🔥I released an album of music you can listen to free! Let me know what you think! 👉 open.spotify.com/artist/1VOVKFOF2gmaiZysdVug2I?si=HUEvBHVzSDKfoayWUNO4vQ
@@HAXMAN listen to my 2 songs I recorded in Nashville TN , I sang & wrote & arranged & copyrighted both songs they are $10 on Demo 2 songs, plus $5 for shipping & handling to 8201 Highland Lick Rd Lewisburg, KY 42256 Titles to both songs are; - "Down Where the Songwriters Go" 🎵 & 🎵 "He Dreams He's Drivin to Nashville TN" "Johny Heinrich" played Peddle Steel Guitar for me. John traveled & played Sax 🎷 for "Ronnie Millsap" AND Johnny Heinrich also played his Sax 🎷 in "Hank Williams Jr vevo "All My Roughty Friends" it's just a small clip if you slow the speed down in it, you can see John. Reason I never made it into Nashville I have a bad back. I herd your songs, they do sound good, they sound like songs for movies. Good luck your a very nice family.
Never had a fire pit. Never wanted one. Never knew smokeless ones existed. Never watched a video on one. Watched the whole thing and now it’s on my todo list. Thanks a bunch TH-cam.
Awesome! If someone’s really worried about the spacing of the bricks removed on the bottom. Just remove the three and spread your other bricks out instead of having three big holes have a bunch of small holes between each of the bottom bricks, basically divide the space between them. Also you can put the shredded fiberglass in the concrete mixer, they sell concrete reinforcement fibers that are already shredded that is pretty much the same thing and comes in a bag. But you dump it in with the mix in the mixer and it sticks through all of the concrete.
This video inspired me to make my own fire pit. Thank you so much. I would like to share some tips. When using the DOW foam board for your mold make sure you put the concrete on the clean side. I did a full circle instead of the 4 pieces and when I took it out of the mold, the cement had absorbed some of my trace lines, the barcode and DOW logo. I tried to sand it off but it's deep-set and I will have to paint it. Also, I used contact cement at first to attach the pieces and the glue ate away at the foam. I ended up securing it with screws and then caulked the seams. Ultimately it came out great and everyone is amazed that I did it myself.
I really like this guy! He's funny but not too goofy. Very smart and handy too. He inspires me to do some of his projects at my place. Very entertaining and fun at the same time. Remember; Confucious says, "if you can't fix it with duct tape? You ain't using enough duct tape, my friend."
Fun fact: The oelic acid in PAM reacts with the lime in the concrete to create a thin layer of soap. That's what causes it to release from the mold. I worked as a chemist for a company that basically made industrial "PAM" for concrete molds.
@@djomegaminus Use corn oil. It's non-hazardous, biodegradable and environmentally safe, and acts as stated above due to the oleic acid in it. No need to worry about the metals and preservatives in motor oil.
@@rabidhellhound9714 how dumb are your kids that they risk being contaminated from used motor oil? If a kid drinks or licks used motor oil, then you have a bigger problem than the motor oil.
You could have put the fiberglass in the mixer when you were mixing and could have saved a little time & distributed it throughout. That & use Leinwrbers latex with water.
I would have liked to have seen a final test with large logs like you had in the beginning smoke-filled pit. In order for a true test, all conditions should be the same. The use of twigs/small pieces of wood doesn't convince me. The finished product looks great though.
You can't argue with success! Love the before and after videos side by side, the left one really smoky. I thought your idea of making the top holes large was interesting allowing lots of second-burn air in; Smaller holes might show more of a visual fire-jet appearance but might not burn as completely, also might cause leakage through cracks around bricks. In any case, I think this is just really fun and I love your sense of humor! Great video and super fun project! "Those who can, do! Those who can't, criticize!"
