Worths Idiot Grill.

[worth1]

On a side note,
I could do this kind of work all day, did today and have before.
I like it much better than my job.

[worth1]

Couldn't quite make up my mind on something and decided to just do it because I was going to need it anyway.
Went to the metal supply and got..
80 feet of 3/8 solid rod.
40 feet of 1 1/4 angle iron.
40 feet of 1 1/2 angle iron.
20 feet of 1X1/4 flat steel.
24 feet of 2X1 rectangle tubing.
I cut all of it in half on the warehouse floor with my right angle grinder and a diamond cut off wheel.
Total cost was $119.00.
So now I am up to $413.66 including stuff I dont use.
Just sort of putting this out there so the next time you see something hand made in the USA you dont balk at the cost of it.
The 3/8 solid rod and 1X1/4 flat stock is for the grills and or grill.
It takes a ton of the rod to make a grill but they wont bend under heat or burn out any time soon and I may not have bought enough as it is.

[Amateurinawe]

Just so looking forward to the assembly. Cracking project !

[worth1]

I got one piece in the front cut and tack welded and the back one cut and ready to weld when I realized I was about to make a huge mistake big time.
Then I forgot to multiply 1/1/2 X 2 to make three and will need to cut off another 1 1/2 inch from the back rail.
I am getting this,((it's good enough)) attitude when it isn't good enough for me.
The problem is the sun is so bright and it is flaming hot outside 91 F.
Everything I touch is scalding hot and it is like trying to work over a hot griddle.
Can't think and in a hurry so time to stop the project, go in and cool down.
There is always a nice cool morning tomorrow.

On top of that someone else in the neighborhood must be making one too or something, their grinder cut of wheel has been running the last two days.

[Amateurinawe]

They must be following this thread...

[worth1]

One thing that has had me stalled is if or not I wanted two grates to move up and down separately or one big one.
The way I have it planed out I can do as I please and have two grates one grate or a few other quick alterations to do something else like a wood burning cradle on one end to get charcoal from, what ever the heck they call them.
Then there is the idea of a griddle.
Basically the thing will be modular, but I have to be careful so I dont paint myself into a corner.
One thing I have noticed on other ones like this is they offset the connection for the cable too much.
all you have to do is calculate the amount of turns it will take for the grills to go from bottom to top.
Figure out what size cable you use and offset it by that amount of turns depending on diameter of cable.
Plus many times the cable is too big, (really) the stuff they use sometimes you could pull an engine block.
I am also going to offset the hole from center for the cable to go into the 1 inch solid rod I will use for the axle.
The cable will be secured with what they call a grub/set screw in the offset hole for a nice clean look.

[worth1]

I'm an idiot.
I just now realized I can incorporate a big wood fired chili pepper rotisserie roaster basket thing into the project.
The gas ones suck, wood fire with smoke is the way to go.
Yet another attachment and something I always wanted.
Was going to start working again after the sun settled but the temperature jumped up to 93 F.
The sun went down and it is still 90 F in October of all things.

[Sue_CT]

If it were me, I would always opt for 2 grates that move seperately. If just gives you more options, and more control and options are always good in my book.

[worth1]

[mention]Sue_CT[/mention]
My goal is to have the both and there is no reason I cant.
Here is what I have done so far and maybe clear up a few things along the way.
First I needed a way to not only support the grill plates solidly but also contain the fire brick plus be able to remove it.
My answer was to use 1 1/2 angle iron.
The fire brick is 1 1/4 thick, the inside dimensions of the angle iron is 1 3/8ths that leaves a 1/4 space.
I also lifted the angle iron up high enough so I could tilt the bottom out and then slide the brick out like you would the tiles in a gas heating stove.
Thus the angle iron serves two purposes.
There is no reason to support the grills on the center inside and they would get in the way of a lager grill, not necessary and just more work.
The red rectangle tubing is for the support of the center mast that will hold the axle at the top.
It wont be welded but bolted on so it can be removed or place in any area of the grill box I want.
The two outside masts will stay in place and a longer 1 inch axle rod will be used both of which will be bolted on too.
Or a chili pepper roasting cage mounted.
This way I am not committing the grill to just one thing.

[worth1]

I think this picture explains some of it.
My measurements are dead on because I'm using a square and a tungsten scribe.

