X2 Rob, it's funny that you said that because I was thinking the exact same thing. My friend owns Paterson Sheet Metal and has a roller that could straighten that out in less time than it takes to talk about it..... or... he could make a brand new one out of stainless for that really classy look. :head:

Just use your hands to straighten the door out :party:

Great looking smoker build ya got there Ferm, like the design. You'll get er done and be smoking in no time.

If only my hands could do it. I already welded a brace on the back, atatched it to a table, and put 2 pipe wrenches on it and hung from them to try and tweak it, but it wasn't enough pressure(guess that 60 pounds I lost actually hurt me for a change). Haven't been able to work on it for a week now as I got sick on Thanksgiving with the flu. And if that wasn't bad enough, my 2 year old got sick within an hour of me getting sick. So all weekend my poor wife had to take care of me because my fever got so bad I couldn't stand up because I was dizzy, but she also had to help out with our 2 year old being just as sick. Fortunately about all he wanted to do was lay down and sleep on my chest on the couch, so at least we were together and she didn't have to go across the house. Just now getting better, but my son is still down.

Holy Toledo, I feel for all of you.
Black Cloud Hangs over us too--Thanksgiving Day was OK, mealtime was nice and I even landed a few redfish in the afternoon. All turned south that evening when my 82 yr old dad went to sleep and couldn't catch his breath. Congestive Heart Failure complicated by a bad chest cold/bronchitis. Off to the ER in Gainesville at 12:45 am Friday, Black Friday no less and the main entrance to the Oaks Mall on Newberry Rd. just so happens to share the same stoplight as North Florida Regional Medical Center... I could watch the frackus from my dad's hospital room.
Thankfully they were able to dry him out and he was released Sunday morning. The entire time my mom has been fighting off the same chest cold and with her COPD and other breathing issues I was just as concerned with her as I was my dad. Back and forth from Suwannee to Gainesville is a trek and I didn't sleep much. But it really wasn't about me-- could have been worse, we still counted the many blessings bestowed upon us..we are family and I was glad to be there to help for a change.. They are both resting at home this morning and expected to make a full recovery.

ridge glad to here your parents are ok!!!!! visit them often and share memories. there will come a day when you want to but cant. I know been there done this!!!!!!!!!!

I hate to poo poo on Ferman's smoker thread but you are so right Daydreamer. I hate it that I can't be closer to them, makes me feel guilty at times. The daily routine leaves little time for anything else. That is the problem with hustle bustle, no time to enjoy the roses.
We make time to go see a sick friend in the end, we should have taken time to enjoy the same friend while they are still with us.. Situational awareness reveals there is not enough hours in the day, so we do our best and pray.

so true ridge,lost both of mine 4-6 years ago, not a day goes by i don't think of 10 things i wish i could ask them.

I'm with yall. Tomorrow is promised to none of us. It's good to work hard and plan for the future, but take a little of your retirement early every few days even if just for a few minutes.

When we're all old and in the nursing home crapping our pants we'll wish we were out in the shop twisting on a smoker door that won't shut right.

After 10 days of being sick, I felt ALMOST human today(ALMOST, but not quite yet) and did a little more work on it. Got the firebox all finished up, and ready for a fire to be lit.

Heres the firebox basket finished up and my fandangled rod I made for pulling the fire tray out.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps307e285c.jpg

The firebox door all finished up with my own latch design.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps989dc35a.jpg

And the air intake for the firebox is all done as well. Installed some grating to help prevent any chunks from falling out that may stray out of the tray.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps53e45149.jpg

And forgot to mention earlier, this cooker is part DURABURB. My smokestack is made from my old driveshaft that I twisted in the BURB. Still gotta get the friggen door straightened out and laying down semi straight, then it's pretty much done.

Haven't gotten much time to work on the smoker lately, but I have gotten an hour or two here and there to work on it. It's starting to look like a smoker, and getting close.

The cooking grates. They come out in 2 pieces for cleaning. Decided to go with conventional grating instead of the stainless for the cooking grates.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...psf0e3bbc8.jpg

The grate on the outlet side goes all the way over, and you can see how far in I made the stack protrude in.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps35a76ab6.jpg

Got the door on, hinges welded on, and the handle mounted up.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps397d249c.jpg

Starting to look like a smoker.
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps2724bedc.jpg

You can see the water fill pipe I added for filling the water tray(had an extra piece of 1/2" pipe, figured what the heck).
http://i162.photobucket.com/albums/t...psb1fb4906.jpg

Still have to decide if I want to leave the door as is, or add a counter balance to it so I don't have to open it so far to keep it open. Also need to add on end racks, and build my 2nd rack to go inside the cooking chamber. Hoping to maybe light a fire in it tommorrow to get some smoke in it.