Types of metal barbecues
First of all, these products are divided according to dimensional parameters. You can make a grill:
1. Stationary.
Stationary metal grill with canopy
2. Portable.
Lightweight portable grill made of metal
Each of the points can also be interpreted differently. Stationary types are divided:
- on traditional grills;
Classic stationary metal grill
- art deco designs.
Metal grill in art deco style
Portable ones can be:
- foldable;
Portable folding grill
- collapsible.
Collapsible metal grill
But at the same time there can be a barbecue in both options: stationary and mobile.
A stationary barbecue is the prerogative of suburban areas. Often they combine metal with masonry, thus adding aesthetics to the appearance and making the structure more functional. By installing a barbecue under a canopy or equipping it with a roof, you will be able to cook food in any weather.
Combined metal and stone grill with roof
Portable models are attractive because they can be installed not only anywhere in the dacha area, but also taken with you on a hike, even on foot, since they are small in size and insignificant in weight. A folding version of a metal grill can be made with your own hands and transforms so compactly that it will resemble a small suitcase.
Metal grill that folds into a suitcase
The simplest model of a fryer is represented by two metal frames that serve to support skewers.
Design of a simple barbecue
The main advantage of folding barbecues is also their disadvantage. Excessive compactness does not allow you to cook shish kebab in large quantities, so for a respectable company it is better to take two portable braziers with you at once.
If you don’t plan to carry the grill by hand, you can make a heavier structure by adding a retractable tabletop, grates, and installing an adjustable air vent in it.
Metal grill with wooden tabletop
In order to turn the grill into a barbecue, just install a grill grid over the roasting pan. The latter come in rectangular and hemispherical shapes, so choosing a suitable model for the grill will not be a problem. If you don't like crispy meat, upgrade your barbecue with a regular lid.
Brazier with grill grate
Art Deco series products are assembled from forged elements. The latter can be the basis of the structure or its decorative part. Mostly, forging is found in stationary versions, as it is heavy and massive. It will be difficult to transport such a barbecue, unless you put it on wheels and transform it into a car trailer.
Wrought iron grill in art deco style with wheels
The basic design of a metal barbecue can be modified with your own hands, that is, equipped with additional modules in the form of:
1. Wheels.
2. Roofs.
3. Stands and shelves.
4. Double Dutch oven.
5. Handles.
Metal grill with additional shelves
However, this should only be done if you cannot do without these elements. It must be remembered that each of the presented additions will add weight to the structure. This rule is prescribed for portable models. Stationary barbecues have no restrictions in this regard.
You can classify barbecues based on such an indicator as the thickness of the metal. In this classification they will be divided:
- to thick-walled;
Thick-walled grill
- thin-walled.
Thin-walled metal grill
Thick metal is usually used for stationary barbecue models. A roasting pan for them can be made from sheets of steel 5 mm or more. You will have to spend a little money, but it will serve you for a very long time.
Thick-walled stationary grill
For portable versions of braziers, you need to take thinner metal. This is one of the ways to make the design lighter, because you remember that a situation may arise when you have to carry it with you in your hands over a fairly long distance. You cannot burn wood in a thin-walled barbecue, even one made of very high-quality metal. Here we use ready-made coals, packages of which can be purchased in the store or prepared yourself in a fire.
Thin metal grill
Combined use
A simple solution to using a stone and grate together as a frying surface is a simplified version of a garden stove. They are made in various sizes and can be used for preparing barbecue and other dishes.
What are the benefits of metal barbecues?
“Assembling a metal barbecue with your own hands will take several hours, and upon completion of the work, the finished product can be immediately tested in practice.”
The advantages of metal braziers are obvious.
1. They are mobile. It doesn’t matter whether the grill is disassembled or not, it can be put away in the barn for the winter. Such care for the structure will help extend its service life.
