Smoker Build

[Scratch]

I have a friend who likes to smoke meat. He decided he really wanted a big smoker and that he wanted to save money and build one instead of buying one. The problem is, he doesn't really have a lot of tools and doesn't know how to weld. He asked me if I could suggest a good welder to buy, and I told him to just come over and use mine since I have everything he needs to build it. I could even help him with the welding. That was before I realized how large of a smoker he wanted to build...

Initially, he found and bought a 330 gallon propane tank and was going to cut that down to the size he really wanted which was a 250 gallon tank. (Both of those sizes have 36" tanks) Then he found a guy in Georgia that sells a kit to build your own smoker, that included a 250 gallon tank along with pretty much everything else he would need. I was up for a road trip so we made the trip from Wisconsin to Georgia to pick up the goods. He decided to build two smokers, and sell one to help pay for the first one. So off we went and we came home with two 250 gallon tanks and a bunch of other heavy stuff.

The 330 gallon tank sold in less than a day.

[Scratch]

First step was to build a rotisserie for the propane tank. This way we could set it on there and rotate it completely around to make it easier to cut, grind, and weld. We put wheels on it so we can move it around the shop easily. We also built one for the firebox. We put that one on a pallet jack so we could easily raise it into position

[Scratch]

Here is the pipe for the firebox set on its rotisserie. The firebox is made from 3/8" thick pipe that is 24" in diameter and around 30" long. In it's previous life, it was a pole for a Chick-fil-A sign!

[Scratch]

I have a CNC plasma cutting table so we designed and cut out an end and door for the firebox. We used 1/4" steel.

[Scratch]

Some of the extra stuff we brought home from Georgia were parts for the hinges, handles, etc... like these laser cut parts.
I have laser envy.

[Scratch]

We used some 1/2" all thread to line up the firebox door hinges and weld them in place. Then we drilled for the handle and welded that in. We built both fireboxes at the same time.

[JohnBoy]

Originally Posted by Scratch

First step was to build a rotisserie for the propane tank. This way we could set it on there and rotate it completely around to make it easier to cut, grind, and weld. We put wheels on it so we can move it around the shop easily. We also built one for the firebox. We put that one on a pallet jack so we could easily raise it into position

How come I'm getting a feeling that if this goes well you boys plan on making a few more of these?


Looks a great build so far. keep the pics coming

[Scratch]

Mike from Mystic Smokers is near Covington Georgia and yes, if this goes well I’ll be building more of them.

[Scratch]

With the front axle mount installed, it was time to build the front axle. The square spindles are meant to slide inside a 1/4" wall, 2"x2" tube and get welded, so that's what we did.

I cut a length of 2x2 tube and welded on the spindles. I also cut a square hole in the very center for the center spindle, then welded that vertically. We were slightly concerned about strength and my motto is "overbuilding is under-rated" so we added another piece of 2x2 tubing underneath it, then installed the hubs and jacked it into position.

[Scratch]

The rear axle didn't have to steer so it was much easier, but built the same way. We wanted the firebox to be lower so we cut the rear axle in half and welded it to each side of the firebox. We added gussets with a "SoCal speed hole" in it to make the cooking go faster.