Here's another method to try to improve your control over the route the air takes in supporting the burn. Place the long burning pieces of wood on the bottom of the firepit and decrease the size of the wood as you build up the pile in flat layers, with small spaces between them. Now, your kindling wood is on top of the next largest layer, right on top of the pile. This is where you light the fire. Think of how a candle works: there is no smoke because all of the unburnt gases in the heated wax under the flame have to pass through the flame, and are burnt up. Smoke is off-gassing of the burnable material in the firewood, and it is not being burnt if it blows away as smoke. With this inverted method, the kindling burning heats up the material underneath the initial flame, and most of the gasses produced are burnt up in the fire at the top of the pile, By the time the pile is burnt, you will have produced some very hot coals, when they have cooled somewhat you can build another virtually smokeless fire by adding dry wood from big to little pieces on the coals, then relight kindling the top of the. Give it a try; it's easy to do, and you'll get much more fire and much less smoke from your wood, with virtually no extra work except building the fire upside down. This might even make your fire ring work even better! This method also drastically reduces smoke in wood stoves. especially when starting one.
I saw a video that concept is used in drafting. The guy dug a hole out side of the fire pit under the bricks. I cant remember he may have put a concrete tube in it but it came up like a pipe. I dont rember exactly but it was supposed to act like a flu, a draught system. Like you are saying how to stack the wood. The air draughts in what you describe. The big iron rings at campground just have one or 2 U shaped holes cut into side and at bottom. You keep it clear of wood and ash to help fire to burn. Im no expert.
I was lost until you started talking to the mold, “Please be good, don’t break, etc.” I perked up then, thinking “Finally, a technique I’m proficient with.”
Awesome video and content. Much appreciated! From a structural engineer ~ counterintuitive approach to strongest concrete possible is to keep the chemical reaction of the concrete curing going as long as possible. Where the driest concrete mix provides the strongest result, as soon after the surface of the concrete sets up, saturating it with water (as long as it will not remove or wash away the outer cement material) will keep the curing process going. So putting wet burlap or even submerging in water if practical, will get you more strength. Loved this video, learned so much!
I’ve used old wire coat hangers instead of rebar for small projects. Great video it’s Memorial weekend here on the California central coast and we get overrun with tourists. I’m staying home and building a smokeless fire pit. Thanks again for the really well done video.
Great idea on the hangers! This project is on my list soon. Wondering how difficult it is to bend rebar? That could be another option for reinforcement.
it would be much stronger with two reinforced bars across, better than fibreglass which is for hair line cracks and not for reinforcing concrete slabs.
I’m just jumping on here to say I followed this video just about to a T over this weekend, and this 100% works. And it makes sense why it does when you understand the physics of it. Thanks HAXMAN!
Fun video! Being the housewife, I have used a dustpan for removing ashes from our BBQ grill and our fireplace (so I have not complained to my spouse about abusing/losing it). Maybe using a dustpan instead of the dog-food scoop could work. (Some dust pans are rather narrow and could make concrete spread better.)
My Husband & I appreciate everything you & your Wife & kids teach viewers. You keep things simple. And we are so greatful for that. We're poor so we can't afford to buy from your little shop. However your very kind in sharing & teaching. I wish we could afford to have a new home built as our floors are caving in the hallway, and our walls are soggy from the leaks, when it rains. 😢Please pray 🙏 for us. We're in our 60's. Life is so over welming. Once again thanks for teaching & sharing. God Bless you & your family. ❤🙏 Deb Lewisburg, KY
If you taper your molds just a little (aka Draft Angle) they come off easier - especially deeper molds. These cap stone molds worked easy because they were shallow and you used a mold release, but the draft angle is just a tip for future projects. You can also put a hole in the mold and use compressed air (or water) to push the castings out.
Using fiberglass is good, but you don't have to rip it up like that. Since the concrete is the matrix, it will flow and form around it. Cutting it into 6" wide strips is much better and cleaner. You will get a stronger final product as well. Another tip to increase strength would be to use ground-up ash from your fire in your concrete mix.
The way I made my existing paver brick fire pit into a smokeless is i dug a foot or two deep hole inside of the pit and then another hole of equal size two to three feet away and then made a 3" tunnel connecting both pits and ran a 3" pvc drain pipe through the tunnel and put a 90 degree angle coming out of the second pit and then buried that pit and cut off the pvc sticking out flush with the ground to protect it from the mower. It works great as long as you know how to stack fuel properly for a smokeless pit.
Appreciate the efforts to entertain and educate. I especially like the fact that you are stringing videos together. Taking the firepit area and then adding lights. Allowing the project to grow with each video. You earned the like and subscribe.
