Remember the Tide warm water deal. Cleans oil residue real well.

Looks cool but bet you won't have enough exhaust. Adapt some fishtails on the Harley Drum using auto header adapters.

I have got through about 50 pages of this thread. A lot of good information in here. I have a 30G barrel laying around. My question is, will this work OK for a UDS? I know it will be smaller and might need a water pan. My plan is to use this for a trial run before I find a 55g drum. Any thoughts?

Mike

Guys - I am looking for some details on the intake pipe nipples. How long should they be? 1" long close nipples? Do they need to be stainless? I am not sure what they have over at home deeps, but i doubt its stainless...

Since i am not welding, just to make sure i got this right....I can thread in the 3/4" pipe nipple and on the inside i can lock it down with a conduit nut and same on the outside? I doubt the threading of the ball valve will thread all the way down to the barrel.

Thanks all,
JD

I think DR.Ky made his first from a 30Gal.
1" length will do fine, Black Pipe nipples are what they're called and you can use a single conduit nut on the inside and it will work fine.....

JD, I don't weld either and I use 3/4" close nipples. Get a 1 9/32" Shower Valve Socket Wrench from the plumbing department to tighten the conduit nuts.

I thread a conduit nut with the points facing out as far as it will go on the close nipple, then thread it through the drum from the inside and put another conduit nut on the outside with the points facing in so they grab the drum and the nut on the inside grabs the drum. Doing it this way the inside one did not move and was pulled towards the drum so I was able to do it by myself since it is rather hard to reach both conduit nuts by yourself.

I have also done this with my exhaust, using a 2"x4" black pipe with two conduit nuts.

The shower valve socket is the way to go for the 3/4" pipe, for the exhaust I use the same procedure, but since you can handle both sides of the lid pliers work just fine.

Garth57 has one I pass it daily and many times smoke is a rollin! I started one and never finished.
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...k/IMG_3115.jpg

It just dont get any simpler than that... add in a thermometer and a ladder and you are set. The cool thing is you still got a complete Weber if you wanted to.

I am working on mine like that, its going to be a bit shorter and a little Cooler... of course

Norco, dude why would you build a smoker that is 5 feet taller than you? Whaddayou gonna stand on to get your meat out of that? Big ladder?

I guess you missed the important detail "I started one and never finished". Guess i need to learn the real deffinition of "Cool":cool:

Very cool drums brother.

I'm afraid you are going to need more exhaust though and some sort of method to control the intakes, chrome or highly polish a brass a ball valve for each intake perhaps? You could use a chrome exhaust tip in the 2" bung on the lid then leave the other exhaust you have closed and call it a 'Knucklehead' UDS. Remember you need more out than in for the UDS to work properly.

HINT... legs are shortened and center support is scaled down...Do you remember my questions in my PM to you about sealing the drum to the kettle? It worked Slicker than Goose Grease...Pron to follow when completed and painted, hopefully this weekend

The main advantage to this is that you are using the whole weber instead of making another firepit out of the basin... as well as doing away with nipples and a ball valve... Oh Ya... its now self cleaning

Thanks for the tips, you cant see it but I have 1 3/4 ball valve on the back fitting. I have did 10 to 15 cooks she holds good at 225 for 10 to 12 hrs with one bottom plug out and about 1/2 on the ball valve. thanks again. la smoker

Cool, lets see some of the dead animal that comes off of them. :cool:
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Are your reading 225 on those gauges you have installed? What are you using lump or charcoal?


We love to see seasoned smokers and food pron.:-D

200 on guage on smoker 225 to 230 on digital inside middle of smoker using charcoal starting a few coals in middle with flame thrower. thanks

Excellent!!