Building your own BBQ pit

[Randy]

I spent many a year in the design, building and start-up of nuclear power plants and have seen Fitter's and Welder's work their craft.  When I saw the fit-up of the end piece with sectioned pipes I guessed that was your craft.
I have a small Lincoln wire burner that limits my amateur work to ¼" plate which keeps me out of trouble.
Here is some of my crude work but I enjoy trying to draw a good bead.  http://www.pitcooking.com/smf/index.php?topic=79.0
http://www.pitcooking.com/smf/index.php?topic=84.0

Very nice work.

Randy

[LaSalle5647]

Ok... I have short video clip (5 minutes in length) ~20,568 kb's~ with some good footage of  me cooking on my rig. My son will have it up on the internet within 48 hours. Yes, Randy i have also worked on nuclear power plants and the craftsmanship is very excellent , but where i learned all of my knowledge about piping systems was in the four year apprenticeship program. The main thing i enjoyed about the program was the template making projects that we did. As you can see some of the work that was done on the smoker . It took alot of hours to make the various templates that were used on this smoker. I thought over ten years ago about building this smoker and could never find plans or designs on smokers or pits and the smokers that i did see look pretty much all  the same. So then i thought about old trains , steam boats, and boilers. Then that is how i came up with my design for my smoker.Randy I looked at your pics  and seen you were having trouble holding your heat. After you installed the 3" pipe on the vertical smoker, I was wondering if you added a swivel damper plate on top of the 3" pipe ? it mite help hold your heat better in your horizontal cooker . (just a suggestion)

[Randy]

You cannot really see it but on top of the metal vertical box is the first vent with an adjustable plate over the stack as you suggested but it hampered the venting of the firebox to much.  The vertical box was off a gas smoker that I no longer use.  I am going to put back the brick section with a better door and use the vertical section in another smoker.  The vertical brick section was one of many vertical brick units that I have tested.  I attempted to add on a horizontal section and I am working out some of the bugs.  I have tried several different venting arrangements of the horizontal section including a vent above the grill, mid way to the grill and below the grill.  The venting of the grill area both vertical and horizontal seems to be to directly affect the flavor of the barbecue.
What are thoughts on that?

Randy

[DKM]

Wish I had the energy and the time to build one,  I'll be loucky If I can start on my wood burning oven this spring.

DKM

[LaSalle5647]

Here is my video . Its  not as good as the original becuse my son had to compress it down to 2 mb's ,  but you can still see whats goin on.

http://www.knowitallvideo.com/subcategory.jsp?i=1096837463717

click on project iron horse.

If you need to log in username is - jedixspoofer and password is - 546650

[Randy]

I enjoyed watching the video.  Thanks for taking the time to post it.

Randy

[LaSalle5647]

No problem...  We  enjoyed making it.

[DKM]

cool