20201011_114220.jpg

20201011_113628.jpg

20201011_113642.jpg

20201011_104038.jpg

[worth1]

I dont know how I did it with my cooked brain but I did.
I am using 3/8 solid rod for the grill.
Measured and cut two pieces of 1 inch by 1/4 flat bar to make the ends to support the grill rods.
With some weird math I came up that I needed 22 pieces cut for the grill.
Now spacing the rods 1 inch apart on center, half the diameter of the rod is 3/16 but you have both sides which is 3/8 which is .375.
Subtract .375 from 1.000 which is an inch and you get 0.625 which is 5/8 this is the gap between the rods.
Now for the fun part how to drill and get this accurate.
I used the X-Y table on my drill press.
It has 10 threads per inch so 10 rotations of the crank and set back on zero will give you exactly one inch centers.
I'm using center drills to do this and then step up to bigger bits.
The rods will be inserted in the holes and tack welded.
Without that drill press I would be out there doing it by hand which means I would have came up with an easier method.
It takes a ten foot stick of 3/8 rod to make 10 pieces so I will need 2 10 foot rods and part of another.
Remember I said, "I bet I didn't get enough".
I didn't, I need one more rod.
The grills will be 23"X23" giving 529 square inches of cooking area or 1058 square inches total considering two grills.
That's a lot of tasty chicken ribs and sausage.

[worth1]

Drill press action shot.

20201011_140214.jpg

[worth1]

Here is what they will look like I need 23 rods not 22 because my numbers did come up with 11.5 X 2.
I also need to make the end pieces and will use the first one for a pattern for the other three I need to make.
Free handed the last two drill jobs on the press with the vise as a back anti spinning stop.
I personally think it is pretty nifty if I do say so myself.
They can be rotated either direction too because they will be square.

20201011_155434.jpg

20201011_155235.jpg

[worth1]

I should be keeping up with my hours.
Probably have about 10 or 12 total so far, maybe a little more not including thinking and scratching my head.
Knowing what I know and measurements building jigs I can cut the time down to maybe close to half and build another one and put it up for sale.
It wont be cheap.
This is where I need input from you guys as to what you would want, the more the better.
Don't feel shy about any opinions that may be controversy to what I am doing.
This is a total experimental prototype with many options.
Please help me, I can't do what I am doing to pay bills much longer and I hate my job.

[worth1]

Came home and went directly to work.
Got the grill sides drilled cut and completed.
92 holes pilot drilled and finish drilled total of 184 runs in the drill press.
How would you like to do this with a hand drill in hard to drill hot rolled steel.

20201012_180246.jpg

[bower]

Hurray for the big machines! (Drill press - but that is STILL a lot of work... how much muscle does that press have? How long for each hole? Do your arms hurt yet? )

[worth1]

Hurray for the big machines! (Drill press - but that is STILL a lot of work... how much muscle does that press have? How long for each hole? Do your arms hurt yet? )

Each hole less than ten seconds probably five with oil and I was running fast like in a production shop.
To give you an idea that press costs from $1,500 to $2000 dollars now maybe a little less.
I bought it for less than a grand a few years ago I think around $800 dollars.
It is huge.
Not only does the table tilt sideways but also front to back.
You can literally drill at any angle and compound angle.
Then with the X-Y table and indexing head/rotary table on it the word is your oyster.
You can drill through just about anything like cutting through hot butter.
If course I did modify it a wee bit I hated the stops, dont know where they are and dont care.

[worth1]

No work today on the grill, my neighbor came over, looked at it and was flabbergasted, he really liked it.
Said it was better than anything you could get from the store.
I said it better be or I would buy it from the store.
They do make some really nice stuff out there but I cant afford it, the only way I can afford nice stuff is to make it myself.
Plus I enjoy doing it.
If you have the equipment you can do it on the installment plan just buy what you can afford and soon it will be completed.
The sad part is I can cook just as well with some cinder blocks and an old oven grill on the ground.

Sort of reminds me of an entertainment center I built when I was 26 years old.
Someone said it looked like it came out of a factory.
You know what, I gave it to him.

[Sue_CT]

Just because you COULD cook as well on some cinder blocks and and old oven grill on the ground does not mean that it wouldn't be easier and more fun to cook on some first class equipment. I was able to prepare the same meal in my old kitchen before I spent a lot of money renovating mine, but it was no where near as much fun, lol.

[worth1]

Just because you COULD cook as well on some cinder blocks and and old oven grill on the ground does not mean that it wouldn't be easier and more fun to cook on some first class equipment. I was able to prepare the same meal in my old kitchen before I spent a lot of money renovating mine, but it was no where near as much fun, lol.

I have a cheap horrible kitchen and am going to start making some cabinets for it like you have never seen before in your life.
Might not be for everyone but it is what I want.
The reason I like guns is the beautiful marriage of wood and blued steel not the function.
I have considered this with cabinets for years.
Black steel frame with wood.
No reason I cant.