# Oil / Gas Field Pipe Off Cuts - Pellet Grill Project



## CalgaryPT (Mar 20, 2021)

Years ago, well...OK—a decade+ ago if I am being honest—I used to make a lot of BBQs and smokers for people. It was one of my favourite projects. I probably made 20+ of them. They are super fun, last forever—and (aside from making a still), I can't think of a metal working project that has as much of a comfort factor as a smoker. I even made a few that I know have been handed down to kids in the same family. That's super satisfying.

In the days when I made them, they were all offset models that burned either briquettes or (mostly) wood. However, sourcing actual hardwood in Calgary is now tougher and certainly more expensive. Fortunately the advent of pellet grills has changed this. You can now find hardwood pellets easily and even order custom pellet mixes online. Believe or not Princess Auto has a decent selection in their meat/grill aisle in different flavours. But best of all pellet grills now have electronic controllers that sample the temperature and adjust the feed rate to maintain a stable temperature without babysitting a flue, chopping wood, stoking a fire, etc. In combination with a $50 wireless temperature probe (some are Bluetooth), you get to sit on the southern part of your body, partake in an adult beverage or two, and do nothing but savour the smell of hardwood smoked brisket or ribs for hours on end. So, yeah...Heaven.

I recently discovered that you can just buy the hopper/feeder with digital temperature controller unit separately. This sounds like a summer project for me. Just add this to a homemade grill drum and stand and you have a gem of a metalworking project. The issue I now have is that the contact I used to know for oilfield pipe is no longer around.

Does anyone know a source for offcut steel pipe in the 24" ballpark? I do have a slip roll that can do up to 16 gauge, but I'd like something thicker...so pipe is typically the route for smokers.


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## Johnwa (Mar 20, 2021)

I don’t know if he has that large of pipe but he did have cutoffs available 2 years ago.

Darin Wakeham Shop Manager     

Bus; 403 226 7420
262125 Balzac Blvd              Fax; 403 226 7424
Balzac, Alberta, 
T4B 2T3 
E-mail darin@threadcoinc.com


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## Johnwa (Mar 20, 2021)

A steel oil drum might work.


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## Janger (Mar 20, 2021)

Johnwa said:


> A steel oil drum might work.


 here I am Mr. Safety OMG. Watch what was stored in the drum if you try this. I wouldn't cook food in a container that used to hold toxic stuff.


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## Brent H (Mar 20, 2021)

@CalgaryPT : this is genius. We are looking to make a drum smoker for the times we are off remote work sites etc and the cook can take a day to smoke away - LOL.  I received a beauty smoker for Christmas and have been making lots of yummy stuff!  I have a few great ribs and sauces if you want some recipes.
I will check into the feeder assembly as this would be great!  

@Janger : for the drums you can burn them out and then finish anything out with a wire wheel - I would think anything highly combustible or highly toxic would not be recommended though.....


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## Johnwa (Mar 20, 2021)

I just looked on kijiji there are ones that were used to transport bagged apple juice so nothing ever touched the sides.


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## Johnwa (Mar 20, 2021)

@Janger, wouldn’t you pay extra for a smoker that looked like an oil drum with “Gear Oil” or a biohazard symbol stencilled on the side?


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 20, 2021)

Janger said:


> here I am Mr. Safety OMG. Watch what was stored in the drum if you try this. I wouldn't cook food in a container that used to hold toxic stuff.


Yes, it has to be unused for sure. Petroleum penetrates the steel and is very difficult to get out for cooking purposes. When I used to make them I knew of guys that made them from old filing cabinets. Bad, bad, bad idea. Most were made of leaded paint, and certainly not heat safe. Only an unpainted 50 gallon barrel would work if you wanted to go that route, but good luck finding an unpainted one. I prefer pipe. I used to use 24" 3/16 or 1/4 wall stuff. I can slip roll the equivalent of a barrel if need be, but am hopeful I will find pipe. It holds heat longer and therefore requires less fuel + keeps the temp more consistent in northern climates. Competition pitmasters in Texas use 16 gauge, but in Alberta with cold wind you want thicker material.


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 20, 2021)

Johnwa said:


> I don’t know if he has that large of pipe but he did have cutoffs available 2 years ago.
> 
> Darin Wakeham Shop Manager
> 
> ...


Will try. Thanks.


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## Chicken lights (Mar 21, 2021)

I’d really have to dig for the name of the company but there was a shipper in Quebec that made pipe. They had various cut offs probably 20-24” diameter and a foot tall that I kept for awhile thinking they were too good to scrap.....but eventually went for scrap. Probably cost too much to ship to AB anyway 
But they were roughly 3/8” wall thickness too, they were perfect for a small fire pit or smoker project. 

I had four of those pipe cut offs


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## kevin.decelles (Mar 21, 2021)

How about old air compressor tank?  How tall of a section are you looking for?


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## DPittman (Mar 21, 2021)

kevin.decelles said:


> How about old air compressor tank?  How tall of a section are you looking for?


Or maybe an old water heater tank?