To texture the concrete on a drive way,small size 1/4” rock salt use to be used and troweled in. Next day you can broom and hose off the driveway. This also works on pool decks. Looks really good
I just finished rebuilding mine. It was about 10 years old. Thanks for the inspiration! Here is what I did different. First, I did not drill all those holes in the metal ring. Waste of effort. After leveling the pit I lined the bottom with fire brick leaving about 1" space between each brick then packed some sand in the spaces.. It gave me a level floor that I could scoop ashes out of. Next I used four more fire bricks under the bottom edge of the ring raising it up that 1 1/2". My outer block was about 1-1 1/4" higher than the top of the ring. That left enough space for the air to circulate and be drawn up and back into the fire just as the holes do. Also I made forms the same way but instead of four heavy ones I made eight. Easier to handle and looks great. They overhang about 1/2" outside and about 1 1/2" over the inside ( they extend past the inside of the metal ring to force this air between the block and the metal into the pit for that secondary burn. Works great. The blocks were adheared together but I left the cap blocks not glued to be able to facilitate replacement of fire ring someday. I painted the fire ring with heat resistant grill paint. It works great! Lastly, I did not do any of that baking soda thing. Just filled the forms and tooled it smooth. I used a sidewalk edge tool to round the edges a bit and a trowel. I tapped the sides of the form to be sure the concrete settled properly. Every day that has seen it loves it. Northern Tool has some metal fire wood grates to put down in the pit to raise the wood up a bit and that helps get air under the wood. They also have a snuffer cover to keep the pit dry during off times and looks great. I painted that black too. Oh and another thing ...I did not like leaving out a few blocks for air to be drawn in to the pit. I left about 1/4" space between each block in the second and third course of block. That was more pleasing and was very effective at feeding oxygen to the fire all around the pit. I tested the draw with a lighter. While the fire pit was hot on the inside I lit a lighter and held it up to the cracks between the blocks on the outside and the flame was sucked in to the pit as expected. Now no creatures can get in during the down time and it looks great. And one more thing. The ring size I wanted was 36". Beware when you go to buy one at Tractor Supply. Measure it to be sure it will work. They lable them as 36" but they are not all that size. The company shipped to their stores three rings banded inside each other. Each ring is assembled. The sizes are as follows: outer banded one is about 36" the middle one about 34" and the most inner one is about 32". It is impossible to fit three rings exactly the same size inside each other but apparently the manager did not understand. They are all labled 36" so to him they must be. ( Even a tape measure did not convince him).
I was able to get the blue foam from Lowe’s, but the contact cement I bought melted it. I saw others were having that issue too. So what I ended up doing was skipping the glue and just using duct tape for all the molds. Worked great!
While I certainly appreciate the design there are two significant problems with this. As an individual who works a blacksmith forge there are some things that I see that your average layman might miss. First: Galvanized Steel gives off zinc-oxide when you heat it up, this is no bueno. Even with good ventilation I would still be very reluctant to risk any exposure. Second: Concrete is never truly dry, there is always SOME moisture inside of it. Now what do we know about moisture when it is heated up? Yes, it EXPANDS into steam which can cause the brick to literally explode, which can cause injury or death. Always use firebrick or cinderblock for fire pits.
@@wildtimbrown Are they galvanized steel? If they are maybe whatever regulatory agency in charge deems outside to be adequate ventilation. Maybe it is and I am just being overly cautious.
Great video and I love the foam board. Much easier than the way I do it now. You can also use a mortar mix with a releasing agent for the top. It will pour like pancake mix and it's ready to go in an hour. You can also skip the fiberglass addition. Check it out.
I think I just found my new favorite channel summer's coming up I got some stuff to do I had lung cancer back in 2020 then covid hit I am just now getting my strength back I don't have all the tools I need but I got enough I been wanting to build one of these for my wife and kids and I. Thanks for the inspiration.
About to build a firepit and glad to see there are design options to help with the smoke. Two changes I'll incorporate: 1, instead of removing alternate blocks I plan on spacing all blocks at the base about 2 inches; 2, instead of drilling all the holes along the top of my steel 4' fire ring I plan for my top cap to sit 1 1/2' above the top of the ring thereby allowing airflow to rise up and spill over the ring below the bottom surface of the overhanging top cap. Too many holes, too many years, too little patience. Thanx for a great video.
