My First Large Project

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OK, I took on a bit of a challenge for my first project but I need some help. I need to add my smokestack which is a 5" chromed pipe from an 18 wheeler. I need to weld the seam where the stack enters the cooking chamber. Question is, do I need to remove the chrome to weld the seam ? if so, I need some advice on how to do this. Attached Images
Reply:What process are you going to use? It is good practice to remove the chrome finish as it contaminates the weld, making it hard to weld, especially using TIG. If you stick or mig weld it, it may not be as much of an issue. You can easily remove the chrome with sandpaper. Just my $.02.
Reply:I am using a MIG welder and a rookie at that !
Reply:From the looks of that rig , you're a little more than a "rookie".
Reply:You can probably get away without taking the chrome off. We did something similar with a set of pipes for a Harley. We used old pipes that were chromed (and still good at that) and migged them together. There waas some slight contamination, but it did work and has held up for 5 years now. You now how much them things vibrate!
Reply:I'm not concerned about the structural integrity, I can secure the pipe from inside the cooking chamber. More concerned about sealing the hole so the chamber will be more air tight.I have built a few small projects, deer stands and the like, started out with a Miller 135 but I just upgraded to the 210. What an improvement. Still got a lot to learn though.
Reply:your stack should be placed about the level of your meat... above your fire box.. this makes the smoke pass over the meat better...also why didn't you cut a door in your tube... looks like you have lost allot of cooking area...but looks good....what have you done on the inside to make it pull a draft??.. or is it open? I build a V in the bottoms..and leave 25% open in the front...it works very well.. makes all the smoke pass over the meat.... don't worry about making it airtight.... you want to change the smoke as much as you can....stale smoke bad.... good luck keep the pics coming..also if you need some rub recipes I have lots... I pulled my BBQ out yesterday and got it all cleaned upMarty
Reply:Originally Posted by KEENAVV From the looks of that rig , you're a little more than a "rookie".
Reply:Looks good ,be nice to see some more pics if you got ,also some of you first cooks.
Reply:Here is another of the interior, there are actually two racks, the top slides out for easy access. I would like to take credit for the design but I decided to copy another pit for my first big project. My wife is actually the BBQ cook, she competes in events all over TX and has even competed in Canada. The reason for the horizontal dorrs is that they are much easier for her to handle instead of trying to raise them straight up. I went ahead and just welded the chrome stack and finished both shelves tonight, I'll try and post another photo tomorrow. Here is a question for you with more experience, my old eyes just have one heck of a time seeing what my hands are doing through my helmet. I picked up a speedglass auto helmet but even at a 9 I can barely see what I am working on, any suggestions ?Last edited by bsparr; 01-24-2006 at 09:30 PM.
Reply:I have added the stack and shelves.
Reply:Looks great ,the tube in the bottom ?is it sorta draft tube to ciculate air?Again neat rig
Reply:Nearly completed the door to the firebox, need to add a handle to the air damper.
Reply:I will add a handle to the right side door and this part is complete.
Reply:I put on the front plate and drain valve. A few more details and the pit is complete then I can deck the trailer and off to powdercoat the trailer. Can't decide on a color, thinking maybe red or yellow. Found some 1200 degree black paint for the pit and firebox but I will probably paint that last.
Reply:Hi there !First let me say what a great project .really nice job ! Looks professionaly built I'm sure your wife will have a ball  cooking up a storm .Ok . If I'm not mistaken you were asking a question about seen thru your speedglass helmet even on shade 9 . I also use a speed glass helmet .due to the same problem with my tired eyes .I just turned 59 years old .but any way I started having problems  with my vision .And what I use is a cheater lense .or magnifiting lense whatever you want to call it Pay a visit to your local welders supply store and they shoulld be able to help you finding the right one for you. I use them on on al  my helmets since I own several  I used to wear helmets with the big window. but quit using them due to the poor vision problems I should mention that I had surgery on both of my eyes because of cataracts..And also old age caught up to me.Anyway those cheater lenses are wonderfull .you will notice the difference .Keep up the good work .
Reply:bsparr that is a well put together project - I am sure you will earn many points with the wife!  I noticed on one of your pics of the interior that you run a length of pipe from the fire box to transfer the heat and smoke about 1/2 way or more into the cooking area.  Most bbq's I have seen do not have this piece of pipe.  Instead, they rely on the natural draft from one side of the bbq to the other or they use tuning plates.  Did you do this to equalize the temperature in the cooking area?  I was also wondering if you made the handles yourself or if you bought them?
Reply:Rookie : I don't think so. A great job. You have ever right to be proud of this job.
