Smoker Cart/Enclosure

[..Kev]

I have a traeger and really like it!  A bit expensive up front but, well worth it!

[Klappco]

Yup. ABTs are Atomic Buffalo Turds and are stuffed with a mix of cream cheese and my rub, wrapped in bacon, hit with a dusting of rub, and smoked till the bacon is done.

Beans catching the drippings and some smoke are very good.

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[Cliff]

Picked up some materials. Some eclipse board for insulation, couple of cedar 2x4's and 3 2x10x10 cedar boards. Cut the 2x10's in half. The top will be roughly 5 foot or a little under. Oh and some construction pine 2x4's just for random shop purposes. If you can't tell by some of the images, I have a serious organization issue and have to start building solutions. 

 

 

I determined that I needed to add 5 1/2 inches of 4x4 to raise it to the correct height. 

 

 

Since my current 4x4 posts were sanded (badly, I might add) I had to run the new extensions through the jointer to slim it down. Worked out pretty well. It's fine if it is under, but I'd prefer it not to be bigger. the trim will hopefully hide a lot. 

 

 

I used a 1 1/2" forstner bit to drill about 3/4" down into the post. Any further and I would have really bit into the tenon's. My hope was that 3/4" would be enough for it to grab onto when I glue. I then used the dado blade to create a tenon on the new extensions, then pared them down further with a chisel. 

 

 

Glued the extensions down. Slathered epoxy on the end grain too just in case it would help. Then I brushed some across the glue line for good measure. 

 

 

Cut up some new panels, chamfered and screwed them into a new 2x4 stretcher. They are lined up decently well. 

 

 

Tomorrow I'll be smoking 20 lbs of pork butt, which will run about 20-22 hours. Disappointed I didn't get this done in time. 

 

I can't believe how far I am into this project and how much I still have to do. I haven't even had a chance to figure out doors and hinges yet. Might be interesting. I have never done it before. I'm expecting a huge hassle for my first run-through. 

 

 

 

 

 

[wtnhighlander]

Cart is looking good! Improvise, overcome, and adapt is a good woodworker's motto!

[Cliff]

One thing is for sure - there will be tons of cleanup to try and make it look the best it can look!

[shaneymack]

Picked up some materials. Some eclipse board for insulation, couple of cedar 2x4's and 3 2x10x10 cedar boards. Cut the 2x10's in half. The top will be roughly 5 foot or a little under. Oh and some construction pine 2x4's just for random shop purposes. If you can't tell by some of the images, I have a serious organization issue and have to start building solutions.

ww1.jpgww2.jpg

I determined that I needed to add 5 1/2 inches of 4x4 to raise it to the correct height.

ww3.jpg

Since my current 4x4 posts were sanded (badly, I might add) I had to run the new extensions through the jointer to slim it down. Worked out pretty well. It's fine if it is under, but I'd prefer it not to be bigger. the trim will hopefully hide a lot.

ww4.jpg

I used a 1 1/2" forstner bit to drill about 3/4" down into the post. Any further and I would have really bit into the tenon's. My hope was that 3/4" would be enough for it to grab onto when I glue. I then used the dado blade to create a tenon on the new extensions, then pared them down further with a chisel.

ww5.jpgww6.jpgww7.jpg

Glued the extensions down. Slathered epoxy on the end grain too just in case it would help. Then I brushed some across the glue line for good measure.

ww8.jpgww9.jpg

Cut up some new panels, chamfered and screwed them into a new 2x4 stretcher. They are lined up decently well.

ww10.jpg

Tomorrow I'll be smoking 20 lbs of pork butt, which will run about 20-22 hours. Disappointed I didn't get this done in time.

I can't believe how far I am into this project and how much I still have to do. I haven't even had a chance to figure out doors and hinges yet. Might be interesting. I have never done it before. I'm expecting a huge hassle for my first run-through.

Looking good! You must be excited to finally use it in its new home.

Have you ever smoked a 20lb butt before? 20-22 hours doesnt seem like enough time. I have had people over waiting for hours for meat to come off my big green egg because i miscalculated my time. Now i always put it on 3-4 hours earlier than i think i need. If its ever a bit early i just wrap it in tin foil and put it in a cooler. Better early that late, especially if you have hungry people waiting.