Dude I tried it with 7” x 12” just threw them to see if the concept would work and it works awesome. Love the idea and concept. I am super impressed on how great this works
@@timhart5354 I had landscape stones about two levels high then just thru on 7x12 rectangle along the top all the way around to see if it would work and it does. But I have made a new fire pit. Using the ring but I dropped it down a bit from the top so I would not have to drill holes I have small gaps in between some of the bottom row but I need to make all blocks on the first row have gaps to allow more air in and I still have to add the top caps similar to what you did with the concrete caps. I’ll let you know how it works once I have it done 👍
@@timhart5354 I also lined the inside of the fire pit with the 7x 12 laying horizontally so that the top caps 7x12 would match the same profile This is the old fire pit I am talking about
Pretty cool build, esp the venting technique! One thing I do when I mix concrete or cast stone seating is I a get a gallon can/jug of brake rotor shavings from a brake shop, put it in the water for 3 days that you are using for the crete or sand cast mix. Gives the stone look great color and does not bleed off after sealing the surface with concrete sealer
"No I haven't seen it". I think every man on the planet, no matter race or age, knows this moment well. You could be talking about world domination and about to invade another country and that question will come out of no where. I will give a like and a share out of basic male respect.
A few things. If you need your Mixture more liquid consistency so it fills a mold better, don’t add more water because it gets weaker and doesn’t set properly. A cap of laundry detergent when mixing your concrete makes it act like it’s way more watery but doesn’t need to evaporate the extra water so It has better strength. Secondly. We found instead of Pam for a release spray, crisco cooking grease mixed with a bit of olive oil or vegetable oil works best Mixes into a paste that is great for release
Year late to the party, but good points! Also, instead of tearing the fiber and adding it in the middle of the concrete, he could have added it to the mixer and had it mixed throughout the concrete for a better end strength.
Nothing like watching videos out of order but that's the way I am! Always enjoy your content! Keep up the great work!! Take care, be safe and God bless!
Such a nice looking DIY smokeless fire pit. Those custom cap stones really set this one off. I just might have to go this route as I haven't been satisfied with what I've been seeing for cap stones
My guy.... you have earned a “subscribe” on my first time ever watching one of your videos! No not because I mistook you for the “Russell Crowe next door dude,” but because you are funny as hell and you darn well know what you are doing. Much respect.
Great step by step guide. I just took mine out of the forms and rinsed them down. They too look "A-Mazing"! I'm going to water them for a week before my first fire to cure the concrete. Thank you for the entertaining and helpful instruction. Much appreciated.
I've seen a lot of DIY channels , when you incorporate your family into it, it's amazing . I've mentioned your channel on Facebook to incourage family more into anything you do . Inspiring.
I didn’t comment at the time, but I ve built this fire pit to the letter, and it’s been working like a charm for a year. It’s the focal point of my backyard. Thanks from a HAXMANiac!
First time viewer, and new subscriber here!!! 10:45 If you don't like the old weathered look, and want a more artsy fartsy look, use crushed glass, but not just any crushed glass. You'll want to use the stuff intended to go into propane or alcohol tabletop fire "pits". What's really nice about the crushed glass I'm talking about, is that there are no sharp edges, AND, it comes in many different colors. 12:40 For about the same price, or even less, as the fiberglass mat you used, you can get a bag of fiberglass that is already shredded and ready to be mixed right into your concrete mixer. I like to toss in one handful of fiberglass per bag. This gives you a nice even blend of fiberglass throughout the cement for extra strength. You should be able to find it right next to the bags of concrete mix. I think I'm going to be building one of these next weekend. GREAT VIDEO!!!!
You were probably looking at the Solo Stove Smokeless fire pit like me and not wanting to pay $300-$400. The internet can read my thoughts of thinking how to make my own.
I followed this only didn’t drill holes, just built the top higher and overlapped the top edge of ring. Works perfect! Shocked!! $160 all in using small pavers and 36” ring. Took me 30 min to build! Thanks for the video!!
Really enjoy your videos. Curious, I've seen other smokeless designs with holes at the bottom of the ring -- I believe to supply air to the fire -- and the upper holes to provide the "second burn". I believe the Solo stove does this. Did you intentionally leave out the bottom holes?
This was actually my next to do project. I was totally going to just slam the pavers in a circle and call it good, but I think I can do this! Thanks for the video!
