Cold Smoke Adapter - Plan B

[GusRobin]

I wanted to make a cold smoke box that was larger than the Bradley one so that I could leave it as a permanent set-up and use for cold or hot smoke. I previously posted my disastrous attempt at making a cold smoke box out of an old compact refrigerator. That didn't work so I went to Plan B, Here are the "plans" I was working to:
1) Make it out of plywood that I had in the garage
2) Line the inside with sheet metal (used flashing)
3)Bought some Bradley legs and those bolts that the SG hooks onto.
4) Make a door that uses a magnetic rubber gasket like the refrigerator had
5) make it big enough to fit a large water pan for when I used it for long hot smokes.
6) make it nice but not at the expense of a lot of time (wasted enough time on the refrigerator)
7) make sure it doesn't "leak" smoke

First I cut out the plywood sides, back, top and bottom. Then I painted them with white primer.Then I cut flashing to fit each piece and used permatex red to bond the flashing to the plywood pieces.
Here is a pic of the plywood with the flashing glued on, the pieces stacked and in a homemade clamp set up.



Next I started to assemble the pieces.


I used permatex to seal the the seams. Then I flipped it over and added the legs I bought from Bradley.



Here it is painted and the holes for the SG and the top vent drilled.



I added the bolts (from Bradley) to hang the SG and did a fit check -- all worked fine



Next I made a frame for the front (thought I took a picture but guess not).
Then I cut out strips of sheet metal and glued them to the front frame. This is for the magnetic door to stick to.
Here is a picture of the frame attached and the strips glued and clamped. You can see the metal vent I have in the top hole. On the side hole I used HVAC metal tape as a vent wasn't practical with the SG hooking up there.



I took the magnetic rubber gasket from the refrigerator and cut it to size. I then cut out a piece of metal and screwed and glued the metal and gasket to the inside of the door. Here it is clamped and drying.



Here it is all assembled. Had to do some tweaking with the door and the gasket but got it to work perfectly with just a little effort.
You can see the metal strips on the front of the box. I didn't paint the inside part of the front frame since I couldn't find a paint I knew was safe for sure and I didn't want to spend the effort.



Here it is installed in the "Bradley House".  (The part on the left that is flipped up is the part where I think the leak is coming from when it rains)



A close up of the smoke box.



So now that it is done, I have to christen it. Good day to do some cheese. Here it is with the pucks just starting to burn. Notice the larger water pan.



We have smoke! And no unwanted leaks.



Here is the Bradley House buttoned up. Started to make a replacement for the part that leaked,and looks like it is time to refinish.



So all in all I am quite satisfied with the end product. There were more cosmetic things I could have done such as sand the plywood ( it was rough grade) but I went for functional or spending a lot of time on looks. All together it took about 3 days but a lot of that was drying time for the paint and sealants.

[mikecorn.1]

Very nice setup Gus.


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[Bear1968]

Great job Gus!  ;)

[JZ]

Nice job on the box and the Bradley house. I see you even have the house on wheels.

[muebe]

Great job Gus!

[viper125]

Very nice! Had something along those lines planned for mine. Not sure when i can get to it. But as i have 2. BRADLEY S.G. thought i may put both in. Was wondering what the double smoke wood do.

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[Habanero Smoker]

Nicely done.

[Silvergrizz]

Great job. You don't mind if I copy some those ideas eh?

[SouthernSmoked]

Nice job Gus!

[DetroitSmoke]

wow!    Nice setup.  wish I had a way to cut sheet metal.

[Mark in Ottawa]

wow!    Nice setup.  wish I had a way to cut sheet metal.

With standard flashing or even 22 gauge sheet metal, you can cut it easily with a pair of tin snips.

Mark (in Ottawa)

[GusRobin]

wow!    Nice setup.  wish I had a way to cut sheet metal.

Actually I cut it with a sharp box cutter. Score it a number of times, place it along the edge of a table or other surface and bend it along the score. Bend it back and forth and it snaps cleanly. The trick it to get a deep score which took a few cuts along the same line.

[OU812]

Niiiiiice!

[Keymaster]

Nice Job Gus!

[Tater]

Very Nice!  Well thought out.