent the BBQ from sliding out of the frame (now that I don’t have any tabs) I welded four studs. I made sure to place them so I can turn the BBQ 180º just in case. Best way I have found is to drill, tap and finally weld. If I just drill and try to hold the bolt with one hand while tacking with the other one… it is a mess. It ends up crocked and I end up burnt!Countersunk the inside a bitWeldedFinal result! On the inside the welds get ground off with a flap wheel to allow the ash trays to slide in and out with ease. The countersink allowed enough weld to remain holding the studs.Now it was time to weld the remaining pieces. Such as the front crossmember where the rebar grate will stand. And some scattered welds (half electrode) around the bottom.Between the previous picture and this one… there was a LOT of tedious angle grinder cutting of 4mm stainless flat strips. I don’t have access to a shear or plasma and I didn’t want to pay to get it done. It took me forever. I think I spent almost a whole working afternoon (for me like 4h at most) only cutting and deburring in the belt grinder.The welding of these strips was no easy task because I couldn’t position myself to see what I was doing, couldn’t fit the stinger in there, no way to apply a correct angle for the fillet welds, etc.. I ended up bending some rods to get a better angle… which, in turn, ended up in a few ruined consumables (coating on these rods flake off easily).
Reply:Once all the strips where welded (not to my complete satisfaction since they not all ended up being coplanar, grill rocks in some positions… grrrr….) I tackled the grills.I must say I cheated and instead of buying round stock and going from scratch (I want to use this BBQ during 2014, not in 2020) I bought two big grills from a hardware store and cut to size.I removed a center piece so I could keep the rounded corners on the sides and the handles attached.Now let’s see what we have here… Whoever guesses what this is gets a free cookie!Front side.Back sideI have plenty of those retired from service so I just cut one in pieces to make the handles for the ash trays. I tried to bend them cold or even notching and bending… but they snapped all the time. These pieces are heat treated after machining… I guess that’s why.And this is how it sits now.Today I plan on dealing with the rebar grates (to make the fire on top) and assembling the frame again. I may be able to use it this weekend!I will keep you updated.
Reply:Kinda looks like a spear for a really big fish?
Reply:Originally Posted by Fast LeroyKinda looks like a spear for a really big fish?
Reply:Yesterday I put together the grates.I started by making the outer frame with four pieces of rebar to check dimensions and make sure it fit before going any further.I had to make some adjustments (read, cutting off a bit of it) to the lower supports for the grill to allow me to slide the grate in and out in one piece. I don’t plan on removing it often but I would like to be able to when it is time to replace it.I made it out of 12mm (more or less ½”) rebar. I am no expert but I would go as far as saying it is going to last through the summer… XD XDIn the picture I just wire wheeled the welds. Right after taking the pictures I rounded off the corners to prevent it from cathing on the walls when sliding it in and out. There is some wiggle room but just in case.Long ago I bought like 15kgs of this stuff and I still have no use for it sort of welding rebar, tacking stuff to my table, etc. I think it is fully meant for root passes… The run weird. Firs strike turns the rod into a flare, then it tames a bit and when I am 1/3 up the rod It bursts into flames. Sometimes they stick like crazy, and I am not able to lit them up... Just weird. I was running them at 75 amps (at 70 they stick too much).This is what the beads/heavy tacks look like. I welded both sides just in case. I am not sure if this is the look expected from a 6010 bead… but it seems to hold just fine. It was either 6010 or 6013 because I was not going to waste any 7018 for this application. Given the surface rust on the rebar I considered 6010 more appropriate.Welding is done on this project but I still need to cut some other materials and attach them to the frame. However I will move the thing to its permanent location this weekend and cut the remaining materials in the near future. I will take some pictures of it fully assembled and probably in use.
Reply:Wow, nice project - you put a lot of work into it, and it is certainly heavy-duty and should last a long time!"All of this and some of that's the only way to skin the cat!"
Reply:Originally Posted by BipestuffWow, nice project - you put a lot of work into it, and it is certainly heavy-duty and should last a long time!