[Klappco]

Great progress. I take it that is one of the two packs of butt? Your time should work.

Of course, with Q it is done when it is done. Per my mentor.

Some guy and me.

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[Cliff]

Great progress. I take it that is one of the two packs of butt? Your time should work.

Of course, with Q it is done when it is done. Per my mentor.

Some guy and me.

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Ha nice. My smoking hero is Barry Sorkin from Smoque restaurant in Chicago. And Aaron Franklin, though I've never tasted his stuff because I'm in IL.

 

Looking good! You must be excited to finally use it in its new home.

Have you ever smoked a 20lb butt before? 20-22 hours doesnt seem like enough time. I have had people over waiting for hours for meat to come off my big green egg because i miscalculated my time. Now i always put it on 3-4 hours earlier than i think i need. If its ever a bit early i just wrap it in tin foil and put it in a cooler. Better early that late, especially if you have hungry people waiting.

 

Yup! In fact I've only ever smoked 2 9-11lb butts at a time when i do pork, because I buy them at Sam's and they come in two packs. If it looks like I won't get up to temp in time, I'll wrap them. I should be ok though. I can also raise them temp a bit if needed. I usually keep right at 225, but I've ramped it upwards of 275 with no ill effects. Tried 325 once and it got too dry for my tastes.

[Klappco]

I won a big ribs contest and got an all expenses paid trip to Virginia and a full day of one on one with Tuffy courtesy of Smithfield and the Pork Board. What an experience. He gave me access to everything he does.

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[Cliff]

Oh wow that is just fantastic. No matter what your hobby, just going to hang out with someone on a professional level and learn from them is incredible. There is a guy around here that is a pro woodworker that I'd like to go learn from but feel bad encroaching on him when he makes his living from this. 

 

Sitting at 153 degrees. 16 hours til dinner. Should be hitting the stall any second now.  

 

And congrats on winning a ribs contest. That is huge. I've only done ribs once, just because I tend to do stuff that i can freeze and eat for weeks. 

[Cliff]

Well, 16.5 hours and the butts are done. They are sitting wrapped in towels inside a cooler. Like was said.. "it's done when it's done."

[Just Bob]

Looking good! You must be excited to finally use it in its new home.

Have you ever smoked a 20lb butt before? 20-22 hours doesnt seem like enough time. I have had people over waiting for hours for meat to come off my big green egg because i miscalculated my time. Now i always put it on 3-4 hours earlier than i think i need. If its ever a bit early i just wrap it in tin foil and put it in a cooler. Better early that late, especially if you have hungry people waiting.

For the Seattle/Denver Super Bowl I did a 38lb whole pig (minus the head) on my Treager. Put it on at 5am and pulled it in the middle of the 4th Quarter. Like the game, the meat was fabulous.

[Klappco]

For the Seattle/Denver Super Bowl I did a 38lb whole pig (minus the head) on my Treager. Put it on at 5am and pulled it in the middle of the 4th Quarter. Like the game, the meat was fabulous.

I did a brisket for that game. Great game and feast that day.

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[Cliff]

This is what we're fighting the good fight for

 

 

Both butts came out pretty great. And wrapping in foil and two bath towels then putting in a cooler, they were still hot off the smoker hot when I pulled them out 4 hours later. I'd never done that and was worried it would lose too much heat. 

 

I could just sit down with a butt and a gallon of my homemade bbq sauce and eat until I pass out. 

[Klappco]

Lovely bark.

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[Cliff]

I bought some plug cutter bits, and after experimenting with trying to cut them out with a table saw (I have no band saw) I gave up and used cedar kreg plugs. But I just jammed them in since the holes aren't actual pocket screws. Which means that the grain is not even close to matching and I used epoxy instead of titebond III, so the wood didn't really swell enough to completely patch up the holes. So I cut them flush, sanded and decided that it didn't matter, I'd just make the trim big enough to cover all holes. 

 

Would have been awesome to leave it looking all spikey and Mad Max-like.

