I was contacted by Warren Harding from Kelowna BC check out Warrens website at VFX As of Saturday January 28th I’m commissioned to build a Big Bear Smoker, this beast is 40” x 30” which hosts a 2 grate system and grilling station incorporated into the firebox. More to follow
Badge to be rolled on the curve of the body of the smoker. Made from 1/8th stainless steel.
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Finding pipe locally and not paying 355.00 a linear foot is getting harder and harder everyday. I’ve been quoted 30” diameter pipe 130.00 ft one day and the next it 355.00!
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Starting to layout the door, grates and there supports. Making a list of materials needed and a cut list at the same time to save time so we can get this smoker out to Kelowna as soon as possible!
Rolling this pipe around sucks unless you have an air crane that saves your back! Using 1 1/2” x 1 1/2” 3/16th Angle Iron to create a frame for the firebox door. Squaring up the firebox as it’s welded together. Blast small tacks to set everything in place then fully welding the frame in afterI leave the two sides long to create a firebox grilling station. The side facing us is the main chamber side, the firebox throat will be cut on the panel once the chamber and firebox are married together Firebox door opening tacked in but not fully welded in yet. You will also see the ash pan sliders. This allows the ash pan to be removed easily for clean out. The log rack sliders will be added about 4” above the ash pan. A section of the grilling station is plasma cut out and angle iron is used to create a grease channel that will exit out the back of the grilling station. The channel is welded into place and will be grounded smooth for the grease drips to flow into the channel. Here the log rack sliders are now welded in place and front framing is spot welded but not ground down yet.
Circle for the left side of the chamber and on the right is for the firebox throat and the rectangle is the smoke stack collector.
Time to marry the chamber and firebox together.
Mocked up the frame and thought where’s the material for the supports? Hmmmm. Ya I forgot to order that material! Dam!
When cutting the plate short I just use 7018 rod and remove the flux off the rod and use it as filler material. I goofed again! When I cut the throat on the main chamber I used the wrong reference line and made the throat way to big! Way to big! So I just weld the correct size back in and now the stack doesn’t have to be 48 ft tall just 22” like it should be.
Tacked in the firebox on the main chamber. The firebox alone weighs 95lbs without the door, ash pan and log rack or charcoal bin. Needs a little work to be squared up.
The goal this week is to get the smoker ready for paint by Monday. Not sure if the client wants me to season the smoker or Warren wants to tackle that task?
Still lots of items to be done before paint; cut the lid, frame the lid, have hinges CNC’d, grate rails, grates, temperature gauge to be installed, temp probe inserts, handles to be made from oak, install wheels, paint the bottom of the smoker, mount the military police badge, CNC the firebox door and final grind out. Oh ya and figure out shipping? Hmmm maybe road trip to Warrens hours in Kelowna?
Bam! We have legs.
Sub frame complete and ready to stand up on its own. Not much was completed today but there’s always tomorrow.
Cut back the collector so it wasn’t in your face when using the grill stationHad some homework tonight. A little tig welding of the grate for the grilling station. Wow that sucker gets hot without a water cooled torch. We’ll back to the grind. Popped so hard it blew the tack weld off the lid
Using a 20 Ton jack we’ll simply jack the right top corner out enough that it matches the twisted lid. A little bbq felt and an hammer will fix this issue in a couple of hours
Managed to get the chamber to match the lid profile. And grate rails and made the log rack. Well I’ll have to modify the log rack, made it to wide but a simple zip and re-weld. Failing forward
Great day not much completed, building grates tomorrow and still waiting for the hinges to be cut with the water jet.
Now getting ready for paint
Painted! Now dry time is 48 long hours then badge install, temperature gauges, logo, handles both main chamber and rain stack. Then wrap several times with pallet wrap and bubble warp in the sensitive areas and then ship this 36” wide by 6ft 3” long smoker
