# Rear firebox smoker build - Door issues - lots of pics! please help!!



## richxd87 (May 12, 2010)

Hi Guys,

I've been in the process of building a smoker and have begun to encounter some door issues. When I cut the door off nearly 6 months ago, the fit was still pretty tight with no odd gaps. Fast forward 6 months to the welding and beating on the pipe, the door no longer fit like it once did. Could anybody in Houston give me a hand or help guide me over the web please?

Here is some background on the pit: 24" diameter - 48" length

I wanted to build a reverse flow smoker but also wanted to try something different and came up with this:


Smoke and heat enter from centered rear firebox, up and diverted to the ends of the pipe under the "reverse flow/tuning" plate, and exits via the centered smoke stack. Sounds like it should work in theory? I have read of a few builds like this and they seemed to be rather pleased with it and the evenness of temperature.



Had to build a crane to get the 300lbs of 5/16" pipe on the legs.




Door marked and cut using a metal cutting circular saw


Made the grates, rails tacked in



Tie-in for smoke stack created



Rear of pit with firebox





revers flow plate will sit on bottom most rails, right about firebox-cook chamber opening.


----------



## richxd87 (May 12, 2010)

So that brings us up to present day. The door sits pretty flush up top along the hinge, dips about an 1/8" inwards about 6" down the door and more than 1/8' at the bottom edge of the door.





Now if I put a backing plate about 6" down where the door dips in, the door is  flush-ish down to the bottom where it now flares out even more, almost the entire 5/16" thickness of the door.







I've tried pulling the radius of the door in by using a floor jack and a chain but it quickly returns to its original radius after I release the jack.

Could anyone please help? I really need to finish it up and get this project out of my garage!!

Thanks,

Richard


----------



## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

Have you checked the body/barrel of the pit? It is most likely now out of round due to all of the cut outs, etc. You might be able to relieve some of the stress by removing some of the mounts for the grates, etc. and see if it moves back into place. I would tack the door hinges in place and situate the door so that it is flush at the bottom. Once that is secure, start cutting some of the structural things you have added for the grates etc until it straighens out. Maybe even add a temporary brace or end cap to hold the body back in its original round shape. 

Just my .02.


----------



## richxd87 (May 12, 2010)

^^ Good point, I just automatically assumed it was the door that sprung and not the entire pipe. I'll put the end caps on and check for roundness... (I pray that its the door!)


----------



## RB II (Feb 26, 2009)

Pray that it is the pipe, much easier to return to round with the end caps and other bracing/jacks. The door, not so much. Hard to do much with that without a BUNCH of heat and then you will most likely just kink and warp it. 

I looked back at the pics and saw that the door was hinged in the open position while the end caps were not on and the grates, etc. were being welded into place. That even makes me think more that it is the body of the pit out of round. If you think about it, the weight of that door hinged straight up with only the spaces between the end caps and sides for support, I bet it squashed it straight down. It wouldn't take very much to be off 5/16" in the 24"+- of that door radius.

Report back what you find, please.


----------



## sleepersilverado (Jun 27, 2011)

I had a similar problem one time but it was the actual pipe that sprung. On the next pit I cut a slit in the pipe the length of it and let everything spring open. The pipe sprung nearly 2" and I filled the gap. When I cut the large door out similar to what you have it all stayed true. I cut an extremely long door such as you but I had more meat on the ends so where I saw the effects were in the center of the door cut on the pipe. 

If you can not true it with the end caps I would probably take the door off and remove the handle and smooth it. Then make you a pattern to match your pipe radius and find someone to roll the door to match your pattern.


----------



## big daddy fish (Nov 24, 2005)

It looks like you are working with a piece of rolled plate, hence the long seam weld down the center of the pipe. If that is the case, them your issue could be that when you cut the door out it tried to move back to original shape...Hopefully you can work it out and keep that in mind when dealing with rolled plate.


----------



## fishingwithhardheadkings (Oct 10, 2012)

Get you some wedges, stick them between the lid and the body and pry down. Start this about 3\4 of the way down and adjust until you get it where you want it.


----------



## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

i have a trailer pit that did the same thing, i just skip welded a 1/8"X1" trim strip around the outside and left it alone. I beat it, heated it with a rosebud , beat it again, strapped it, cussed it, you name it. 

It was cut properly , allowed to cool, and so on, not my first door by a long shot.

Turns out that when some of this pipe is milled it is preloaded with spiral stress, nothing you can do about it, short of trying a huge press brake and really screwing the seam up.

Best thing , in hind sight, is not to make such large doors ........


----------



## Slimshady (Jan 11, 2005)

Had the same happen on a buddys pit build. We ended up taking the door off the hinges placing the arch down between two boards while pushing down with a front end loader on a tractror until it lined back up. While under a load from the tractor, several hard hits from a sledge helped keep in from snapping back. Some considered it realigning the molecules. Its a crude way of doing things but worked out. Once the 1" flat was wrapped around the door is sealed well. I'd recommend only welding short runs on the flat or it can straighten out or warp even worse.

BTW, really like the pit design. We built a larger scale trailer pit with the same concept and its a beast.


----------

