20" RF Plans?

[Big T]

30" will be fine. I normally make mine a little bit longer than recommended and put a damper on it. I like the exhaust to be tall enough to keep the smoke out of my eyes but not too tall to fit through the garage door.

[Pete Mazz]

4" is fine. A little longer won't hurt either.

[Barrion2018]

Thanks guys, I'll go with the 4" ID and 30" stack above CC.

I got a little more done on my daughter's RF last evening. I tacked on the firebox and the upper end plate above it.

My daughter will finish welding it when she comes over sometime between now and this weekend. I'm going to try and close up the firebox tonight or tomorrow.

[Barrion2018]

Firebox question.

I made the firebox over sized from what the calculator suggested.

My question is, is making the firebox oversized (40" CC, 20" FB, FB = ~150%) a bad thing on a RF?

If so, please explain why. I can cut it down if need be.

Thank you.

[Dirtytires]

I would not want that big of a firebox on a standard offset. I would expect a higher "comfortable" running temp, greater temp swings as you add wood and a larger (unusable) hot spot in the cook chamber from the throat heat. Some of this can be overcome with better fire management and accurate air control (you ARE putting in vents, right?) but why fight it when you can just build it better in the first place?

Put a false bottom on the firebox...it will make ash easier to clean out as well.

[Barrion2018]

I would not want that big of a firebox on a standard offset. I would expect a higher "comfortable" running temp, greater temp swings as you add wood and a larger (unusable) hot spot in the cook chamber from the throat heat. Some of this can be overcome with better fire management and accurate air control (you ARE putting in vents, right?) but why fight it when you can just build it better in the first place?

Put a false bottom on the firebox...it will make ash easier to clean out as well.

Yes. I'm putting in vents.

I like the idea of putting in a false bottom, apposed to cutting down the FB.

Thanks Dirtytires!

[Barrion2018]

After thinking about it, I think I’ll go ahead and cut it down instead of adding a false bottom.

I don’t plan on cutting it down to the recommended size of approximately 13” (can’t remember the exact size)

Instead, I’ll probably cut it down to ~16” and use firebricks on the bottom, if needed.

I’m really dumb, so I still don’t understand completely why an oversized FB is a bad idea.

I some what understand what Dirtytires explained, but still don’t understand completely???

Again, I’m pretty dumb when it comes to this.
I greatly appreciate everyone’s understanding and help.

Thank you!

[Dirtytires]

What length of logs are you using? Mine average 18-20 inches long so having a firebox that is only 13" long would simply not work. Round fireboxes are tough, especially when you try to use same diameter as the cook chamber because they often end up being too short to fit a log into.

Another way to think about the "size-matters" is to think about the firebox as a volume of water. Consider the "proper size" firebox as a 10 gallon bucket of water and your "150% oversized" one at a 15 gallons bucket of water. Given the same size fire for each and consistent heating, they will both heat to the same temp--tho the larger bucket will take longer to get there. Once they are both heated, you have more stored btu's in the larger bucket of water.

[Barrion2018]

What length of logs are you using? Mine average 18-20 inches long so having a firebox that is only 13" long would simply not work. Round fireboxes are tough, especially when you try to use same diameter as the cook chamber because they often end up being too short to fit a log into.

Another way to think about the "size-matters" is to think about the firebox as a volume of water. Consider the "proper size" firebox as a 10 gallon bucket of water and your "150% oversized" one at a 15 gallons bucket of water. Given the same size fire for each and consistent heating, they will both heat to the same temp--tho the larger bucket will take longer to get there. Once they are both heated, you have more stored btu's in the larger bucket of water.

Thank you Dirtytires, that helps.

As for the length of wood I've been using? I've been using between 12" to 14" in my traditional offset smoker.
I never ran a RF before, so I'm not sure what size/lenght of wood I'll be using yet.

[Big T]

It's your build so you should go with whatever you think is best but I would agree with DT on the false bottom. It gives you a much larger area to work in and the FB can get really cramped when you add an ash pan, fire basket and build the intakes. As for the wood size, it's not a big deal if you cut it yourself but if you purchase it from someone else it's usually cut about 16''-18'' long. If you have to use 12'' splits you'd have to cut it all down to fit.

[Barrion2018]

It's your build so you should go with whatever you think is best

That's just it, I don't know what is best.

Since you agree with Dirtytires, then false bottom it is!

I'm here to learn, not to re-invent the wheel.

Thank you guys

[Barrion2018]

Question.

Did I create a restriction by building the plenum this way?

I didn't think about it, until after I installed it.

Plenum Tight Spot.PNG (168.53 KiB) Viewed 2216 times

[Big T]

No you didn't, it looks great and will work just fine.

[Barrion2018]

Thank you Big T!

I thought I screwed up.

[Barrion2018]

Got a little more done on my daughter's RF. Hopefully, we'll be able to finish it this weekend.

[Big T]

[Barrion2018]

Well, we are finally done with my daughter's RF smoker, just need to apply some linseed oil.

The plan today, is doing the burnout, season, and linseed oil. May even try smoking some chicken on it later today after that, if I have time (I'll post pics of that later).

Below are a few picks of finishing up the smoker:

[Big T]

It turned out great!! Be sure to let us know how well it performs.

[towtruck]

Looks good! We will need some pictures of that thing in action next....

[Barrion2018]

I have to say, that this thing is a dream to run!

After burning-it-in and seaoning it(~4 to 5 hours), and after the temp came down to ~225. I did a test cook with a few chicken legs seasoned with some Habanero rub I made and some Habanero BBQ sauce that I also made. It came out amazing.

The smoker was a dream to run like I said, even with the oversized FB it held constant even temps throughout the cook, adding a split or two about every 45 minutes or so. No temp swings, no spikes just constant temps of ~225 through out the cook.

The following day, I decided to cook on it again to see how it would do with a bigger cook.

After heating it up to ~225, I threw on somemore chicken legs seasoned with SPG only, three baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and some beef ribs.

Again, the smoker held consant even temps through out the cook. With a full smoker, the temp difference from oneside of the grate to the other was only ~15F degrees.

I'm very impressed with how a RF cooks.

My daughter will be over this Thursday so I can show her how to cook on it, then sometime after that (a day or two), I haul it to her house.

Here's a couple pics of the smoker running clean, and a picture of the 1st cook and the 2nd cook.

Test cook, Habanero Chicken:

@nd Cook Full Smoker:

[Pete Mazz]

Nice! With all the "Franklin style" being popular right now, many forget how good a RF is.

[Big T]

Awesome!!