The metal grill can be removed for the winter
2. Fireproof. This is guaranteed by the material used for production and the very shape of the fryer.
3. Relatively cheap. The difference in costs for materials and labor when installing a stone fireplace and a metal one is quite significant.
A metal brazier can be easily installed in the right place
4. Quickly installed. The construction of a stationary stone barbecue, taking into account the technologically provided breaks for the foundation to solidify and the mortar to set, will require at least three weeks. It will take several hours to assemble a metal barbecue with your own hands, and upon completion of the work, the finished product can be immediately tested in practice.
Metal grill on a prepared area
Connoisseurs of capitally equipped structures consider metal braziers, to put it mildly, to be unsightly and unattractive, but it depends on who takes the job. Sometimes real masterpieces come out of the hands of our “Kulibins”. We will describe several interesting ideas from the “crazy hands” series below, and now we will look at the sequence of the process of working on an ordinary, familiar barbecue.
Dimensions design
For sheet metal fabrication, think back to the initial labor training course in metalworking.
For manufacturing, use the drawings of the barbecue. There are no standard sizes, there are recommended ones, so proceed from your own considerations and logic.
Even more ideas for creating a barbecue with your own hands can be found at the link: https://podelki.expert/mangal-svoimi-rukami/
The grill must accommodate the required number of servings; its length depends on this, and its width depends on the size of the skewers. Having decided on the dimensions, read the step-by-step instructions on how to make a barbecue, draw a sketch and get to work.
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Barrel model
If you move away from stereotypes and the fact that a barbecue is a strictly rectangular structure, then you will understand that such a thing can be created from almost any suitable metal object, for example, a barrel that is collecting dust in the corner of the barn.
Original barbecue from a barrel
Only those containers where fuels and lubricants were stored cannot be used for barbecues. If the thickness of the metal of the chosen barrel is not too thin, then the structure will have a long life. The barrel will act as a brazier. In addition to this you will need:
– drill;
- metal corner;
- welding machine;
– Bulgarian.
Barrel barbecue project
1. Having made the markings, cut out the top part of the barrel, maintaining the integrity of the ends. Do not rush to throw away “production waste”. The removed piece will be used to make a lid.
Cutting the top of the barrel
2. The metal corner will act as legs supporting the structure. They need to be cut into 4 identical parts and the parts welded to the end of the fryer.
3. Measure the length of the barrel and prepare two more corners of the appropriate size. This will serve as a support for the skewers. You will need to make cuts at the corners at intervals of 4-6 cm. We weld the prepared parts to the horizontal cuts of the sides of the barrel from the inside.
Barbecue from a barrel on legs with a lid
4. Now let’s start improving the barbecue made of this metal, and we’ll do this with our own hands. We will attach the lid to the base with hinges. Two handles should appear on its curved side. This will make it more comfortable to use. The lid will become both a decorative element and a functional part of the design, protecting the grill and the kebab being cooked on it from the rain.
Handle on the lid of a barbecue made from a barrel
Collapsible model
The grill can be made completely collapsible. In this case, you will not have to work with a welding machine. Here you need to act according to a different scheme.
Scheme of a collapsible barbecue
The parts are cut with seam allowance, that is, plus 3-4 cm on each side.
Next, you need to make bends on all sides of the resulting components according to the size of the allowances. This is necessary for corner joining and securing the bottom.
We will assemble the structure using bolts. We prepare the holes for them with a drill.
Folding model
Work on a folding metal barbecue will be carried out according to the standard scheme: drawing, cutting, assembly - only the parts will need to be attached to movable furniture hangers. To prevent the walls from folding arbitrarily, special hooks are welded to their upper part.
Drawing of a folding barbecue
Cutting and manufacturing
When marking, do not use chalk; it is better to do this with a sharpened rod. Drill holes along the fold line with a diameter of 10 mm and a pitch of 70 mm, go along the contour with a grinder, reducing the thickness of the metal. This will greatly simplify the work and will not require additional equipment.
