Does anyone have a pit with tuning plates?

[midnight]

I am drawing up plans for my new catering rig, including a custom made smoker, and would like to add tuning plates to it, but i don't know what they look like. Someone described them for me once but I would like to see a picture of them to see how the work/ where they are installed etc..

If anyone has some pics could you email them to me or post them here.

Thanks.

[parrothead]

Follow this link

http://www.exit201.com/cyclops/cyclops.shtml

It has detailed tuning plate pics inside the story.

[Davewey]

Nice Link!

How bout a link forum, are own smoke ring?

[Davewey]

Hay, all my posts are gone? watsup?

[parrothead]

That's what happens when someone suggests adding another forum. We delete you little by little. Consider this a warning.

We happen to have a links section Dave, and I have no clue what happened to your posts. I didn't take 'em.

Invasion of the post snatcher mod.

[dxesmkr]

The cyclops page is very helpful.I used that page as a instructional on installing plates on my pit.I didn't use the baffle to direct the heat back under the plates.I just made the firebox opening under the plates.I used 12" wide plates. First two plates 1/2" thick,third 3/8" thick,and fourth 1/4" thick.My temps are close with 1/4"between 1 and 2 plate.1/2"gap between 2 and 3. 3/4" gap between 3 and 4.That's on a 36x60 pit.It's within 15degs. across the horizontial.

Willy T.

[parrothead]

I belive that you need to get a fire going and place a bunch of thermometers all over inside and move the plates around until you get even temp. Hence the term tuning. Then you weld them in place.

[dxesmkr]

I belive that you need to get a fire going and place a bunch of thermometers all over inside and move the plates around until you get even temp. Hence the term tuning. Then you weld them in place.

I used 15 oven thermometers in different spots around the cooker.My plates sit on angle iron.Then welded a nut on the angle iron over the center of each plate.Finally, run a bolt through the nut to jam the plates secure.My plates have never moved.Its alot easier to clean the pit when you can take the plates out.I also have rack for charcoal under my plates that slides through firebox. So If I have do do alot of grilling I can take the plates out for direct grilling.

Willy T.

[parrothead]

Sounds fantastic.

[midnight]

Thanks for all the info guys. I like the idea about welding a nut on the angle iron to run a bolt through. I hope to have my pit done by the end of april, weather permitting.
Thanks again.

[Solidkick]

Damn smart idea!

anyone checked the smoker lately? think i've had to many to remeber what time I put stuff on............Damn beer butt chicken anyway......always gets me started.......

[BigAl]

Follow this link

http://www.exit201.com/cyclops/cyclops.shtml

It has detailed tuning plate pics inside the story.

Now that is a project! :o

My baskets are pale compaired to his project build but his sound advice about "DON'T DO IT" applies to the basket building also. What appeared to be a simple thing has, in reality, turned out otherwise.

I have to buy steel in quanties to build 20 baskets at a time (100+ miles round trip drive).
Also had to buy:
- a welder.
- a chop saw.
- a chop saw table.
- a garage heater.
- chop saw cutting wheels.
- boxes of welding rods (5 pound boxes are $10.).
- two adjustable height roller stands.
- a shop vac.
- a welding helment.
- welding gloves.
- a welding apron.
- 4 pair of diffrent size welder vice grips
- a magnetic welders parts holder.
- a cutting blade for my table saw to cut strips from 4x8 ft sheets of expanded metal.
- masks to keep the metal dust out of my lungs (farking stuff is all over the place now).
- boxes to ship baskets in.
- 5 shop lights and 10 bulbs.
- 2 heavy gauge extension cords.
- 220 volt wiring and circuit breaker shut on/off for welder and heater.
- bags of hardware and lumber to build stuff below.

I had to design and build:
- another work table.
- a custom made top for the chop saw table.
- a jig fixture to hold the steel plate at 60 angle so chop saw could cut it.
- a jig for the custom chop saw table to cut all steel to the correct lengths.
- two jigs to position and hold the rebar for welding.
- a jig to hold the plates, end rods and inside angles and shelf tabs( this one is made of wood and after 9 baskets, it needs to be replaced, gonna build this one out of steel).
- a jig to to hold the divider tabs in place for welding.


I have built and shipped nine baskets so far and haven't made a buck yet after all those 'buys' listed above, but it "seemed" like it was gonna be easy. :shock: Plus it is a dirty job, ruined 2 pair of jeans and 4 shirts so far.

Just hope everyone thinks through their projects before starting, hope this experience helps a little:!:

[brdbbq]

Big Al


We all like you after you came out of the closet. :mrgreen:

[Heath]

If you want to keep the plates tunable weld some studs to the side just outside the reach of the plates. Put about 3 or 4 of them down the side, then cut and drill a chunk of angle iron to sit down over the studs and put some wing nuts on the studs. Tune your plates, put the plate brake on, tighten the wing nuts down really good, viola'. You now have semi permenant tuning plates.

