[ScoopLV]

I want to build this:

Stumps Clone Build



I have absolutely no clue how to go about it. I'm a fairly good woodworker. But don't know the first thing about welding.

What kind of equipment do I need to make this?

[vtvette]

Not a bad project at all and looks very do-able for a first time metal working project.

You'd want a MIG welder to perform the welds. You would also want a chop saw with metal blade (to cut the 1" square stock to length). Various clamps you likely already have if you do wood working.

The large flat panels you would want to have pre-cut by the meal shop where you would buy the metal. If you provide dimensions they should be able to cut them to the size you need when you buy them.

[von949]

Vette is correct. It would probably be easier to make something out of a 55 gallon drum barrel. You can get them at scrap metal yards before they cut/shred them. Me and my buddies have made a couple of these while deployed in Iraq. It's nothing intricate like what you posted but it got the job done and helped pass the time.



I have been MIG and TIG welding off and on for about 12 years now. Not a professional but I'm pretty comfortable cutting/welding metal. If I can do it, you could easily learn. You seem to have a knack for this type of stuff.


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[ScoopLV]

While I appreciate the info about the UDS (ugly drum smoker), my goal is to hit a few competitions on the barbecue circuit and actually have a decent chance of winning. Why enter and spend all that time if you're not there to win? Very least, I want to know how my 'cue stacks up. I think my 'cue measures up to the best. I'd like to test that hypothesis. I recently told my wife that hitting the competitive barbecue circuit is one of my bucket list things. She approves. (Back home, I had access to a monster smoker on a trailer. My buddies and I did the festival circuit in southern Florida for fun and profit.) As far as I'm concerned, go big or go home.

The Stumps Clone gives me the best bang for the buck. I would straight-up buy a Stumps if not for the fact that I'm a "frugal" individual. I can buy the welding gear and do it for less than half the price. Those are numbers that make sense to me. The whole thing about barbecue at least for me is heat retention. I don't want to deal with cheap-ass thin metal. Hell no. I want two 1/4" plates sandwiched between an inch and a half of rock wool. I want to hold a temperature like Freddy Mercury holding a note. All. Day. Long.

So here's my offer. Anyone who looks at that link and says, "no sweat," I want your help. We'll make two. I'll buy the materials for both. We'll knock them out. And then both of us have a Stumps clone. But I want to be in on the build. I am Mr. DIY, but I don't know jack about welding. And I'd like to learn.

[vtvette]

If you can make one of these out of an existing drum you're way ahead of the game in both effort and cost.

The welding would not be too bad as the metal you are dealing with is pretty thick as these things go (both the barrel type Von posted or, the original unit you posted). Welding gets more difficult as the metal gets thinner. Aluminum can also be difficult to weld but you're not dealing with that here.

Thankfully welders have come way down in price (and size) over the past 15 years or so. I would look on Craigslist for a good used 110 volt MIG welder. Either Miller or Lincoln brands. Welders have been and will be debating for decades which brand is better but they are both quality, major brand welders and as such parts are readily available from both manufacturers.

[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by vtvette

If you can make one of these out of an existing drum you're way ahead of the game in both effort and cost.

A basic Stumps costs around $6K. A UDS drum has thin, thin metal, and doesn't have the heat retention that I want to get the job done right.

Repeat: I want to hit the competitive barbecue circuit. You ever hear of anyone winning Kansas City or Austin or Owensboro with an Ugly Drum Smoker?

This isn't about "effort and cost." I want to make the best barbecue that I am capable of making. I want to dial in a temperature and hold it there all day, all afternoon, all evening, all night and all day again.

[vtvette]

You posted while I was typing. I don't know the first thing about smokers. Hell, I didn't have any idea what it was the first time I looked at the link.

I can't believe the guy in the thread you posted didn't build his on a chassis with axles so he could tow it behind a car/truck. That thing would be hard as hell to lug around anywhere.

Does it's functionality have to do with it's vertical design? Something more horizontal on a tow-able chassis would be more ideal to transport to cook-off's.

[ScoopLV]

The best smokers are basically refrigerators connected to a firebox. Most of them have a rotisserie that keeps the meat moving around. That's out of my price range. But uber-expensive rotisserie smokers do not guarantee a win on the circuit.

The best "bang for the buck" smoker is a thick shell of steel, surrounded by another thick shell of steel, with rockwool insulating the space in between. The Stumps is so well regarded because the BBQ competiton dude can wake up every couple hours, throw some wood down the vertical drop box and get back to sleep.

I have spent a very long time researching smokers. This is the one that is most likely to win competitions.

[von949]

Competitive BBQ? Oh yeah, you definitely want to go big or go home. I heard that the owner of the new southern/BBQ restaurant(Dots Kitchen), across from the base, opened his restaurant with the winnings from years of entering competitions.

Best Dam BBQ or World BBQ Challenge maybe? I know these two have been to Vegas before along with a lot of others. But these two have some if the largest purse($$$)

Here is the owner's set up right in front of the restaurant. Someone is always BBQing/smoking/cooking right out front. Helps draw the people in.





There is also a large metal container(smoker maybe)that gets used about once a week. I will snap a picture when it's out. Looks almost similar to what's in your link.



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[ScoopLV]

Originally Posted by vtvette

You posted while I was typing. I don't know the first thing about smokers. Hell, I didn't have any idea what it was the first time I looked at the link.

I can't believe the guy in the thread you posted didn't build his on a chassis with axles so he could tow it behind a car/truck. That thing would be hard as hell to lug around anywhere.

Does it's functionality have to do with it's vertical design? Something more horizontal on a tow-able chassis would be more ideal to transport to cook-off's.

Vertical rules. Horizontal is garbage. Hot air rises. That's the whole point. A horizontal offset means being up all night keeping the fire JUST RIGHT. (That's what I had in Florida.) Been there. Done that. No thanks.

With a vertical smoker you can at least get a little sleep. There's no reason a vertical smoker can't be mounted to a trailer. But I was planning to just strap it onto the bed of my truck and drive it to the competitions.