New Stump's has begun (finished pics 7-18)

mwells · Last edited by mwells on Tue Jul 19 11 12:02 am; edited 7 times in total

Well we were planning on doing a trailer build. But we decided to sell my clone and build a new clone for the house, with better wheels so that we can load it on a trailer easier for the one time we need to move it. I have some things I wanted to upgrade anyways, so the new build begins.

The cook chamber will be 48 tall x 36 wide x 24 deep. Would go a little shorter, but cutting 8 inches off a sheet is a waste.

The chute will be out of sch 40 8 inch round tube. My last one was 6 inch square, and I did have problems with bridging when I used lump. I would do a tapered chute, but the round is free. For the firebox portion we are going with a 8 inch wide by 12 inch tall section out of 1/2 inch plate. Should be stout enough, right? The ashbox is 12x12x10 out of 3/8 inch plate.

I have been trying to decide between 16 ga and 18 ga for the skins. Is there any real advantage with going thicker? I guess the real deciding factor will be cost. I'm calling in the morning to place my order.

I'm still undecided on the transfer tube. My last build we ran the tube a little over half way into the chamber. I cut holes in the sides to distribute heat. I really liked the way this worked. Much easier than building a heat deflector. I think 4x6 would be ideal, but I am not sure I can get a drop the length I need. I can get just about any size round that I want. 5 inch round would give us 19.6 sq in of space vs 24 for the 4x6. I had 4x4 in my last pit, and it had a little bigger cook chamber, so I think I should be good.

Last one had two 4 inch exhaust. I am thinking about going to one square 5 inch, or something comparable.

We have access to a paint booth. I was thinking black with metal flake and aluminum diamond plate on the door.

Give me thoughts on the plan.
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dfess1 · Posted: Fri Apr 15 11 10:58 pm Post subject:

I've seen most clones with diamond plate on the firebox door. Is this just bling, or is there a reason behind this. Also, everyone seems to have a lip above the firebox door. Is this just to try to keep any rain water out of the box?

My father and I are about to start on a build of a clone ourselves. He has come up with an interesting design for the firebox that I'm hoping works out. It'll be lined with firebrick to hopefully reduce burnout. That and we're putting the chute on the back of the chamber, rather than on the side. She's getting mounted right over the axle on the trailer, trying to balance it as much as possible. It'll be a little bit larger than a strech.
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mwells · Posted: Fri Apr 15 11 11:45 pm Post subject:

Yes the diamond plate is for looks. i am also going to mount a Texas Star on the door. The reason? my wife likes it. The plate that people put over the ashbox door is supposed to cut down on water getting into the door seal. Also, that is the hottest spot on the cooker. So paint tends to discolor and the metal can warp. This just helps hide that.

I like the idea of fire brick, I have seen some use that before. Anything to help insulate that area is a good idea.

That is exactly what we were going to do with the chute when we planned to put it on the trailer. But since we have ditched that idea it is back to the standard location.
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mwells · Posted: Fri Apr 15 11 11:55 pm Post subject:

Also, we were going to try and mount the ashbox door on the front but I haven't figured out a way to make the two doors clear each other. I may still try and see if we can get it to work.
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feldon30 · Posted: Sat Apr 16 11 3:19 am Post subject:

Will be watching this one. Thanks in advance for the pics of your progress and cooks. Wink

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Scootr14 · Newbie Joined: 06 May 2010 Posts: 49

mwells · Posted: Sat Apr 16 11 5:41 am Post subject:

It would just work so much better on the front. I was going to put the valve on teh side still though. I still may try and get it to work. We'll see.

Paid for majority of the steel today. Prices were very reasonable, but they sure do add up fast. The heavy plate gets up there quick.

I probably went a little heavy on the tubing, but better safe than sorry. i only have Sundays to work and I would hate to get shut down because we ran out. Plus if we have some tube and sheet metal left over I'm going to take a swing at a firepit for the back porch.

Anyways, got the tubing, sheet for inner and outer skins, plate steel for the firebox and ashbox for 750. Still ned the angle and expanded for grates and runners, and a few more things. Still within the budget right now.
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mwells · Posted: Mon Apr 18 11 9:42 am Post subject:

The build has officially begun. Got the ashbox and firebox sections welded up today. Cut the upper chute and welded it to the firebox section. I think I have a design that will work that puts the ashbox door on the front of the cooker. So the ashbox looks really big. The dimensions are 10" tall x 12" wide x 20" deep.

This is the ashbox. The end cap is still sitting on top. That is about where the chute will be attached.

My welds were not pretty. I was trying to weld outside in about 20 moh winds and it really playing havoc with the shielding gas. Plus I didn't have the welder set right. I did better when my buddy got home and set it up correctly. I am still learning that part.

