I want to build a bbq pit.

admin

Hi, im a newbie and I am looking to build a good bbq pit/smoker and or a tailgate charcoal grill. Im wondering what is the best or really good for the money form of welding on 3/8ths-1/4 th as far as strength and price goes? And I need it to look somewhat clean, and be able to trust my work when cooking and traveling with my tailgater. I've been qouted around 6-7 hundred dollars for a good tailgate grill and am hoping to build one for atleast half that.And also im looking to spend around 3-5 hundred on a decent/good welder for my needs which would you recommend? Flux? Stick? Wire? im confused
Reply:In my opinion, I would recommend a stick welder......they are pretty cheap and should handle any of your needs.....GOOD LUCK....save some Ribs for us too!!!!Miller blue star 2eLincoln 175
Reply:I'd recommend stick or MIG, as you're going to be running stainless electrodes in a food application.
Reply:So with a Stick welder, can I make clean professional looking welds if I practice a few days before I try to start welding my grill together? And when you recommend a mig welder, do you suggest that I use a type of gas or just byitself, cause I know that will be more expensive. What stick welder would you suggest i get, I know 220v but what else should I know before buying a welder.
Reply:Thunderbolt® XL 225/150 AC/DC.....I generally lean toward Lincoln, but I had one of these for stick and loved it.  If you are doing grills I would look at the Lincoln 180 mig machine.  I don't think you would need to go 1/4" material on any grills and this Mig would handle anything smaller.  Later you could add a spool gun and do AL, but more money.  Mig would be much easer to learn.  Good luck
Reply:Maybe not at first but I want to work with 1/4 when building eventually cause that is what all the top manufactuars of smokers/pit's use.
Reply:If you're going 1/4" get the thunderbolt.  You can weld 16ga sheet with that if you practice and use the right rod.  I wish I still had the thunderbolt for small garage projects instead of running the engine drive.Are you going to build grills on trailers?
Reply:[QUOTE=Burnout]So with a Stick welder, can I make clean professional looking welds if I practice a few days before I try to start welding my grill together?  A few days of practice for professional looking welds???? Oh it it were only that easy...............I am a newbie stick welder and just for my own fabrication. MIG is easy relatively speaking. Truly, anyone can run a MIG with just a few minutes of instruction. Can they make a strong weld that looks good in a very short amount of time? I would say probably not. And stick will be that much worse when first learning. I feel that all welding forms are very difficult to master without burning a whole bunch of wire, rod, filler, etc. And consistent application and practice is a must. I weld maybe once per weekend for a couple hours if I am lucky. I do slowly get better, but I don't think that is near enough practice. Stick welding to me is much more difficult than MIG, but I wish I had started with stick and not MIG. I think if you get stick down, MIG will be no problem. Prepare for your first several stick welds to look like eagle $hit.........stick is really a lot of fun though.Good Luck with your project.BrentLincoln 3200HD MIGLincoln AC/DC 225 Stick
Reply:I got my Idea from this place called kingfisher Kookers out of kingfisher Oklahoma, since I live somewhat nearby. I would like to build something like this and also a square upright backyard smoker aswell. Here is the tailgate model I would like to build.  http://kingfisherkookers.com/Custom_Tailgate.htm  I was quoted $625 for one of those since it is "custom", but I think that if they made it more affordable more people would buy them and then it wouldn't be custom, Oh well I'll just make my own. Also Im heard that a 100% duty cycle is best when building these, and the thunderbolt is only 20%.?And I might just us 3/16 steel on the main chamber an 1/4 steel on the firebox, so I can lower the weight ratio and cost.Last edited by Burnout; 04-23-2007 at 03:24 PM.
Reply:The thunderbolt is 20% at max amps, What was appealing to me was the lower you go in amps the higher the duty cycle. Look at what current you run 6013 1/8" rods at.  That welder cost less than 500., for 100% duty cycle at max amps you're looking at 2,000 +.
Reply:First off You as a beginner will not need a 100% duty cycle.  When I first started out in business part time the only thing I had in my shop was an old Lincoln 225 that was 20% duty cycle.  Ya know what.  I welded heavy equipment with it, and never saw it quit. Between grinding, cleaning, chipping, changing rods, and taking a break etc.. you will not have a problem with a 20% duty cycle machine.  Stick welders do not require  as high of a duty cycle as migs do.  With that said From a building standpoint i think $600 is a fair price for the grill in the pictures.  if its 1/4" material they have atleast half of that in material alone I would think, and if ya figure $30 an hr shop rate (which is low in my area)  that leaves ya 10 hrs labor.  I'd sure hate to have to build one and have it painted ready to go in a day.   One other thing to consider is weight.  If that thing is 1/4" thru out then its gonna be pretty tough to pick up and slide in a reciever hitch.  As far as clean professional welds, I would say you better figure a couple months before you get the hang of it to start trying to fabricate projects and expecting welds that look like a pro.  Just remember not only to do have to master the welding, but also the cutting, and fitting that goes with it.   Not trying to discourage you.  Just want you to be aware of what you will be facing.  as far as mig goes.  Migs are alot easier to weld and make look nice, but they are more expensive and don't perform well in windy areas unless you are going to use flux core wire.  I still say just get a small stick machine and have some fun for a while then see what ya can build with it.  Good luck  ~JacksonI'm a Lover, Fighter, Wild horse Rider, and a pretty good welding man......
Reply:Huh. So maybe Ill just look for a nice used 220v with around 150amp ac/dc. That would be best for me just to mess around with til I get good, I've welded a few beads before in A Agricultural class but never really realized how handy a welder can be when you get onto some of those custom projects, until now.
Reply:Hammack is spot-on. When I first began metalworking I did not find it too difficult to run an acceptable bead. The frustrating parts were cutting and fitting. I know it doesn't seem too complicated, but it is definately an art. It takes some time to learn the little tricks to make things easy. Looking back, I used to spend at least 3 times the manhours on a project as I would now. My projects now look 500% better in 30% of the time.  It took me 3 years to get this far, and I am by no means a pro, only intermediate.If you like the hobby you will enjoy the learning process and eventually gain the skills you desire and then some. Just try not to put yourself on any deadlines for producing a proffesional looking product.One of the best things you could possibly do is spend ALOT of time reading through these forums. There is a wealth of information here, free to those interested. When I first stumbled onto this board I started on the last page of every forum and worked my way to the first, reading nearly evey thread.This board has been the #1 most valuable learning resource for me, by far.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!