How to Make a Charcoal Grill

Scrap metal like thin pipes and rebar make good frames for a homemade charcoal grill. The body of the grill can be made of any sheet metal or metal barrel that is not galvanized steel. Use the thickest steel you can find because it holds in heat better. This will make for a more high quality product. Line feed welders used for the light welding necessary for a barbecue grill can be bought at most hardware or home improvement stores.

About an hour is all you will need with your welder to be proficient enough to tackle this project. If you are not comfortable doing the sheet metal work yourself, it is not that expensive to have a local sheet welder shop do that part for you.

To begin your grill, draw your design on a sheet of paper. Work with pencil so you can make adjustments as you get better ideas. Be as detailed as possible about materials, dimensions and sizes. When you have a good working drawing, lay out the assembly pieces for the frame. Assemble the frame first and then attach the drum of the grill to the frame. Cut the openings for your door, smoke chimney and dampers.

Piano hinges can easily be cut to fit your homemade barbecue grill, and make good attachments for the doors. Chimney pipe in an appropriate size can serve as a smoke chimney. Can lids make good dampers for homemade charcoal grills. A thick, heavy wooden dowel makes an excellent grill handle that will not get too hot to touch. Attach handles with a bolt, and use a spacer between the handle and the grill lid. Brass spacers look nice for this application. Make sure the seals are tight so that the heat and smoke will be sealed in the grill. The hangers for the grills need to be tightly secured, and have plenty of them. They have to be perfectly matched so the grill will not tilt, slide or topple during grilling.

After your pieces are fitted together, paint the grill and let the paint dry thoroughly. Light a hot fire in the grill. This will burn off any excess sediment or debris on the inside of the grill. When the grill is completely cool, coat the inside of the grill in cooking oil. This will help to seal the interior of the grill and prevent the grill from rusting. Then you are ready to enjoy your homemade charcoal grill.