120 Gallon Tank Build (lots of pics)

For the most part this is what I just ordered, I don't have a plasma cutter so I went ahead and had them cut the steel plate to the dimensions that I need for the firebox and deflector plate. This cost me another $100, but it might have ended up costing me nearly that much in cutting wheels for my angle grinder.

This doesn't include whatever you decide to use for the actual cooking chamber. And don't forget to factor in sales taxes if you live in a state that has one.

4X8 Sheet 1/4" steel - $390
*for firebox and deflector plate, you may need more than this depending on the size of your firebox and deflector plate

6X6 Square Tube by 30" - $55
*for exhaust pipe, you could use round pipe but I like the look of square

2 - 4'X8' Sheets of Expanded Steel -$75
*for meat racks, firebox racks, and shelving

10 feet of 3" x 3" square tubing - $60
*for the frame/legs, i like the square tubing but you could use angle for this

10 feet of 1/4" round bar - $4
* for various handles

40 feet of 1" angle - $55
* for rack slides, racks, hinges

24 feet of 3/4" flat bar - $25
* for rack bracing and locking handles

24 feet of 1 1/4" flat bar - $35
* for door strapping

Plus a couple feet of 1/2" round bar - $5
* for hinges

TTNuge said:

What size expanded metal did you go with? I thought when I priced that stuff out it was like $125 a sheet.

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I wanted to go with 3/4" X 13# which would have been like $55 a sheet, after I placed the order they called and said that they don't have that in stock. So went with 3/4" X 16# since I was already planning on adding bracing to my racks. But I would have much prefered to have the 13#

TTNuge said:

Wow, I jut checked and it's a HUGE difference when you step up to #9. Could definitely save some coin there.

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Yeah, I went through all the choices to see which product you were looking at. I used #13 for my last build and thought it might even be a little heavier than you'd need, but I would have actually preferred it again. We will see if the #16 will work, if not then I'll find the #13 some where.

I got back to work today, started by making the hinges. I went with a pretty simple design, just a piece of angle iron with round bar. The hardest part was getting the round bar bent to a 90 degree angle. To do this I cutoff a 12" section of bar and made a line at 5". Next, I drilled a 1/2" inch hole in a double 2X4 post that I have in my garage. Then I slid the bar into the hole to the 5" mark and proceed to pound the heck out of it until it was at a 90 degree angle.

I cut the top edge of the door and down each side about 2", then I tacked the top edge strapping in place. After the top edge strapping was in place I welder the round bar to the door to complete the hinge.

Next I cut both sides of the door and about 2" on each of the bottom corners. I pre-bent the strapping for the sides over the small collar that I cut off the top of the tank. It ended up being a pretty decent fit after the bend, just a little tweaking and it fit nicely. Oh yeah, I cut the strapping for the door sides about 5" long so that I could get a good bend and fit, once they were tacked in place I cut them off to the proper length with the angle grinder.

Then it was time to cut out the bottom door edge and install that strapping.

I can tell you it seems a heck of a lot bigger on the inside than I was expecting, which is a good thing because I have still been second guessing myself on whether I am going to be happy with this tank size.

Planning on a tank burnout tomorrow, after that I am kind of at a stand still until the other materials are ready to be picked up. In the meantime, I have some scrap lumber laying around so I will probably build a temporary stand to get it up off the ground and easier to work on.

Burnout

Wasn't much that I could do today but I did get the burnout done.

morgaj1 said:

Looking good. BTW, did you put the calipers on it to see how thick the metal is?

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No I didn't. Today was the first day that I glanced at it and I would bet it is 3/16. It is definately more than 1/8 but doesn't look like it is 1/4.

I was able to get the tank on a temporary stand that I threw together this morning. Still haven't heard back from the metal supplier, so won't be able to do to much in the meantime.

Still no word on the metal being ready so I plugged the holes that were in what used to be the top of the tank and got my hatchet (handle) welded into place on the door.

I was already planning on putting something above the firebox so I just went ahead and used threaded plugs for the holes.

Metal Is Here

Was finally able to pick up the rest of the metal for my build.

Firebox

Felt good to get back to work on the cooker again today, felt like I made some progress. I got the firebox welded up and sat the cooking chamber on the firebox to take a look.

Had a chance to put a few hours in on the grill yesterday and a couple more today. Yesterday I got the firebox welded to the cooking chamber and today I got the legs and wheels on.