Son's First Attempt at Building a Smoker
 

So my Son got it into his head that he wanted to start making money building things. I guess the whole buying / selling thing is on hold until he raises more capital. So he goes and buys a welder, a grinder, a few clean 55gl drums (label said they contained pineapple), some metal, screen and rebar. He checked out various smokers for sales, took pics and even went on line.

Here it is - I would say its about 95% done. I think it needs a hatch on the fire box, a few adjustable vents there, some trim on the smoker hatch.

What do you think? Wanna buy it?

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That kid is gonna go far in life

Impressive:)

Not bad for a first effort. He should take a close look at a David Klose BBQ unit for all the fine tuning details. Little things make a big diff.

55 drums are one thing, but using 1/4 oil pipe X 20 is what separates the backyard from the pros.

nice.

have him make the next one reverse flow.

bums me out the kid welds better than i do. :( :D

How much does he have in it?

I'm with tabs, used barrel smokers turn me off.

Don't trust that they did not contain something bad at some point.

It's not a mistrust of the builder so much as it is a mental image thing.

Give MD's son some credit. It's his first smoker project. Looks great. Smoking food likely gives the food some carcinogens anyway but the 45 gallon drums if well cleaned before should not pose any health risks. Would I buy it if I lived in your area and had an acreage you bet.:)

Tough crowd here:confused:

Certainly was not being harsh and I think overwhelmingly the thread has been positive.

Some people will be predisposed to a negative impression of a smoker made from a used barrel. Not a knock, just reality.

Max is better off knowing what maximizes the number of units sold and what might command a higher price point / better ROI.

[QUOTE=stomachmonkey;9052753
Max is better off knowing what maximizes the number of units sold and what might command a higher price point / better ROI.[/QUOTE]

Yes good point:)

From somebody that has never welded anything in my life it is good to see him get started early.

Just be carefull if you want to make one of these.
A highschool kid here was killed a while back when he put a torch to a closed, used barrel.
The barrel still contained a small amount of peanut oil and went off like a bomb.

That is what happened to my TR3 gas tank.....:eek:

He actually looking into that pipe, expensive - they want $600 and its heavy. His friend has a plasma cutter so I'm sure they could cut it but then they would have to cut out perfect circles for ends? Maybe not, I guess you could put a square piece on each end.

The drums had pineapple in them - most likely the pineapples were contained in a big plastic bag.

He's taken the exhaust system off his Honda Pilot now and welded the pipes each time. Its getting exhausting...(pun not intended).

Hmm, I may have a couple of small jobs for him.

Modding a set of decklid hinges and fabing an exhaust.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention.

April 16th at Adkins, the new elementary school behind Sonic.

Lantana is having a car show. $10 entry fee.

I'm bringing the 190 and Bryan is bringing his Targa.

You want in?

I'll send you the registration form.

Old propane tank is the ticket, have to mount it on a trailer though. With the heavy gauge stuff, you have to put a counter balance on the handle to make it a little less awkward.

I see stuff like this and it makes me think, man, I miss Texas

Yes! I'm in! Send it on through. Thanks!

Controlling heat is probably the main function in barbecue/smoking......I've done a number on some perfectly good hunks of meat by effing that up......and that was with an electric smoker with proper controls and adjustability.

There is no way I'd try a wood fired smoker. I think the learning curve is way long.

Your son's smoker is a decent first attempt, but looks to need more thought reference the above.

Looks like a good try. Will be hard to sell though with so many used commercially made smokers out there.


Tell him to build a good hot fire in it and let that burn for a few hours before he tries to cook in it.

Might as well cook a meal in it. The satisfaction of there I'll be almost as great as the satisfaction of making some $$$

Run the flu down closer to the grill to get the smoke lower and closer to the meat.
Try two thermometers low and to the right to get the heat exiting the firebox.
One low and to the left to check the heat opposite end of the barrel.
Might add a short tunnel to have the heat enter the barrel a little more in the center and not all at one end.
Smokers are a commitment, I'm not that patient. :)

Do you have a grill on the firebox so it can be used as a small bbq too?