Reply:Sorry for the delay, been busy. The tube in the bottom of the pit was put in to try to assist in equalizing the temperature in the cooking area from one end to the other. I am not sure how successful it is but I finally had the pit completed to the point where I did my first burn last weekend. I got about a 25 degree temp difference from one end of the cooking area to the other.As far as the helmet thing goes, I was really having a problem in actually seeing what I was welding. I literally mean that all I could actually see was the tiny flame from the welding wire. I was using a Speedglass helmet. Went to my local welding supply store and they had a auto helmet that went down to a shade 7, can't recall the brand but I think it is somethin somrthin Vision.WOW is about all I can say about this new helmet, the glass is so clear and I can actually see what I am welding. I really wish I would have found this helmet a long time ago.Update photo's to follow.
Reply:Got all the doors on and I am in the process on putting on the decking. I am planning to put a toolbox on the front part of the trailer for storing sipplies. I will probably have the guy that sprayed the bedliner in my pickup spray the front portion of the top deck and place the toolbox on top of it. The remainder of the trailer is going to be power coated. I just can't decide on a color (input appreciated). The Pit and fire box will be coated with a flat black high heat paint.
Reply:that looks great! good job
Reply:Where'd you git those neat hinges? They might come in handy one day.I'm not a Engineer, I just play one on the weekend.
Reply:Very nice work.
Reply:Here is a link to where I ordered the hinges.http://www.austinhardware.com/produc...69&pf%5Fid=452Not any progress the last few days. we had to get ready to do a cookoff this weekend, she took a 9th in chicken and a 3rd in brisket.
Reply:Do you have any plans or any place that can help guide me through something like that?  I want to build a grill like that (smaller and stationary) but I don't know how to go about it.Hiya bspar fellow mckinnian here...actualy im out here in lowry crossing lolnice work on that BBQ very nice.You said that you were still having problems seeing even after changing down to a lvl 9 lensDo u have a worklight set up behind or anything that is shining light on the inside of ur helmet?.sds simple but the darker it is inside ur helmet the better same goes for the brighter ur work area the betteranother difference could be the make of ur lense,while i was working for a sign company down in dallas i found a major difference between lenses,depending on who they restocked from.of course that was good old replaceble lenses but i would imagine theres a difference in auto cartridges alsoI think i remember reading someone elses post about speedglass and them having same prob.You may want to stop in at ferguensons supply there on the sw corner of industrial and 5 and see if u can either get or rig up a magnifying lens in ur helmet.i havent seen and speedglass helmets in there but its been a yr or so since i stopped in and to be honest i wasnt looking for em just needed some filler and tungsten
Reply:by the way if ur still deciding on paint if ya got a little extra cash u may want to swing up to a powdercoat shop up here on 380 name is on the tip of my tongue but for the life of me cant remember it.the owner is a good guy and will treat ya right.if coming out of mckinney heade towards princeton make a left turn at bridgefarmer road.after the storage place hes the last building on ur left.he does good work and usualy has a very good turnaround time.when i was working at aardvark cycle we would drop stuff off in the morning and usualy pick up same day...course we had the prep work done and they were small peices.
Reply:Ridgerunner, I'm just the other side of the creek from you, I did stop by Ferguson's and picked up a new helmet, it goes down to a shade 7. But the glass in this new helmet is much superior to the Speedglass I was using. It has opened up a new world. I have talked to the powdercoater off Hwy 380 and I am going to try and get the trailer to him by the end of the week. I am trying to decide on a final color for the trailer and can't seem to make up my mind, kinda leaning toward red.
Reply:02REDW56TA: I don't know where you can go to get plans for a cooker, a friend of mine actually designed this pit and I am a copycat (with his permission). Best bet is just to look around at some other cookers and formulate some ideas of your own or, just copy something you like.
Reply:Sorry about the post for the powdercoater lol...wasnt paying attention or woulda seen that u already had decided to go that route red is always a good choice and while you prob already asked about it,not sure what all high temp powders he has up there at crosslink for the pit but if ya can stand the extra cost it would last longer..or try to find some of the high temp paints that have a ceramic base to em..they go on thicker and dont get that dusty appearence a lot of the cheaper auto parts sprays do. nice to hear ur so close but as usualy is the case just when ya start finding neighbors that share the same interests u end up moving.weve got our house up for sale and unless this buyer backs out we gotta be out by the 27th of this mth. so it looks like im headed to the dreaded apartment living down in dallas!!drop me a line since pms arent working [email][email protected]  I'm right here at bottom of hill on settlers bend.would love to see the grill and till we actualy make the move if ya need a hand with anything just holler....been outa work for a while so im usualy here.