The material will bend easily in weak areas. It is better to scald the ends with a corner; this will hide the defects of previous operations and give the product an aesthetic appearance. Cut grooves for skewers and drill holes for air access.
Design of metal barbecues
“A win-win decorative element for a metal barbecue that you can add with your own hands is forging”
There is no danger of a boring look for a home-made design, because when working on a metal barbecue with your own hands, you are free to show your imagination and make it the way you see it, and not the way standards and concepts prescribe. Undoubtedly, there is no point in decorating a product with paints and varnishes. The heat will simply destroy all your efforts. But it’s very possible to play with the shape of the brazier, legs, and add original details to the grill.
Original metal grill
What and how to give the design exclusivity? There are many ways. Make a lid for the roasting pan and add a vent pipe to it. It will be interesting to watch. In addition, a grill of this type can be used in a closed gazebo.
Metal grill with pipe
With the help of side stands, the grill can be turned into a mini-airplane. Also beautiful and practical. You can place ready-made kebab on improvised “wings” or string new portions of meat onto skewers. It is not necessary to make the stands stationary. Removable elements would be nice too.
DIY metal airplane grill
A win-win decorative element for a metal barbecue that you can add with your own hands is forging. An ordinary piece of hardware will become a work of design art. This approach may not be fashionable, because today solid forged items are in favor, but beautiful, vintage, elegant - it will remain for centuries. Forging can be transformed, but will never lose its aesthetic relevance.
Forged barbecue does not lose its relevance
As a design option, the barbecue can also have an “irregular” shape. Steel sheets can be bent, so all that remains is to figure out how to bend them. Make the roasting pan oval, square, round, zigzag. Any option will be good.
Unusual oval metal grill
Craftsmen can transform a frying box with holes into anything. After delving into childhood memories, it’s not difficult to remember your favorite books or innermost desires. Have you dreamed of becoming a pirate and finding treasure? Make your dream come true now by creating a barbecue chest. Instead of legs, it may have crossed corsair swords. With the lid closed, the roasting pan can serve as a mini-smokehouse, just provide it with at least a small exhaust pipe for this purpose.
Brazier - metal chest
Did you find “grandmother’s inheritance” in the attic space in the form of an ancient sewing machine, with a foot drive that we had already forgotten? Don’t rush to scrap it, because its frame is made of cast iron, which means it can become an excellent support platform for a DIY metal brazier.
Barbecue on the base of a sewing machine
The smoke coming from the barbecue also haunts inquisitive minds. “Why not turn an ordinary barbecue into a steam locomotive?” - they think, and sit down to work on the project.
The main part of such a design may be an unnecessary gas cylinder. By making a driver's platform, welding wheels to the cylinder and installing a pipe on it, you will really surprise your household. It is advisable to make the pipe not a fake one, but a real one, so that it serves as a smoke exit channel. In the resulting fireplace, it will be possible not only to grill shish kebab, but also to simply bake or even smoke meat, as well as prepare many more “country” delicacies.
Brazier with a gas cylinder lid
Believe it or not, you can even use the front end of an old car to grill barbecue. A car enthusiast who is familiar with an angle grinder, welding and a head will do this in a couple of hours. A frying box with a grate is installed in the engine compartment, emptied of internals, and that’s it, you can start operating. Some people made such a barbecue mobile, putting it on two wheels and equipping it with suspension and springs. It turned out to be a great trailer. This DIY metal grill can be taken with you everywhere, like a field kitchen.
Brazier from the front of the car
Car wheels will also be used. They have all the makings of a great roaster without much effort on your part. They have a round shape, ventilation holes are already prepared, and the walls are thick enough so that the fire will not burn through them soon. The only thing missing from the design is the bottom. It is also necessary to adjust the original disk slots, which may be too large for small coals. To make it easier to lay out skewers, you can integrate a steel holder into the wheel rim or simply use a frying grid for cooking.
Brazier made from car rims