Thank you for the video! I tried using a rigid pink styrofoam I had around. I bought contact adhesive, and it melted the foam. Ended up using some thick MDF and holding it together with fasteners.
My sister bought a Solo, moved and it had an outdoor fireplace, sold the Solo to me. Your fireplace is bigger and I think better. We gave ANOTHER fire pit away. I like your show. Thx, the MIDDLE DAUGHTER!
This looks like a great idea. I’m wondering if the holes should be lower? Would it be better to let the air closer to the bottom. Not so close that the holes would become blocked with ashes.
You want the holes at the top. You need the cold air to enter at the bottom and heat as it rises to the point it will combust when it combines with the smoke at the top.
12:11 a little tip. You should always pour fresh concrete into fresh concrete, never away from it. This prevent voids in your slab. These things are going to get hot, any air pockets can cause explosions.
You are technically correct, especially if you were building an enclosed fire box like a fireplace but with the pits the heat goes straight up, and therefore, very little heat is generated on the cap
I just found this guy today & this is only the second video that I have seen of his & he is fast becoming my favorite. I believe that he can do about anything! God bless you and your family🛐
You need special alcaline resistant glass fibre as reinforcement. The "normal" glass fibre will definitely resolve in the alcaline cement i.e. concrete. Hint : if you make one or more air intake openings under the fire, combustion will improve substantially. Your air inlets higher up indeed will help to burn off the smoke.... but the airsupply under the fire will prevent the forming smoke.
I loved the "Collateral Damage " in the shop & the wife asking 4 the "Dog food scoop". It was a great & successful video. I laid these pavers for years. Wish I had made caps like u did here!!
Instead of removing a lot more bricks and leaving a lot of empty space, you can remove less bricks and space out the existing bricks to pull air from all around the outer ring, rather than only through a few big gaps.
@@macdaddy9344 I think if you stacked the paver stones with space between EVERY stone, effectively making the same diameter circle with just 1~3 lesser blocks, that’ll feed enough oxygen to the fire. Keep in mind: once the first layer is built that way, you can build subsequent layers that way also. Plenty of air & oxygen. That said, this project has its merits. We get to BUILD something. 😁😁😁
I think it's just easier to make it symmetric if you pull 3 bricks than if you try to distribute that same amount of air space between all the bricks. I'm not sure I'm convinced it's all that "smokeless" without more of a demonstration. He's gonna get SOME fresh air heated up and blowing on the top. I'm not sure how much. I think if he put the fire up on a grate and the bottom of the inner wall level with the grate, then he'd have a real down-draft gasifier, like those Solo-brand portable fire pits. With his design, I'm not sure how much draw he's getting or how long it takes to heat up and start pulling air. But if you added the grate, underneath it, it'd start pulling any smoke and unburned volatiles down the bottom, up the sides, and come out through the holes at the top, where they ignite in the gasifier fire pits. The way he's got it isolated, he's just bringing in fresh air at the top. I'd like to see the full-blown, brick-walled down-draft gasifier. It'd be better than the all-metal ones they sell, because those bricks would warm up and radiate more heat for longer. Maybe.
@@macdaddy9344 It would make the inner ring partially unnecessary, but having it would help a bit. The best configuration would be having the air holes on the bottom going in a spiral, so in the worst case scenario (strong winds), you end up with a fire tornado going up and to a side, rather than wild flames going straight on the side. There's not much of a difference, between not having the inner chamber and having straight holes, and there's not much of a difference between having straight holes and angled/spiral/vortex holes, but there's a fair bit of difference between having spiral holes and having the inner chamber. But you'll notice the difference best when seeing it in practice, I guess.