[smokeypig]

alright, here's the neophyte coming out. 2 questions: 1) explain the what and why of tuning plates. 2)in my bd, would I be better off using the tuning plates or a heat baffle extending out from the firebox?

i have experienced the dramatic difference in temps from one end to the other in my diamond. however, I never thought about making changes to the structure. i just adapted my cooking methods to the quirks and idiosyncrasies of my cooking chamber....

silly me!

[BigAl]

alright, here's the neophyte coming out. 2 questions: 1) explain the what and why of tuning plates. 2)in my bd, would I be better off using the tuning plates or a heat baffle extending out from the firebox?

i have experienced the dramatic difference in temps from one end to the other in my diamond. however, I never thought about making changes to the structure. i just adapted my cooking methods to the quirks and idiosyncrasies of my cooking chamber....

silly me!

Why, is because heat rises and ,what the plates are for, is to control how much and where the heat rises in a horizantal smoker when the fire box is off to one side, oppsite of the exaust. This (plates) is so that the heat will rise uniformaly accross all the cooking grates. The longer the cooking surfface, the worse the problem with heat distribution is, so designers have evolved into using Plates.

IMHO, plates would be better for your bd. But then ,I dont have an hd so Phil or? might be want to answer on this ?.

[midnight]

Big Al, its a wonder you don't charge three times as much for your baskets !! You had to buy alot of stuff. I have almost every thing I need to build my pit but going to cheat and have the metal cut at the local metal shop ( plasma cutters are expensive.), so all I have to do is put it it all together, although I am sure I will have to make some minor parts myself.

[BigAl]

Big Al, its a wonder you don't charge three times as much for your baskets !! You had to buy alot of stuff. I have almost every thing I need to build my pit but going to cheat and have the metal cut at the local metal shop ( plasma cutters are expensive.), so all I have to do is put it it all together, although I am sure I will have to make some minor parts myself.

I went to a metal cutting shop with the design for the basket and they were going to charge $78 labor per basket (in quanties of 100 baskets, it would be more in smaller quanties due to set up time) just to cut the basket materials plus the cost of the steel and that was before I chanced from expanded metal to rebar in the bottom (more cuts). Baskets requires exact cuts on all parts or it won't fit, so plasma cutter wasen't gonna work, had to be machine cut. Good luck , take pictures as you go along.

[BBQchef33]

hold on guys.....I believe midnight is talking about a big rig smoker, 24 inchs or larger in diameter. . Theres a rule of thumb here. Its very difficult to effectivly tune a small diameter pit such as a Black diamond or hondo. Reason being that to mount tuning plates high enough for the heat to get under them brings the plates very close to the cooking grates and the food. After a few hours, those plates get real hot and start to have a grilling effect on the food. The larger diameter pits allow greater distance between grate and plate which nullifies this effect.

I have posted a "horizontal smoker mods" document in our FILES/MODS section that will allow you to mod a smaller horizontal to get bettter heat distributoin thru an extended baffle, not a tuning plate, but lets not go hog wild and start truning our Silver smokers into grills.

Just a bit of advice from someone who learned the hard way.

[smokeypig]

hold on guys.....I believe midnight is talking about a big rig smoker, 24 inchs or larger in diameter. . Theres a rule of thumb here. Its very difficult to effectivly tune a small diameter pit such as a Black diamond or hondo. Reason being that to mount tuning plates high enough for the heat to get under them brings the plates very close to the cooking grates and the food. After a few hours, those plates get real hot and start to have a grilling effect on the food. The larger diameter pits allow greater distance between grate and plate which nullifies this effect.

...

Just a bit of advice from someone who learned the hard way.bigAl/Phil - thanks for the input. I guess I'll start off with the baffle and see how that works. I can't image that it would cost too much to buy the parts and do the work myself. If it doesn't work, back to the drawing board and see what happens next.

[BBQchef33]

The baffle is just a sheet of aluminum. I think mine is 20-22 gauge, from home depot... about 10 bucks. Get a thickness that wont sag on a 24"x8" span.

[willkat98]

Chad posted some interesting pics on a baffle that also supports a water pan (I think) just a few days ago. This might help

[chad]

The baffle in my horizontal cooker is sheet metal (NOT galvanized). Light enough to bend with pliers and or hammer and board mod :D

I use one of the "extra" charcoal grates (my cooker came with two - one for the firebox and another if I wanted to build a fire in the chamber) to hold an aluminum water pan under the edge of the baffle.

Phil is absolutely right - the smaller rigs (like mine or black diamond/hondo) are too small in diameter and length to gain anything from tuning plates. You can, however, try out different length baffles (mine extends about 9 inches from the firebox and angles slightly down to meet with the water pan) to see what gives you the best balance.

I've gotten used to 300 and the firebox end, 250 in mid grill, and about 200 at the chimney. The water pan helps keep me from drying the meat out.