Required Materials
Since I plan to carry the grill on the back of a pickup truck, and I don’t have much storage space, I took a 75 liter barrel as the basis. Such a volume is quite rare. Most stores will offer you 50, 100 and 200 liters. Sometimes you can find 60 liters, which is also a great success.
From the materials I used:
- barrel 75 l (0.39 per 0.62 m);
- corner 10x10 mm - 9.5 m;
- square 25x25 mm - 4.2 m;
- corner 25x25 mm - 0.5 m;
- smooth rod 12 mm - 9.5 m;
- metal strip 30 mm - 0.3 m;
- thick sheet or sheet metal 0.7x 0.6 m;
- welded door hinges - 6 pcs .;
- furniture hinges - 2 pcs.;
- 50 mm pipe - 0.17 m;
- M6 bolts - 15 pcs.;
- M6 nut - 13 pcs.;
- rings for a chain - 2 pcs.;
- metal chain - 1 m;
- board 10x120 mm - 2.8 m;
- wooden handle, as from a shovel - 0.14 m;
- strap under a padlocked door lock - 1 pc.
- heat-resistant paint - 1 spray can.
Of course, you need a lot of materials, but I like working with metal, so this did not stop me. If you can’t get a barrel of 75 l, you will have to recalculate the materials for it, which will not be difficult if you delve into the task.
Making a grill from a steel barrel with your own hands
First of all, you need to cut the barrel lengthwise into 2 even halves. It is important to maintain accuracy, because otherwise, each further segment of the corner or rod will have to be measured in place, which will complicate the task. After marking, I cut everything with a grinder.
Next, you need to make 2 frames from a narrow corner. It will take 4 segments of 62.5 cm and 4 of 39.5 cm. I cut the ends of the workpieces at 45 degrees. I set the trim on a flat surface, check with a square and weld.
Next, I set the frames on the halves of the barrel and weld on the corners. The barrel is thin, so you can burn metal. In order not to make holes, I cook dots.
In one of the half of the barrel, I cut out an arbitrary but neat window through the grinder, through which air will then enter to maintain the heat. It will also help with ash discharge. I don’t throw away the cut metal, it will still be needed for the door.
In the second half you need to make a window under the chimney. It is cut in the center. You can cut even less than mine, because all the same, the smoke will then go through a thin pipe.
Then I prepare the stand. I cut 4 legs from a square with a cross section of 25x25 mm by 85 cm. Also, 2 segments from a thin corner of 62.5 cm and 2 of 34 cm are required. I cut the corners and square at 90 degrees.
Boil a thin corner between the legs. For accuracy I use magnetic templates 90 °. Indent from the edge 25 cm.
I weld the resulting legs with jumpers to the bottom of the barrel with a large window. It is very important to maintain accuracy.
I install an almost finished grill on a rack and add long jumpers. It is already easier.
Now I turn to the folding side shelf with a hinged stand. To do this, you need to prepare a square frame from a narrow corner. I cut 4 workpieces at 45 degrees by 33 cm and weld them together.
I'm preparing a folding stand. For it, you need to cut a square of 25x25 mm. One segment is 40 cm, and the second is 25 cm. For a larger workpiece, one end must be cut at 45 degrees. I weld from them a T-shaped emphasis.The side with the cropped corner should be front.
Now I weld the frame of the shelf to the side of the grill through 2 door hinges. And then I fix the stop to it, also through 2 loops.
I cut off a 34 cm blank from a wide angle. It will stop the leg of the folding shelf. I try on and weld.
Now it's time to grate. I cut a narrow corner for the frame. You need 2 blanks of 58.5 cm and 2 of 35.5 cm. Everything is at 45 °, but now I do the acute angle on the cut so that the frame is external, not internal, like the previous ones. I also immediately prepare the rods for the grill. I applied 17 bars. After preparation, welding starts again.
I install the grill and weld the grill lid through 2 door hinges. Everything needs to be double-checked so that it closes completely.
I make a handle for the lid. First, I prepare a segment of a wide angle with a length of 15 cm, and then I weld to it at 90 ° 2 strips of 14 cm each. I made holes for them at the ends of them for bolts, then to hold the wooden handle. I weld the handle into the lid on the right.
From the angle of the metal sheet 0.7x 0.6 m, I cut off the patch covering the window in the chimney lid. I make a hole in its center and weld a pipe. To its edge also need to weld a nut. It is necessary to keep the thread, since then the shutter will be held on it. I put a patch on the window, made 2 holes through it and the walls of the lid, then pulled everything off with bolts and nuts.
I am preparing the lower grill for coal. To do this, I weld a frame from a rod. I use 2 blanks measuring 60 cm and 2 by 33 cm. I insert short rods between long ones. Next, I cut the steel sheet into strips 6 cm wide. 10 strips come out. Of these, 4 by 60 cm, and 6 shorter, since I already took material from this sheet for patching the chimney. I weld the strips crosswise, interlocking with each other, leaving a gap for air. I also bend 2 handles from rods of 30 cm and weld on the sides of the grate.
Now we put the lattice sequentially for clarity.
Now I make a large side handle from a curved rod 60 cm long. I weld it along the entire length of the sidewall to the bottom of the grill. I also immediately fix the rings for the chain. One at the bottom, and the second on the lid.
When the main metal parts are delivered, it is time to paint. Use only thermal paint. I had enough spray can.
I cut the board into 3 segments of 32 cm and 3 of 61 cm. I begin to cover the shelf on the side and on the rack, which turned out of the jumpers. For mounting, I drill through the board and corner and tighten everything with a bolt and nut. The extreme trims are a bit wider, so they need to be hung. I also take a 14 cm stalk and fix it with bolts to the cover handle.
I cut the choke for the chimney from the trim strip from the lower grille. It is bolted to a nut previously welded to the pipe.
Now with the help of furniture hinges and rivets I mount a previously cut door from the bottom. It could well be welded, but I no longer had large loops, everything went to the lid and the hinged shelf.
To close the door, I put on it a strap for a padlock. I also used rivets here.
Now everything is ready, you can put the lattice and the bounding chain.
It turned out quite well. I chose a good paint, so it holds even after testing the grill. For those who will do the same, I want to advise you to choose a metal for grate bars thicker. Most likely I will have to digest them later. Fortunately, everything is removable and works there for an hour and a half.