@@harrymills2770 Might be easier to be symetric if you end up with the same number of bricks on each side. Also, adding a layer of stainless steel sheet on top of those 4 stones which together cover the whole thing can increase the cooking area significantly. Especially if aside from taking a brick or two from each layer and spacing the rest of the bricks on every layer, then expanding the cement slabs more towards the center, then adding some support pillars to hold the cement tables, then adding a layer of stainless steel on top of the cement tables. However, it would be best to fill the bottom of the cement with a fairly thick layer of clay mixed with sand, so the heat of the fire slowly vitrifies the clay mixture. Ideally, it would be made from soilcrete/dirtcrete, with 4% cement, 8%-12% water, and the rest soil which is mostly clay and a bit sand/sandy, then using some flat weights on a pole to compact that down a lot. The result will look a lot like actual stone, and the high content of clay and sand will bake it into a stone from the bottom, slowly but surely. I mean, in the past, that's how our ancestors made cave houses, they dug up dirt in a cliff, packed down the walls and roof using some heavy things (like rocks, for example), then set up a big fire inside, which burned for half a day or more, covered most of the entrance and chimney hole with loosely packed dirt (which us then more easily removed), then by the next day or two, when the room finally cooled down, the walls were stone-like terracotta. You can try something like that with a mud/dirt fireplace, if you want. The fire has to be quite hot, though, and to stay hot for at least 6 hours, then cool down slowly. You can pack loose dirt and gravel to the sides, to help it stay hot for longer (to turn into terracotta) and to protect from the wind.
Nice going. It really is amazing the number of possibilities for a smokeless fire pit. 'Engineer Carter' ( my neighbor) built one similar, but around the bottom layer, he used a broom handle (dowel) to space between the blocks for an even air inlet. He claims that this allows for a change in the wind direction at the inlet ( I think he was just worried about his dog laying down and blocking a hole if he use the absent brick method). This of course made the diameter greater, but not by much. The next two layers were set tight and he ended with a larger size brick for the top layer which gave him a lip at the top. I really like your cast pieces for the top finish. That is a stylish design!
@@robbyers7614 If you find you don’t have enough for a project, most every dry cleaners has a rack of free hangers that people bring their clothes back on. Hope that helps. 💞🇺🇸
You could have textured the foam with aluminum foil. Wad up a big ball of aluminum foil so it has nice bumps and pointy bits sticking out a little then you just roll it over the surface of the foam board. That would create a positive texture in the cast. You can also just find a rock with a lot of nice texture on it and do the same thing.
I followed your exact instructions on the custom cap stones and they turned out amazing. You did not however inform in your video how much of a pain in the ass getting these molds created was! Lol thank you very much. My wife and I are psyched
Great build except for the use of the galvanized steel. When heated, galvanized steel emits zinc oxide which is fairly posionous. Use raw steel or stainless steel sheet metal bent around with a considerable overlap. Use sheet metal screws from the inside to secure the overlap.
Could you coat the galvanized ring with high heat wood stove paint to prevent it from emitting the zinc oxide? *update, never mind i read the label it says don’t use it on surfaces directly exposed to flames
lol i was just about to post this and figured i'd check out the comments. i looked to see how many subscribers he had and expected to see a few hundred K
My gwaud, I think I be buying a fire pit kit but I'm sharing this with other guys I know whom have cement mixers and all these cool tools. Fun and informative vid.
Super entertaining practical videos! Have you considered using the bricks in such a way as to force the incoming air in at an angle so that all air inlets work together to create a vortex - driving the general direction of the combustion in a counter/clockwise direction within the pit. Done correctly - you may not need the metal liner at all. Extreme, fast combustion would literally create a fire tornado in the pit (& how cool would that look)!
@@birddogne666 Hilarious? Let's not go overboard. It's just every day home life stuff. Like the time my sister's dad used a spatula from the kitchen to clear a clog in the toilet. Or when someone uses an expensive screwdriver to scrape bird shit off pavement. And every one of these people go "Errr? No. Never saw it." Hilarious? No. Just "classic" fibbing. Chuckle-worthy fibbing? Maybe. But hilarious? No.
I forwarded this video to a friend. This is a very informative video and hopefully he will use your advice. I hope next time we visit his home we will truly enjoy his beautiful fire pit minus the smoke!
I did this last year. And I love it.I chiseled the blocks he took out I cut in half so there were a half block every 4 block. So then there was( 2 ) 4 in holes between the fire pit for cool air to enter the pit. With no big gap.
I watched all of your smokeless fire pits and I want to say THANK YOU MILLION TIMES OVER! Now I need to watch it again so I can get the courage to make the paver caps. It will be my present for my husband, any other tips? I don’t have a lot of tools or experience 😀
The retaining wall blocks used on the outside come in two sizes. If you use the small blocks on the perimeter and then use retaining wall caps made for the large blocks you might not have to pour the tops.
@@HAXMAN Thank you 🙏 It’s hard to find the cement caps right now. The one I found were $65.00 a piece. I will give it a try, it’ll be a learning experience.
