bvbull200's Gravity Fed Cabinet Smoker Build Thread - Under the Tutelage of Maner

I did, but it is hard to measure precisely. The shroud is offset of the dial and the depths are different. Measuring the distance from the edge of a circle to a point can be tricky if you aren't exactly 180* away from the other measuring point on the circle. I didn't have my protractor or geometry skills with me .

There's a good mix of precisely measured bits and eyeballed bits on this thing. It will look expertly assembled (thanks to Maner), but certainly custom and handmade.

 

Measuring from the center of the thermometer dial wasn't an option then?

 

The bottom edges of the shroud sit lower than the center of the dial, so I'd be back to measuring from a floating point on an arc.

If I'd have measured two points equidistant from the edges of the shroud along the arc whose connecting line ran through the center of the dial, I could have then measured off the center. I wedged my finger in between the two instead.

 

I guess I'm just going to have to take your word for it.

 

I'm probably just trying to convince myself.

 

You could have snapped a cross on the center of the dial then centered the shroud on that center cross which should have put you on Mark. That or 3 spacers one on top and one on either side all equal thickness.

You should probably redo it 10 or 15 more times to make sure it’s right.

I can tell from that pic it’s off a little.

 

Not to mention that you're going to have to take into consideration the thickness of the paint.. now it's gonna be WAY off.

 

I might have inadvertently stumbled in to my equivalent of Zach's WiFi.

In the pic I posted yesterday, it was when I was convinced it was off-centered.

In the one that Maner posted today, it was after I "fixed" it to at least be close enough that I was able to sleep well last night .

Could have been from the whiskey, though.

I'll get the caliper....

 

Haha!

Honestly.. it looks perfect to me.. and you have to be super happy that YOU built this thing and the rest of us have just sat back and watched...

Worry about center when you go to production mode!

 

Beaming with pride, man. Beaming with pride. We'll have another round of awe when we get it cleaned up and painted.

 

You spelled drinks wrong... another round of drinks!

 

I quit this thread when Maner said the hot dumpster chick sold the company.

 

I would probably use laser levels and tone guidance.

Just screwing with ya man. Looks badass and wish I could have been around for it.

 

Next time.. mount the gauge and then use a piece of rubber hose on the top of the gauge to ensure the shroud is even.

 

@bvbull200 could you not triangulate the distance from these three points? This would have to assume the radius is mostly consistent over the length of the steel...

 

​

 

That's EXACTLY right. I was supposed to bring a bottle out yesterday, but forgot. I'll have something on had. Not like Maner has a lack of tasty adult beverages in the shop, though.

Busting balls is part of the deal .

I'll hopefully have a plate design ready for you in the near future. Something around 9" x 7". I want to put a name for the pit along with a little fact/spec listing on it. I'll let you know.

That's a good idea! Better than just wedging my fingers in there .

That horizontal line doesn't run through the center of the dial in actuality. The bottom points of the shroud aren't quite at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., but they are below 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.. If I had the center of the shroud, I could do it...kind of. The pipe sprung open ever so slightly when it was cut in half, though, so even measuring off of the solid pipe would introduce a small error in the calculation.

What would work would be a line connecting the two end points on the shroud, then adding a perpendicular line originating from the midpoint. Set that over the dial and make the perpendicular line go through the center point of the dial and it would be perfectly centered along the x-axis. Since the arc of the shroud is greater than 180*, I couldn't use the horizontal line to line it up for the y-axis. That'd be a little extra math, but I've been out of geometry for a bit .

 

I think Maner saw this coming when I said something yesterday afternoon!

 

You probably needed to know the √ of π³ for it to jive

 

Ok. This is what I needed to know. Now you need to mark where 180° is at, on the shroud, relative to the center of the dial...cut the welds and then cut the pipe again. Then measure to exact center +/- .0001" and reweld it back on.