![]() ![]() Now that you've got your hinges ready you can start to cut out the doors but be sure not to cut out the whole door until you've got your hinges fully welded on. I used a simple jig to create a relief bend in the hinges to leave room for the door seal at the top of the door. I was able to easily bend the round stock in a vice using a piece of tube to increase the the bending force but you could also use a torch to heat the material and make the bending easier. Next, make the hinges that will slide into the tube by bending some round stock in a vice. First, tack weld the tube just above where you will cut out your door. If you're making your own hinges you can cut some tubing and round stock to length using an angle grinder and a cut off wheel or a metal cutting chop saw if you have one. There are many different types of hinges you can buy but you can just as easily make your own using some tubing and round stock. It is also a good idea to weld your hinges onto the door before you finish cutting it out so the door remains in alignment. This is why I recommend two doors instead of one. All the internal stresses in the steel are released when the door is cut from the rest of the tank and the doors can flatten or distort heavily making fitting them much trickier. ![]() However, when you only have one door you have a greater risk of distortion when you cut out the door. If you're building a smoker for cooking lots of whole hogs you may consider having just one door instead of two. Use a level and soft tape to ensure your lines are straight. I like to measure a quarter of the way around the tank for the bottom of the door and then have the top of the door a few inches from the top of the tank. The first step is to mark out where your doors are going to be. A good method for cutting into a propane tank safely is to fill the entire tank with water and dish soap in order to remove any residual propane and safely cut into the tank. IMPORTANT: Cutting into a propane tank can be very dangerous if not done safely so I'd recommend having a professional clean and cut the tank for your if you're not comfortable doing so. This is to ensure that the hot air and smoke flows directly across the grates where the meat is instead of pooling in the top of the cook chamber. You'll also notice that the smokestack draws from the side of the cook chamber rather than the top like many other cookers. I'd recommend a smokestack that is 6" - 10" in diameter. When a smokestack is too short it doesn't create enough draft causing incomplete combustion in your firebox which leads to thick smoke and bitter tasting meat. This calculator is a wonderful resource to use when thinking through your design and deciding on the different dimensions.įor this smoker I used a much larger and taller smokestack than is traditionally recommended in order to maximize airflow through the cooker and ensure a clean burning fire. The insulation is not necessary but definitely improves the performance of the smoker.Ī good rule of thumb for sizing your firebox is to make it roughly 1/3 of the volume of your cook chamber in order to provide enough heat for you cooker. I would recommend using at least 3/16" steel for the firebox as anything lighter will loose heat quickly causing you to burn more fuel and will warp and burn out over time. For this build I used an old 250 gallon propane tank because they're made of thick 1/4" steel and relatively easy to find but any other kind of steel tank or pipe will work just fine.įor the firebox I used 1/4" plate steel but also included 1.5" of ceramic insulation to help retain heat and improve fuel efficiency. ![]() This first major design choice you must make when building a smoker is what you're going to make the cooking chamber out of. ![]()
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