Making Homemade Arch

[woodey24]

We have a two 200 Gallon fuel oil tank that I am going to attempt to make into an arch. We have a 2x3 continuous pan with an 18 x 18 in pre-warmer pan. We have a few questions.
1. Has anybody ever seen 2 oil drums on placed on the sides attached so that the fire can be bigger in the bottom drum and the pans set into the top one? What about putting the 1 drum on its side?
2. Can you use patio brick paver blocks as fire block?

3. How far above the flame do you want the bottom of the pan to set?
4. Does anybody have plans for a home made arch or do you have to custom make them? How thick of sheet metal do you want to use as a minimum?

This is our first year at this so pretty green.

Thanks for all the help.

[Woody77]

Hey woodey nice handle. I have an oil drum burner. Where are you at in Mi.and you can call or text with questions 517-719-6two35. 20140315_135100.jpg

[woodey24]

I am in southern MI, not too far from the speedway. We are gonna make a barrel cooker this year. Yours looks like quite a creation. Just hoping to get the operation up and running in time. Someone took Woody77 already....lol

[woodey24]

cooker.jpg

This is The set up so far. My Friend and Neighbor is quite talented.

[GRI]

ImageUploadedByTapatalk1454621461.133670.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1454621481.575742.jpgImageUploadedByTapatalk1454621507.005122.jpg

Here's mine. I'm redoing my pre warmer as the first version sucks. Lol

I also coiled copper tubing around my stove pipe ImageUploadedByTapatalk1454621616.376826.jpg


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[woodey24]

How are you insulating the inside? We have bricked the fire box and have some blanket under the warming pan but not all the way to the stack. Don't have it coiled either. Was the warming pan for you the one beside the stack? I would think just through the copper would get it pretty hot. That's quite a large pan too.

[loghead]

Hey Woody's, keep the picks and your progress coming, I am also in the same process of making the same size arch. I'm not as far as you are yet, just started cutting the barrel up last night. I have lots of ideas but just need the time to get at it. I'm also in Michigan near Millington in the thumb. "
Nice pan GRI, did you make that? That is something I am concerned with, either make or buy it.

[one more]

I found we had to weld the flat steel where the pan sits the whole length, it looked like you just spot welded it in your pic. I added ceramic fire blanket last year and it held so much heat that it warped the metal and cracked the welds. We also put cross members so our pan wouldn't sag as much while boiling.

[Woody77]

20160213_160747.jpgLoghead if you can afford it buy a 2×4 or5 hobby hybrid pan from smokey lake maple its the best thing going for our crazy oil barrel cookers. Ps I have moved inside I have built an actual sugar bush .took the rig off its little power scooter built a crazy hood its quite the redneck outfit but its all from scrap and leftovers from work I spent time not $

[WoznicaSyrup]

Woodey24 - once I get home today from work let me send you a few photos. We have a home made evaporator that boils 22gph, although we have a flue pan and then a preheat pan that sits on top of it. I wouldn't suggest patio brick. Fire brick is fairly cheap and does a great job. What we did for our design was cut the top off of the tank and saved the metal for things like a front door and an ash drawer. While boiling we load the firebox right up so the flames are always touching the bottom of the pans.


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