Reply:OK, I picked up some scrap 1/8" alum today and want to add it to the side of the fire box, not directly attached to the firebox but offset about 1". Trying to get a little more bling going. So I have seen this done on other pits and it looks real nice. What I have seen done looks like about a 1/2" dia round bar about 1" long tacked to the side of the box but the center of the rod is threaded so I could just drill a hole through the alum plate and attach it with a screw.  Problem is I don't really know what to look for or where I might find such a thing. Hope i have accurately described what i want to do, any help would be appreciated.
Reply:Now this guy can Design, Layout, Fabricate, Weld and Kick's ***.You are now a HIGH COUNCIL MEMBERKeep up the good work.YOU RULE !!!!!!
Reply:Originally Posted by bsparrOK, I picked up some scrap 1/8" alum today and want to add it to the side of the fire box, not directly attached to the firebox but offset about 1". Trying to get a little more bling going. So I have seen this done on other pits and it looks real nice. What I have seen done looks like about a 1/2" dia round bar about 1" long tacked to the side of the box but the center of the rod is threaded so I could just drill a hole through the alum plate and attach it with a screw.  Problem is I don't really know what to look for or where I might find such a thing. Hope i have accurately described what i want to do, any help would be appreciated.
Reply:Thanks Harv, I may give #1 or #2 a try, went to town today and found a coupler, see photo. I will probably try all 3 options on some scrap to see whick one works the best.
Reply:Been busy the past few days, got all the decking on, fenders attached, fabed up some tail light frames and got the area under the pit closed in. Now just weld up some seams, final grinding and off to the power coater.
Reply:I like it...but the food would be better than looking at this thing.  I'd suggest maybe you put some sort of removable bucket with frame to hold it, under your drain.  Wherever you take this thing, they're not going to want you leaving puddles of grease.
Reply:Hiya Bsparrhows the grill going?
Reply:Have not gotten much done the past few days, my shop is not heated. I decided to add some sides rails along the top of the deck. I will try to post a couple of photos tonight when I get home. Had a friend of mine bend some stainless for the side table that I will mount under the cooker doors, man is that stuff expensive. I orderder a 2 burner fish cooker that finally came in yesterday and I picked up the alum tool box that gets mounted to the front of the trailer. Been trying to figure out how to bend some 1" bar into a circle to hold the propane tank on the trailer. My first attempt was terrible, think I will go to the steel yard and just get some thinner bar that will shape more easily.I talked to the powdercoater last week and was hoping to get it to him by today but that just is not going to happen. I guess I should'nt rush things, but I have been working on this thing so long I just want to finally get some color on her.
Reply:How about asking the wife what color she would like it?Hot pink?Lavander?Hobbiest hack
Reply:I originally began building this project 2 years ago, we had purchased a pit identical to this one. With the permission of the builder of the original pit I decided I wanted to really learn to work with metal. So I began working on my project by copying the original design, with the anticipation of building this pit for my wife and selling the original pit. Well low and behold a few months into the project she discovers the "Big Green Egg". So I mount the BGE on her pit for her to cook her chicken and she begins to win with it. Next thing I know she is experimenting cooking other BBQ on the BGE. Suffice it to say she is now cooking with charcoal and the stick burner is history. So when this project is complete I am going to sell her  So back to the question of what color to paint the pit. Since I am not building this project for me, I am trying to decide which color would sell quickly. If it was for me I would go with a yellow trailer, black rails and a black pit. But, I think I have decided to have the rails powder coated black and have them powder coat a piece of scrap in red, if I like the combination I will go ahead and finish the trailer in red, if not, I might just do the whole thing in black.Here are a few photos of the current project. The rails are not yet attached and the last photo shows the tool box and fish cooker (soon to be attached).Last edited by bsparr; 02-22-2006 at 07:41 PM.
Reply:Hey guys.  I hope that no one minds if I bump this to the top.  I have a question.  Where did you purchase the handles for the doors Bsparr?
Reply:http://www.tejassmokers.com/options.htmYou can try this link for the door handles.I started another thread a few weeks ago to show my almost complete project, have had an injury to my arm so my project will need to wait another week or so to complete.
Reply:Did you buy the whole assembly or just the springs?  The assembly on that site looks like it is a u-shaped handle?  Just curious.
Reply:Yeah  Yeah  Yeah  Nice To See Pics----- We Want  Meat  Whens The Bbq- I Got Beer  An Guitars If Ya Got The Beef   Looks Good
Reply:I bought the whole assembly as one piece, you can also buy the springs only.