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## historicalarms (Mar 21, 2021)

two industries that come to mind that use and cut pipe to specific lengths so would have cut-off's are pile driving & Rat Hole drillers. They both routinely use pipe 12' to much larger. Wall thickness would be sufficient for your application as well.
    Probably such companies in or close to Calgary but there is a piling company along QE ll just outside Ponoka that has piles of cut-off's visible in the yard from the hi-way.


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 21, 2021)

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I agree industries that would likely have off cuts is a great place to start. Thinking of a few companies in town that do bending as well. There are always pieces left over there.

I'm going to start calling around next week. I'll post my results.


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## Chip Maker (Mar 21, 2021)

What about a 100lb. propane cylinder?


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 21, 2021)

kevin.decelles said:


> How about old air compressor tank?  How tall of a section are you looking for?


I did try using one years ago for an offset smoker. There was always a smell to it, even after burn off. I read on a BBQ forum it's because the compressor oil is under pressure for, well 20 years or whatever the lifecycle was. Over that long a term it permeates the rusted surface of the tank, so you really have to get in there and sand down (not just wire brush) the interior surface. We just wire brushed the one we used, but it was shiney. Still, we could never get rid of the smell. In the end I think the guy I made it for (and who supplied the tank), used it to burn down his wood for charcoal. So in the end it did get to be a part of the BBQ world, kind of. I think had we sanded it the results may have been different, but it's just a lot of work. It turned me off used containers for any future builds.

On a similar note I just don't trust anything advertised online as unused, especially if it is a vessel I have to cut into. I've seen too many of those accident videos on YouTube. I think there was even a OHSA video about a barrel purchased as "food safe." Sadly it was classified as such because it had been used to store peppermint oil for the food industry. And yeah, it exploded.

So I trust no one when it comes to vessels. While I won't use one again for a smoker, there are lots of good uses for used tanks. There's a metal artist in the USA called Kevin Caron who has a YouTube channel. He uses lots of stuff like this. His advice for people buying a used tank is to only buy it if the compressor and other components are still attached. Otherwise, if the tank is bare, there is a 50% chance it has been used to store some sort of liquid (diesel is common).

Sounds like good advice to me.


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 21, 2021)

Chip Maker said:


> What about a 100lb. propane cylinder?


I wouldn't have the courage to cut into that, even if it were thick enough


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 21, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> I’d really have to dig for the name of the company but there was a shipper in Quebec that made pipe. They had various cut offs probably 20-24” diameter and a foot tall that I kept for awhile thinking they were too good to scrap.....but eventually went for scrap. Probably cost too much to ship to AB anyway
> But they were roughly 3/8” wall thickness too, they were perfect for a small fire pit or smoker project.
> 
> I had four of those pipe cut offs


Thanks for thinking about it. There is a company called Compass Bending that may have big cut offs. I will find some...I love challenges like this. The best part about getting older is I finally have the patience I always wanted when I was young.

Just waiting for some additional technical specs from the company that makes the Hopper and Burner Unit. Turns out the controller they use is a improved version of what Pit Boss (a well know smoker manufacturer) uses, but way cheaper.

I'll likely order the unit as I know I have a fall back plan in case I can't source the pipe. I can always slip roll 16 gauge up to 3 feet long myself. Not ideal, but do-able.


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## Chicken lights (Mar 21, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> I wouldn't have the courage to cut into that, even if it were thick enough


All you need to do is pipe exhaust from a gas powered vehicle into the tank before cutting it, to be safe


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 21, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> All you need to do is pipe exhaust from a gas powered vehicle into the tank before cutting it, to be safe


I'm sure you're right. But you underestimate my cowardice.


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## DPittman (Mar 21, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> I wouldn't have the courage to cut into that, even if it were thick enough


I think maybe your brains are over ruling the courage part...and that's a good thing.


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## Tom O (Mar 21, 2021)

I have a compressor tank if you want it I’ll have to look but I believe it is about 3’ x 18” dia I’ll look when I get back home.


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## Johnwa (Mar 21, 2021)

I’ve cut 20lb cylinders.  I filled them with water, drilled a hole and cut with a jigsaw.  There is an amazing amount of oil inside them.


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## Johnwa (Mar 21, 2021)

Another option is a hot water tank.  I think a 30 gallon is about 16” OD.


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 21, 2021)

Tom O said:


> I have a compressor tank if you want it I’ll have to look but I believe it is about 3’ x 18” dia I’ll look when I get back home.


Very kind of you Tom, but I'm going to hold out for pipe. After making so many smokers years ago I remember finally settling on material that worked the best. This was after trying barrels and air tanks, etc. I do recall after making the last ones out of pipe saying to myself, "I'll never make another one unless it is pipe." Now I just have to find it


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## Tom O (Mar 21, 2021)

No problem my Dad made one out of wood for smoking salmon my brother caught.