Here is Wes welding the upper chute onto the firebox. The firebox section is 8" wide x 12" tall. It is 1/2 in plate. Shouldnt be any burnout there. The upper chute is 8" inside diameter tube. Should hold plenty of fuel to get me through the night. The ashbox is up on end to provide a good work surface.

It was a long day, and we got quite a bit done. I started at 8, but I had to cut the plate first. I would have gotten the firebox welded to the ashbox, but the plasma cutter took a crap so we couldn't cut the hole in the top. We will get it torch cut this week. Start on the framing next weekend.
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BRBBQ · Posted: Mon Apr 18 11 9:14 pm Post subject:

The 8' round looks crooked/ not plumb
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mwells · Posted: Tue Apr 19 11 12:42 am Post subject:

It is, but is is square to the firebox. The fire isnt sitting level on the end of the ashbox. When we wled the firebox to teh ashbox, it will all be true.

I knew someone would notice it.
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mwells · Posted: Sun May 08 11 12:25 am Post subject:

Well, I got the frame done last Sunday, but forgot the camera. Today I got the ashbox/chute mounted on the frame and the wheels mounted. The wheels are nice, its rolls very easily. I got the foam filled tires. But the rubber does have some flex. Its not like it feels like it is going to topple over, but its definitely not rock solid. I think I am going to fab up some drop down feet so that it is more stable when sitting on the porch. When I need to move it, just pull up the feet an take off. We will see how that goes. Next I have to get the transfer tube mounted and then start skinning. Next weekend, dont think my wife will be very happy if I spend Mother's day at the shop.

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mwells · Posted: Thu May 12 11 9:18 pm Post subject:

I got a link on another site to Lowes for insulation. But I have some questions.

They have a couple different kinds, mostly the R rating is different. They are rated 0, 15, 23, and 28. I am looking at the 2 ft x 4 ft stuff. What is the difference? Is it just the density? Is the highest rating the best for the bbq pit application? If it doesn't matter, I will just go with the cheapest stuff. But they are only a few dollars from each other, so if there really is a difference, I will get the best stuff.

Here is the link:

http://www.lowes.com:80/SearchCatalogDisplay?Ntt=roxul&langId=-1&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&N=0
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mwells · Posted: Fri May 13 11 2:28 am Post subject:

Just noticed the coverage is much different. The r-15 covers 60 sq feet while the R-28 only covers 30 sq ft.

So it looks like I will be going with the R-15 stuff.
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SoEzzy · Posted: Fri May 13 11 3:09 am Post subject:

What have you got in mind for capping the chute with?

Sphere, cylinder or rectangle?
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mwells · Posted: Fri May 13 11 4:29 am Post subject:

Square frame with 16 ga skins .
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k.a.m. · Posted: Fri May 13 11 5:16 am Post subject:

mwells, I had my suspicions on the Roxul for this application so I called their technical support. The product although it says heat resistant to 2150� the binders will start to break down at 450� they also said it is not designed to block heat. This might not a good choice for a cooker in my opinion. You might want to look into ordering something like this.
http://www.mcmaster.com/#high-temperature-insulation/=c9z22i
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mwells · Posted: Fri May 13 11 5:42 am Post subject:

Thanks kevin. I never thought to call. I just assumed that since it was protected to 2100 degrees and insulation that it woudl work. On my last pit I went to Austin to an insulation supplier and got mineral wool insulation that was good to 1000 degrees. Looks similar to the stuff at the link you posted. I wonder now though if it is heat resistant or just has a melting point of 1000 degrees.

It was some itchy stuff though. Long sleeves, mask, gloves and I still itched for a month.

I'll see if I can find a link to the stuff I bought before.
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mwells · Posted: Fri May 13 11 9:09 pm Post subject:

I keep seeing Roxul AFB as the main suggestion for insulation. It is one of their commercial products instead of residential. I have emailed them to see what they say. Some have also used Roxul rockboard. It comes in different densities. They both are supposed to great for thermal retention. We'll see what they say.

And what they told you about the insulation breaking down, makes me wonder about the insulation I put in my first build. I got it from SPI in Austin. It was rated to 1100 degrees, but I wonder now if that was just the melting point or it heat rating.
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mwells · Posted: Sat May 14 11 4:03 am Post subject:

I got a response today. The rep said that the binder in the insulation begins to break down at 450 degrees C (842 degrees F), but the insulation is fine. As long as it is installed properly so that it will stay in place it will be fine. She recommended the Roxul AFb for batting style or the RHT 40 for a rigid board style. She said they do not recommend the rockboard for this application.
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k.a.m. · Posted: Sat May 14 11 4:45 am Post subject:

mwells, I wonder if you spoke to the same nice lady I spoke with. she never said C.or F. just 450�. So am I to understand that the stuff at Lowes is acceptable or is there another vendor you would have to get the commercial grade from. I understood her to say the Lowes stuff was a no go but you should use the commercial grade instead.
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