Stick burner in the Making

[ThatsWhatSheSaidBBQ]

Let me start by saying that I am not a professional welder or metal man! Some of my work may get ugly as I go but the finished product should be acceptable. This is a father/son project. Me and the old man have been wanting to try our luck at comps so we figured we'd create our own weapon, rather than taking out a loan for a Jambo!

• I recently had a local shop roll, seam, and cap a 6' x 28" dia chamber from 3/16 carbon steel. $453.00
• I bought a 21' (tongue to tail) boat trailer that will never again see a boat. $250.00
• I'm having the local shop sheer the steel for my firebox--double layered 1/4 with a ceramic wool insulation. fb= $450.00-475.00; insulation $N/A
• I plan on buying a chrome diesel stack but may have to go cheap and buy a plain ole' steel pipe.. $N/A

I only have time to work on the project one day a week (Saturday), but I'll do my best to document my progress. Unfortunately, I don't have a shop to work from so we worked all day in the below freezing temps (there's nothing like windburn). I was so preoccupied that I didn't take more than a few photos Didn't get much done on day 1...removed some rust/paint, cut a few sections of square pipe from the rear of the trailer, removed the winch and other "boat parts"... The welder was giving static so no new supports were added.

 

[dodgeramsst2003]

Ahhhhhh..... I remember those days! I had a garage, but remember fighting with the heater, welder, torch, etc. Mine was built on a jet ski trailer and is just a little smaller than yours at 22" X 6'. I did the same as you, had the steel mill shear most parts to size and assembled. There are pictures of my build in the link in my sig.

Good luck on your build and keep posting pictures of progress. We always love some good pron.

 

[expatpig]

You're on the way, keep us posted!

 

[ThatsWhatSheSaidBBQ]

Ahhhhhh..... I remember those days! I had a garage, but remember fighting with the heater, welder, torch, etc. Mine was built on a jet ski trailer and is just a little smaller than yours at 22" X 6'. I did the same as you, had the steel mill shear most parts to size and assembled. There are pictures of my build in the link in my sig.

Good luck on your build and keep posting pictures of progress. We always love some good pron.

Thank you. It'll be an interesting project. I enjoyed your build. looks great!

You're on the way, keep us posted!

I'll do my best!:mrgreen:

 

[ThatsWhatSheSaidBBQ]

Hey all. I was hoping to have new pics from today's progress. Unfortunately, we were hindered.. Basically got all the paint and rust removed from the trailer..got the square pipe and angle iron measured and cut..had some trouble with the welder today (maybe you can help).

We don't have an indoor workspace big enough so we've been working outdoors about 75ft from the house. We didn't even want to attempt to weld with an extension cord so we brought out the generator with hopes it would suffice (generator puts out about 220v and 30amps). It seems that the weld isn't penetrating the frame. We've used the same welder in the past on 1/4" steel but this time we aren't getting anywhere. The only thing I can think to do is preheat the metal with a propane torch..If that doesn't work, we may be forced to lug the trailer closer to the outlet :sad:.

Any ideas so I can make some real progress? You're dealing with amateur welders here! Just a plain ole MIG with .030 wire (might be .035..can't remember).

 

[morgaj1]

Couple of questions:

1. What size the welder?
2. That generator appears to be a 5500W. That is not sufficient to run a 220V welder. I would not run one on anything less than 7500W. Your best bet is to pull your work close enough to use the outlet in the house.

 

[jestridge]

Are you using flux core or gas assist if using only gas on the outside wont get good shielding protection due to air movement. after that said ,you have a really nice tank and the boat trailer does ok, you might have to do some re -enforcemt on it. Is it going to be an off set or FB in the back?

 

[knakker123]

Ive been a pro welder for 2 years, maybe i can help a bit.. Sorry if i spell stuff wrong, my english is a bit sucky..

Now, i dont know anything about american voltages or amp standards, but I tried welding with an extension chord here in europe once, and it worked flawless.. If you have a good cable, it should be no problem. If you use a cable reel, ALWAYS unreel the whole thing or you will frie your cable.

I dont know how amateur welder you are, but did you setup your welding machine properly?? Seems you're using a mig/mag welder? The ones i uses for work had power settings and wire output settings... Different thickness of steel needs different settings. Thicker steel needs more power (deeper penetration), but more power needs moor wire.. Less wire gets better penetration but bad looking results and makes it harder to weld. Too much, and you'le notice . Always practice on 2 pieces of scrap metal of same thickness as what your working on before you go welding your real stuff.

If you weld pieces of different thickness it can be a bitch. Thicker metal absorbs more heat before melting. Pre-heating can help. Also depending on what and how youre welding, you may also wanna grind thick metal pieces to form 'a V or Y shaped welding area' before you start welding. That way you get better penetration too. If your welding machine isn't capable of doing the weld in 1 run, you could do multiple layered welds in "the V " But you wont get a good looking result. Again: always practice before welding your real stuff!!!

As said, windy conditions can totally mess up your weld becouse of the shielding gas being blown away. More shielding gas can help, but be aware, too much gas WILL suck oxygen into your weld by whirling. Just blocking the wind might be a better option. Also old paint can make it much harder to weld, removing it before welding will help a lot.


Good luck on your build!