 

 

I turned my attention to prepping the boards for the top. Cut off the beveled edges on the boards then started trying to pick a good layout. The selection was poor because I went to a big box store for these. I didn't want to but it's 2 minutes away and the lumber mill is 45 minutes away. I picked the 3 most alike 1x10x10 boards I could find. I was awarded with a cupped board for at least one of them. 

 

I cut it in half just to see if that would fix it. It made it a little better but it was not fixed. So I used my smoothing plane to bring it square. I didn't get a pic of that. Since I had cut the board in half I could have ran it across my jointer, but wanted to try the hand plane. As one user here already pointed out, I left the lever thingy up on my plane. Oops. Most importantly, I used my plane and feel like maybe I can level my top when the boards are glued together. 

 

 

Here is a picture of me standing where a 1 inch by 1 inch block got launched to after I cut it. I used Grr-ippers to make the cut and kind of knew what might happen so I was nowhere near being in the way. 

 

 

Finally, my jigsaw came. I put it right to work, cutting off the 2x4 that was in the wrong place. Man this thing never even came close to having a problem with it. No resistance at all. Compared to my previous jigsaw experience this is remarkable. 

 

 

I also used the jigsaw to cut out the eclipse board for the sides and back as well. I did a real rough measure. I didn't use an edge guide to cut either. I knew this would be covered by some fireproof tape on the edges anyway. 

 

 

Next up I need to put some more of the tape on, glue the top together, put in the new long top support - and then I can start looking at final sanding, trim, finish and doors. 

[Cliff]

We just clampin'

 

 

I really wish I could have adjusted the boards for grain orientation and color. But because I had to run out and get my table top boards from menards for time-sake, they warped. I got them square but they are still bowed. I still have trouble getting stuff set with hand planes so i just arranged the boards so that the bows sorta worked with each other. Still, this is maybe 1/3rd the entire width so I will be running into this problem again and again. And I still need to smooth down each side because they aren't flush with each other.

[bushwacked]

no bandsaw for the 1x1 cut? glad you were not behind that piece 

[Cliff]

Oh I don't have a bandsaw. It's on the list but that is not something I can just slip past the wife without her noticing. I can get a used on from my stepfather but it's been in storage for years and if his other tools are any indication - it's going to be rusted and need a ton of work.

[Cliff]

Wow. I know I said this would take me forever, but I never imagined it would be this long. Of course, I jumped into my garage project for a couple of months, as well.

The wood I had bought for the top of the cart was jacked. I was never able to get them to a place where I could glue the entire width. They were just too warped and I'm too inexperienced to fix them without a bigger jointer, a better planer and maybe a drum sander. 

So I abandoned the big box lumber and went back to the lumber yard. Of course they didn't have 8/4 cedar so I had to double them up and hope I don't screw them up so badly that I'm back in the same place I was before. I wish I had a few more clamps to put on these too, but I don't. 

It's clear that the next step absolutely has to be to make an edge jointing jig for the table saw. Of course, the table saw is covered with electrical parts for the lights. 

The bad news is that I need to finish the smoker cart far enough that I can take it out of the garage to work on putting up a ceiling. 

[BobInAustin]

I haven't built one but a planer sled seems like a good idea for wider boards.  

 

http://www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/video/a-planer-sled-for-milling-lumber.aspx

[Cliff]

When Eric's jointer gives him lemons, I get lemonade. It may be subpar for him, but I'll be damned if I wasn't finally able to joint a 7 foot long board. 

I didn't even bother going through any setup. I tested it with the thing with a 2x4, saw that  the fence was slightly out, adjusted it, and tested again, dead square. At some point I'll fix the bearing that appears to be going out, but that is for a day when i don't need to get a project out of my garage asap. 

Proof, with my new Lee Valley 50" straight edge - 

Hard to see but there was no light peeking through, and they seemed to fit nicely. 

Now.. to see if I can calibrate my planer - because 4 pieces passed through it all come out different sizes

 

[..Kev]

Nice!

[shaneymack]

Glad the jointer is working for you. Did you ever finish the smoker cart? Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[Cliff]

Glad the jointer is working for you. Did you ever finish the smoker cart? Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

Nope. The jointer was the latest step on that quest. so irritating. I should never have started with something so big. Boxes was the thing I should have done. And now the planer is being stupid so I may have to wait until I get a new one to get to the actual top glue-up!