That concrete should have been a little wetter. I did stone casting professionally for a while and i found out that to dry of concrete like you had in your mix isnt strong an will break shortly after. As well as vibrating the concrete would have helped greatly as well for strength and you wouldnt need any fiberglass especially with a piece that small. 👍other than that well done
Usually just watch and don’t comment, but the dog food scoop bit at the end ... hahahaha GOLD. Thanks for taking the time to make this tutorial. Love it!!
So I just started a backyard project where I am going to have a fire pit and this video popped up, I will definitely take this into consideration when building it.
instead of drilling holes, could you just lower the ring so it's not touching the caps and have a 1" channel all the way around - would it still probably function to allow the secondary burn? Thoughts (anyone)?
BTW, according to Real Engineering, you could add the fiber glass during the mixing time. I think it's better than rebars since those do not like the kind of heat they'll be exposed to.
Normally you can add the fiberglass in the mix but it will show up on the surface. I didn’t want to see it. You could make two separate mixes. One for the face and one with the fiberglass mixed to finish filling the mold. I just didn’t feel like making two mixes.
Love, love, love how natural and entertaining you are on camera. It's like a party for one, shared. Thanks. I watched one other "how to" on this. But, yours is the best hands down. Saving it, for if I ever get the opportunity (and drive) to build one. Retired 4 months now. So, hopefully, I'll eventually get around to that. Lol. Right now, just marinating in no more definite dead lines. 🌻🦋😁 ps. I also recognize the work you put into making your videos. Thanks
🔥I released an album of music you can listen to free! Let me know what you think! 👉 open.spotify.com/artist/1VOVKFOF2gmaiZysdVug2I?si=HUEvBHVzSDKfoayWUNO4vQ
@@HAXMAN listen to my 2 songs I recorded in Nashville TN , I sang & wrote & arranged & copyrighted both songs they are $10 on Demo 2 songs, plus $5 for shipping & handling to 8201 Highland Lick Rd Lewisburg, KY 42256
Titles to both songs are; -
"Down Where the Songwriters Go"
🎵 & 🎵
"He Dreams He's Drivin to Nashville TN"
"Johny Heinrich" played Peddle Steel Guitar for me.
John traveled & played Sax 🎷 for "Ronnie Millsap" AND
Johnny Heinrich also played his Sax 🎷 in "Hank Williams Jr vevo "All My Roughty Friends" it's just a small clip if you slow the speed down in it, you can see John.
Reason I never made it into Nashville I have a bad back.
I herd your songs, they do sound good, they sound like songs for movies. Good luck your a very nice family.
@@HAXMAN them songs sound like songs for Movies. It's hard to break into the business, but once your in your in.
Best of wishes
Deb
Never had a fire pit. Never wanted one. Never knew smokeless ones existed. Never watched a video on one. Watched the whole thing and now it’s on my todo list. Thanks a bunch TH-cam.
Lmfao. I was like I guess I'm making a smokeless fire pit !
Nicest thing it ever did for you……. :)
Love fire pits! Had one at the last house and now I'm considering a Solo Stove
Man, TH-cam is expensive.
Concrete likes to explode under high heat.
Awesome!
If someone’s really worried about the spacing of the bricks removed on the bottom. Just remove the three and spread your other bricks out instead of having three big holes have a bunch of small holes between each of the bottom bricks, basically divide the space between them.
Also you can put the shredded fiberglass in the concrete mixer, they sell concrete reinforcement fibers that are already shredded that is pretty much the same thing and comes in a bag. But you dump it in with the mix in the mixer and it sticks through all of the concrete.
That usually shows in the finish
What Shane said 👆
I wonder if we could recycle old furnace filters? 🤔 tear them up
Or just use some 6/6 10/10 WWM
This video inspired me to make my own fire pit. Thank you so much. I would like to share some tips. When using the DOW foam board for your mold make sure you put the concrete on the clean side. I did a full circle instead of the 4 pieces and when I took it out of the mold, the cement had absorbed some of my trace lines, the barcode and DOW logo. I tried to sand it off but it's deep-set and I will have to paint it. Also, I used contact cement at first to attach the pieces and the glue ate away at the foam. I ended up securing it with screws and then caulked the seams. Ultimately it came out great and everyone is amazed that I did it myself.