 

[ThatsWhatSheSaidBBQ]

Couple of questions:
1. What size the welder?

Welder: 85amp MIG (I know..a bigger welder would be ideal..I may upgrade..maybe) Generator: 8500 startup/5500 steady.

Are you using flux core or gas assist if using only gas on the outside wont get good shielding protection due to air movement. after that said ,you have a really nice tank and the boat trailer does ok, you might have to do some re -enforcemt on it. Is it going to be an off set or FB in the back?

75argon/25co2.. Very good point on the wind.

I'm lovin' the tank. The trailer isn't going to be recognizable (as a boat trailer). It's going to be completely reinforced.
The firebox will be on the back end.

I dont know how amateur welder you are, but did you setup your welding machine properly?? Seems you're using a mig/mag welder? The ones i uses for work had power settings and wire output settings... Different thickness of steel needs different settings. Thicker steel needs more power (deeper penetration), but more power needs moor wire.. Less wire gets better penetration but bad looking results and makes it harder to weld. Too much, and you'le notice . Always practice on 2 pieces of scrap metal of same thickness as what your working on before you go welding your real stuff.

If you weld pieces of different thickness it can be a bitch. Thicker metal absorbs more heat before melting. Pre-heating can help. Also depending on what and how youre welding, you may also wanna grind thick metal pieces to form 'a V or Y shaped welding area' before you start welding. That way you get better penetration too. If your welding machine isn't capable of doing the weld in 1 run, you could do multiple layered welds in "the V " But you wont get a good looking result. Again: always practice before welding your real stuff!!!

As said, windy conditions can totally mess up your weld becouse of the shielding gas being blown away. More shielding gas can help, but be aware, too much gas WILL suck oxygen into your weld by whirling. Just blocking the wind might be a better option. Also old paint can make it much harder to weld, removing it before welding will help a lot.


Good luck on your build!

You covered a lot! and confirmed a lot of my suspicions! The paint and rust is completely gone.



I appreciate all you guys' input. I may borrow a TIG and scoot closer to the house.. I'm going to make a few adjustments and see how we do next weekend. Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[ThatsWhatSheSaidBBQ]

Great advice on the welding dilemma everyone. We got an ARC welder and it seems to be doing much better. Just wanted to touch base and show you the results. Still have a long way to go. This is a quick shot of the trailer. The flooring will be covered with tread plate. We have a few more supports to add. Hopefully much more progress will be made this weekend for me to bring back to you.

 

[Triple T BBQ]

Looks pretty good. In fact it seems rather familiar somehow. I just can't quite put my finger on it though. Hmm.... :laugh:

Keep up the great work!
:thumb::thumb::thumb:

 

[bbqwilly]

Ahhhhhh..... I remember those days! I had a garage, but remember fighting with the heater, welder, torch, etc. Mine was built on a jet ski trailer and is just a little smaller than yours at 22" X 6'. I did the same as you, had the steel mill shear most parts to size and assembled. There are pictures of my build in the link in my sig.

Good luck on your build and keep posting pictures of progress. We always love some good pron.

Awesome looking build. One question. Do you ever have a problem with the fire box being so low to the ground? I love the smoker, but I would never be able to back it in my driveway without dragging.

 

[ThatsWhatSheSaidBBQ]

Looks pretty good. In fact it seems rather familiar somehow. I just can't quite put my finger on it though. Hmm.... :laugh:

Keep up the great work!
:thumb::thumb::thumb:

It is a clone build:icon_smile_tongue:. Won't look as good but I'm hoping we can make her perty..

Awesome looking build. One question. Do you ever have a problem with the fire box being so low to the ground? I love the smoker, but I would never be able to back it in my driveway without dragging.

The exact measurement escapes me but we did calculate for plenty of clearance. We don't run into many steep drives but it should still clear the steepest. The box will set on the recessed supports; it won't hang off the back.

 

[Triple T BBQ]

How are we coming along?

 

[ThatsWhatSheSaidBBQ]

Made some good progress on the build today...here it is!

First pic is the old man welding additional supports to the frame. After we borrowed an arc welder, things started moving along just fine.

A quick shot of the frame..just so you can see the bones..

Here, we removed the frame and flipped it to remove the rust and paint from the underbelly.

One of my younger brothers harassing the trailer after we laid the first piece of tread plate down.

A close-up of the trailer after all of the 14ga tread plate was laid down. It isn't fastened to the frame yet; we'll get that done next weekend.

Another shot of the trailer after the flooring was laid. We burned through a few cutting wheels before we moved to a sawzaw.

The rest are shots of the cooking chamber resting on 2in supports we cut from some 2x4 square pipe.

 

[bbqwilly]

This looks awesome. Great work

 

[martyleach]

Keep 'em comin'. I love watching this stuff..

 

[BigBobBQ]

wow it is coming along great. I can't wait to see what it is going to look like when you get all finished.

 

[Triple T BBQ]

Looking good. I am not sure what else is next but you might think about increasing the bracing between the tank and the 3x5 tubing you have coming up though the floor. Also watch the weight. That steel tread plate is not light. You may end up needing another axle if you keep going with all the steel. Just food for thought. Looking great.

 

[LoneStarMojo]

looking awesome.....lots of wight there but I really like the way it's looking!