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 21, 2021)

And for the record, I wasn't kidding about how sophisticated this BBQ stuff has got. Below is a pic of my wireless setup. Two probes: one for meat and one for BBQ ambient temp (or one for each of two different types of meat). You can set alarms for each. You can set timers. You can use USDA meat temp alarms. It alerts you if the probe disconnects. It's backlit for night-time viewing ( a brisket can take 16-24 hrs.). _And mine is low end_; some have many more probes, integrate with the smoker/BBQ controller, have Bluetooth, monitor humidity, and at least one on the market has a USB port where you can download the data to a thumb drive so you can graph the perfect brisket for YouTube bragging rights. I'm dead serious here—_graph your BBQ event. _Interestingly enough there is a lot of science here as meat goes through plateau or "stall" phases that makes sense if you see the graphs. You can work in the shop with the receiver attached to your belt as you weld or machine away...always knowing your ribs will be perfect. (Also useful if you are having too many beers with friends as the BBQ toils away in the background.)

A custom smoker can easily run over $10K. If you understand the electronics of the controllers, know the basics of good BBQ (as opposed to just grilling), and are handy at metalwork, they are terrific projects and potential profit centers.

I don't care what anyone says, BBQ on your own smoker is worth every hour of labour you put into building it. This ain't your Daddy's grill anymore.


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## Tom O (Mar 22, 2021)

Hmmm I was told that it is all in the marinating brine.


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 23, 2021)

Tom O said:


> Hmmm I was told that it is all in the marinating brine.


There's a whole mythology around brisket smoking, and it's almost religious in nature. I certainly don't pretend to understand it. 

These nutjobs have forums where they discuss and debate their hobby, even subthreads on BBQ sauce and rubs. They rate each others' postings, rank members based on "Likes" and have Administrators that can intervene if conversations get out of hand.

Their passion is crazy and completely baffling to me.


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## Brent H (Mar 23, 2021)

@CalgaryPT : I whole heartedly agree.....After spending a couple hours prepping a Brisket and slicing off a lot of fat  the whole wow factor kinda left me for a more - "crap, I just paid like $24 for useless fat......alas.... "  they can keep their fixations and worship - LOL


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## Chicken lights (Mar 23, 2021)

https://heygrillhey.com/bacon-wrapped-armadillo-eggs/

Ok I’m not a huge BBQ guy but that sounds delicious


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## kevin.decelles (Mar 23, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> There's a whole mythology around brisket smoking, and it's almost religious in nature. I certainly don't pretend to understand it.
> 
> These nutjobs have forums where they discuss and debate their hobby, even subthreads on BBQ sauce and rubs. They rate each others' postings, rank members based on "Likes" and have Administrators that can intervene if conversations get out of hand.
> 
> Their passion is crazy and completely baffling to me.



We debate oils for the headstock, they debate dry rub. Lot of similarity

I “liked” your post to improve your ranking


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## YotaBota (Mar 23, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> A custom smoker can easily run over $10K.


Ya but can it cut an acme 10tpi left hand thread??????LOL


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 23, 2021)

kevin.decelles said:


> We debate oils for the headstock, they debate dry rub. Lot of similarity
> 
> I “liked” your post to improve your ranking
> 
> ...


There *may* have been a hint of sarcasm in my post


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## CalgaryPT (Mar 23, 2021)

Chicken lights said:


> https://heygrillhey.com/bacon-wrapped-armadillo-eggs/
> 
> Ok I’m not a huge BBQ guy but that sounds delicious


Well, there goes my diet.


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## Brent H (Mar 23, 2021)

@Chicken lights : quote 





> Ok I’m not a huge BBQ guy but that sounds delicious



next time we can get together - give me some time to throw a pork shoulder, prime rib or a loin, eye or what ever on and you will soon be a BBQ guy....but no cult, or crazy nut job thing.......LOL


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## Chicken lights (Mar 24, 2021)

Brent H said:


> @Chicken lights : quote
> 
> next time we can get together - give me some time to throw a pork shoulder, prime rib or a loin, eye or what ever on and you will soon be a BBQ guy....but no cult, or crazy nut job thing.......LOL


Deal LOL

I love eating BBQ, especially down south. I’m just not into the hobby of it (cult). Cajun boudin sausage is on the list to try as well as alligator, I don’t know how to get that in Canada though


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## kevin.decelles (Mar 24, 2021)

CalgaryPT said:


> There *may* have been a hint of sarcasm in my post



On to which I back buttered my own [emoji3]. 

Talk to us about brick lined smokers.... what do you need to watch out for there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## johnnielsen (Mar 24, 2021)

You were looking for large pipe off cuts. Here is a length of 36" pipe amongst others.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/196208161940509/?r


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## johnnielsen (Mar 24, 2021)

Here are some stainless steel ones. 

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2069698796505066?


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## kylemp (Mar 25, 2021)

This looks like casing, there's a bigger chunk of what looks like conductor in there as well. Might work for what you're doing.

Pipe ,
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-other-busin...ampaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_android

We use tenaris casing at work generally, but they're a huge multinational so getting at their scrap is fairly unlikely. If you've got an in with them somehow they'd likely be a good source. I'm not sure where our scrap casing ends up as it rots away or goes back as cutoffs unfortunately, I'll see if I can find out though. It'd be in Edmonton since that's where our pipeyard is located.


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