316 Stainless UDS build help is welcome

[mikemci]

Those are beautiful!!!! I would say to leave the drums alone until you find a lid that you like. You can mod them to make the lid work. With the skills you have to make that charcoal basket, no doubt you can mod the drums to accept whatever lid you decide to use. Great job so far!!

 

[AlwaysSmokey]

Just one thought on the lid, if the drums are free grab another 2 and use the bottoms of them as your lid. Cut to whatever height and mabye easier to fab. ?..

The carefully grinding the seam idea sounds good too.

 

[dennisbrok]

ok little update

next thursday ill get the barrels so more work on that part in the next weekend

but for today

im working on a pid controller

i had a pit controller lying around and a little computer fan and some other parts
and i had an old project box lying around

so i starting working on that

its a pid 230 volts
a 230 - 12 volt transformer for the fan
i wanted to be able to leave the fan and the tempmeter in the uds so i was looking fo some good plugs ended up using male and female audio connectors
male on the box is for the temp and female will be for the fan

was thinking on dooing a dubble probe dubble pid becouse i was reading tha you can once the meat is at temp that pid can take over and controll the fire so that you can keep the meat at same temps
but i dont really see the added value to this
if i set it at say 180 for pork and if it hits this it will turn of the fan untill meat starts to drop under 180 but meat temp will always slowly rise even after its out of the smoker so it will do this in the smoker two
and then the added time it takes for the smoker to drop under 180 i think when the meat actually starts to drop under 180 the fire will be out becouse it diddend get any air for 30 minutes or so
plus im thinking of using a meat probe with alarm so it will make a sound when its time to come in te action
would like to hear youre apinions on this

had a temp probe here as well but not the one that went with this pid and cant get that to work
it gives me a reading of 670 degrees celcius at room temp
tryd swiching to diferent probe modes but none gave better readings

this is where i spend my first 4 euros on the uds and its on a temp probe from ebay hopefully it will arrive somewhere next week

so im 4 euros over budget

here some pics of the work today

 

[Ozzie Isaac]

Wow, nice basket. Also those barrels are gorgeous!! Those things are crazy $$$ here.

 

[dennisbrok]

Thanks

Wouldend really know i think they would kost 250 if you had to buy them
Luckually i got them for free

Nobody ideas on the dubble probe ?

 

[foam2]

The step bit works on stainless. I thought the same thing when I did my stainless UDS build and burnt up two step bits. Use a center punch first so your bit doesn't walk and then use slow speed on the drill with some cutting fluid or wd40. The secret is going slow with moderate pressure and not allowing the drill bit to heat up - take your time.

 

[Fwismoker]

You sir are a welding...designing PIMP!

 

[dennisbrok]

update

got the drums on thursday and went on with the project on sunday

was still thinking on how to do the lid but i think i made it work really wel

i cut the lid off just onder the flat plate so i have a thick wall on the lid

after that i beaten out the cut scheet

welded a bent strip to the tale and beat it around that so i get a groove a little wider than the thinkness of the barrel

ended up with this

this fits like a glove over the drum
i put some 1000c silicone in the edge and filled it half way up to act as a seal

works great and a little puch on the lid will make it 99 % air tight

didded really wanted to put the lid on the floor each time i needed to open the uds so was thinking about a hinge system

and made it

alsow made 3 levels in there one for defuser one for drip or extraand one for the meat

how it look now
still little wet from cleaning the pickle off after welding

thanks for waching

 

[Ol'Joe]

Looks like you making a fine cooker, impressive hinge!

 

[Sausage Warrior]

I'd just get a Webber lid - nothing wrong with a contrasting color lid it will still look terrific (assuming it will fit a 55 gal - have only seen 30 gal UDS). Oops - made this comment before seeing your hinge - wow!

You're taking the U out of UDS.

 

[Mr.OiSat]

great project.
compliments from over here.

 

[dennisbrok]

thanks everyone

didn,t really see this way of refitting the lid

but works great and you dont need special tools

closes great to

i was expecting that the drum edge would be to weak but its thick and strong so no problem there

ill keep updates coming

 

[bstomper]

Looks great. I love the ingenuity with lid. I would love to come across a stainless barrel. Now get it done and start cooking.

 

[THoey1963]

You're quite the metalsmith Dennis. Nice job. Keep it going...

 

[dennisbrok]

Update

So went on with the UDS today

went for wheels to make it a little more mobile

and added the intake port that will take the electric fan for the pid controller
next week the stainless will arive for the up pipes for the ball valves and the smokestack thanks to the stepfather
and then i hope to season it next weekend and do my first little test cook on the monday after that maybe some beef or chicken
21 march we are having a party with 20 eating guests and im hoping to make beef roast

had these lying around from an old high pressure washer
wasn't sure about the temperature these plastic wheels can have
so i went for some wheel hubs of course it also looks nice

tomorrow im starting on the side table put some nice hardwoon in the gleu today so it will be ready to carve tomorrow

thanks for reading

 

[HOG FAN]

That thing looks awesome! The little fenders on the wheels are a nice touch!

 

[dennisbrok]

Update

worked on the uds today

made a handle for it becouse i made the weels so i need a handle

stil in glue and not oiled up yet

alsow started to make a side table
i decided to do this because i saw other people do it and it seems really easy
welded a little frame to the side and made it pointing down a little so water wont sit on it or meat juces

smacked 4 pieces of hardwood together and sandid it nice and used the rotor to make it nice and give it a dripping groove
this is with a smear of oil

needs a few more layers so wont be on the drum today

hopfully i will get it fired up next weekend

keep you updated

 

[dadsr4]

I envy your skills. You do great work.

 

[mchar69]

Looks FANTASTIC! It rains alot in the NL, so I guess you need the fenders on the wheels!
(kidding, I'm guessing they will protect the wheels from heat? My mom is from Nijmegen.)

 

[dennisbrok]

Hahaha yep im hooping they will protect from radiant heat and will act as a heatsink on the axel so it wont melt out the center of the wheelhub

Thanks for all the cool reactions