Backyardsmoker wrote:hopefully see you saturday then Stretchie.... 2 more sleeps
I'll look for the fella with BBQ sauce all over his front (regardless of if you get into the rib contest )
wozzad wrote:I've recently build a log burner - which performs amazingly well - I would think it could have potential to make a great smoker that would last for years......Made from a 47kg gas bottle ( not calor with the top cut off, a chimney welded on. Big door etc.
Valves welded on at the bottom, and an adjustible butterfly valve at the top.
Dude you HAVE to do a write up somewhere, the 'Anything Butt' might be a good place. I've just started my first one from a 15kg bottle but have a couple of 47kg ones that I want to make a vertical wood burner from and a horizontal BBQ
I'd love to learn this stuff too, how do you go about learning to work with metal? Are there any courses anyone is aware of? It all looks pretty terrifying!
Have a google for local technical colleges, they will be getting their prospectus' ready for next term. Most likely there will be a night course or weekend course available.
Not to detract from the thread but it is applicable.
I did a welding course at the local college last year, about £120 for 10 weeks, 2hours each on a Wednesday. I got lucky and found a big old welder for £100. I think the best advice everyone always says is buy the best welder you can afford.
My problem is that although the previous owner put a 13amp plug on it I would say most of the welder you are looking at should really be on a 32amp plug, which means running a new cable and plug to where you will be using it. I am renting a house which means I have to get a sparkie in to fir it and sign it off, for completely understandable reasons but I don't want to be spending a few hundred ££'s to do this to someone elses' house so it just use in on the house plug and it still welds more than I need, it just trips the garage breaker every now and then.
After that it's just practice, I can join two pieces of metal... badly and am far from a welder but doing the course was well worth the money. I am confident in being able to set up a welder now and run test lines until I am happy it is set up correctly. The hard bit is the technique when you need to get in to tight corners and things.
im usually pretty good with things like this. im lucky one of my mates is a s**t hot welder, he said he will show me how. alot of stuff i do is by reading up on google and planning things in advanced. like me being on this forum i joined because i want to eventually be able to take smoking and grilling foods to the public and see if i can make money from it. because im new to it i ask lots of questions and then i find my self having more questions and i cant seem to quench my thirst of knowledge. Like this smoker/grill im making ive litrally come into this knowing nothing and ive seen things i like read hpw people do it and where they have gone wrong and now im throwing my self into it. IT will go one of two ways, it'll work or it wont.
i have seen a welder at screw-fix £250 its about the most i can afford, i'll probably get it and do some test welds on stuff. its will have two uses one for my bbq adventure and me and a mate who works for BMW near me are going to start buying cars and doing them up so it'll come in handy for lite repairs.
when i get home from work im going to check out the two local colleges and see if they have a night course. i know they do welding but thats apart of engineering which is full time.
It's a good approach matey, I'm exactly the same, just throwing this out there for you..... How much second hand welder can you get for the same money???
stretchie_ wrote:It's a good approach matey, I'm exactly the same, just throwing this out there for you..... How much second hand welder can you get for the same money???
Have a butchers
Try this company, always advertising in woodworking & automotive magazines.
I'll look for the fella with BBQ sauce all over his front (regardless of if you get into the rib contest 
)