Great suggestions! I shall help direct the efforts. I think we should take her for a test drive when done.

Here is the grill guard he made. Yes, a bit ridiculous on a Pilot unless your 17! The way I look at is it a) more protection b) adds weight so makes the vehicle slower c) something he built.

He ground down his weld beads. For his first time I think it was good. Plenty of room for improvement but the only way to get better is to keep doing it with instruction. Next year he is taking a welding class at school. Hopefully that will help along the way.

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That grill guard will do a number on a pedestrian. Better keep him making BBQ grills! ;)

G

What about cutting up beer kegs for a smoker?

Mad Max!

I have posted many a Thread about a Klose BBQ that I bought in 05. It features 1/4 inch oil pipe for the smoker and 1/2 inch plate for the fire box. All for better heat retention and thus long term heat stability. Also many of the suggestions posted here are the fine tunings incorporated in to the Klose BBQ. There is more to them then first meets the eye.

I have used a 35 gal Drum unit in the past. It was a very good unit but eventually I wanted something a bit more sophisticated. In the Klose BBQ I like to use Oak as the primary wood backed up with a fruit wood for flavor, even usiing Orange wood. Yes there is a bit of a learning curve associated with these unit's as there is with using anything worthwhile doing.

Hmmm what is more useful doing at this kids age welding and fabricating or building model airplanes. A few years later I designed and built a 4 inch dredge out of T6061 Aluminum. I took a machine shop class at a JC. I especially liked the Bridgeport verticle milling machines. Since the JC shop did not have a metal break machine nor Helioarc the Prof did that part for me at his day job. The drawback on the unit I built was the weight of the Sluice box at 60lbs. It is bullet proof though.

He was only into the small stuff when he was really young, by 8 he really had an interest in bigger metal and never looked back. It is funny, as a sort of strange punishment once for a bad set of grades back in 6th grade, I bought him a small model of the Cutty Sark to put together. He looked at it and said, "Dad, make me build a boat I can sail, I really don't wanna do this, its useless!" All the more reason - its was an exercise in focus.

He is about the bigger items that are usable verse the models.

Just because I think about **** like this all the time, what is the potential liability issue if some soccer mom pulls in front of him and he can't stop in time and part of that guard snaps at a weld and impales a kid in the back seat?

Not trying to be negative, squash Max's enthusiasm or be a Debbie downer, just a thought to consider.

If the top of the firebox is flat, it is a handy spot to heat water, which is nice for cleaning up if you are in the middle of BFE Texas in the piney woods. Also gives a place to set a cast iron skillet/dutch oven for bacon, biscuits and what not.

That hitch connection is the place to test and see how much penetration he has...see if he can pull any parent material when it fails in tension...

I would emphasize to the kid that welding is a skill. I bring this up because if he sells something and the weld does not stick, then he can be sued.

Start with a high setting, using heavy guage cord. Gradually back down to the proper heat, but start out too hot with low wire feed speed. You can't have too much heat in a weld joint. Maybe take a welding class at the local JC adult school.

A neighbor a few blocks away came by and asked me to use my forklift to load a BBQ that he just made. That thing seriously weighed over 2,000 lbs. I was so nervous loading it on his spindly trailer, I told him that he can drive the forklift and load it himself, which he did very happily.

This is a good point. It is also important to learn enough to know when you are 'welding' and when you are applying 'filler'.

Discerning between the two is a skill your son will learn when he takes a course and has to cut/etch his welds or do destructive testing.

I applaud his efforts, I just want to make sure he is safe.

I applaud his initiative. I wish I'd taken more technical things like auto shop in school. My son did a half day his whole senior year at the local tech college in their auto mechanics program and graduated on time. He's miles ahead of me in being willing to tackle projects. His most recent one was bringing an old 4Runner back from the dead while he was stationed at Ft. Benning for training. He sold it on somewhat reluctantly when he was transferred.

Guys - thank you so much for your insights and suggestions!

It begs the question the real deal bonafied stuff of course.
But then as far a capability you can take a look on the recent Thread on frugality and see the construction project I completed.

I have no idea what your talking about but reserve your right to say it again at a later date...