PL 300 it the non melting foam adhesive. Its blue too
This Guy is a first class presenter, so much more interesting than many others.
I know, I love his style!
he's actually very funny
I really like this guy! He's funny but not too goofy. Very smart and handy too. He inspires me to do some of his projects at my place. Very entertaining and fun at the same time. Remember; Confucious says, "if you can't fix it with duct tape? You ain't using enough duct tape, my friend."
💯
Fun fact: The oelic acid in PAM reacts with the lime in the concrete to create a thin layer of soap. That's what causes it to release from the mold. I worked as a chemist for a company that basically made industrial "PAM" for concrete molds.
when we poured concrete for a new barn addition we just sprayed the forms with used motor oil/diesel fuel mix and it worked good.
@@djomegaminus Use corn oil. It's non-hazardous, biodegradable and environmentally safe, and acts as stated above due to the oleic acid in it. No need to worry about the metals and preservatives in motor oil.
@@rabidhellhound9714 used motor oil is free!
@@djomegaminus But unhealthy if your kids are going to be around it. Just looking out for you.
@@rabidhellhound9714 how dumb are your kids that they risk being contaminated from used motor oil? If a kid drinks or licks used motor oil, then you have a bigger problem than the motor oil.
You could have put the fiberglass in the mixer when you were mixing and could have saved a little time & distributed it throughout. That & use Leinwrbers latex with water.
I would have liked to have seen a final test with large logs like you had in the beginning smoke-filled pit. In order for a true test, all conditions should be the same. The use of twigs/small pieces of wood doesn't convince me. The finished product looks great though.
Yes! I tried this out and it’s definitely not smokeless with regular size firewood.😢
@@khoward21687 Needs bottom holes
You can't argue with success! Love the before and after videos side by side, the left one really smoky. I thought your idea of making the top holes large was interesting allowing lots of second-burn air in; Smaller holes might show more of a visual fire-jet appearance but might not burn as completely, also might cause leakage through cracks around bricks. In any case, I think this is just really fun and I love your sense of humor! Great video and super fun project! "Those who can, do! Those who can't, criticize!"
I love this guy. Real, competent, humble, funny. This is a guy to have a beer with...at the fire pit!
While the ad was playing, I read ur comment & just by the way u describe this him. I'm subscribing his channel.. 👍
Bum boy
That "no I haven't seen it" just deserves a subscribe man, awesome
I 2nd that
Here here....new sub
3rd that, my man!
Awesome video." No I haven't seen it " New sub. 🤣
best ending to a video yet... 😂
Here's another method to try to improve your control over the route the air takes in supporting the burn. Place the long burning pieces of wood on the bottom of the firepit and decrease the size of the wood as you build up the pile in flat layers, with small spaces between them. Now, your kindling wood is on top of the next largest layer, right on top of the pile. This is where you light the fire. Think of how a candle works: there is no smoke because all of the unburnt gases in the heated wax under the flame have to pass through the flame, and are burnt up. Smoke is off-gassing of the burnable material in the firewood, and it is not being burnt if it blows away as smoke. With this inverted method, the kindling burning heats up the material underneath the initial flame, and most of the gasses produced are burnt up in the fire at the top of the pile, By the time the pile is burnt, you will have produced some very hot coals, when they have cooled somewhat you can build another virtually smokeless fire by adding dry wood from big to little pieces on the coals, then relight kindling the top of the. Give it a try; it's easy to do, and you'll get much more fire and much less smoke from your wood, with virtually no extra work except building the fire upside down. This might even make your fire ring work even better! This method also drastically reduces smoke in wood stoves. especially when starting one.
I saw a video that concept is used in drafting. The guy dug a hole out side of the fire pit under the bricks. I cant remember he may have put a concrete tube in it but it came up like a pipe. I dont rember exactly but it was supposed to act like a flu, a draught system. Like you are saying how to stack the wood. The air draughts in what you describe. The big iron rings at campground just have one or 2 U shaped holes cut into side and at bottom. You keep it clear of wood and ash to help fire to burn. Im no expert.
I was lost until you started talking to the mold, “Please be good, don’t break, etc.” I perked up then, thinking “Finally, a technique I’m proficient with.”
Awesome video and content. Much appreciated! From a structural engineer ~ counterintuitive approach to strongest concrete possible is to keep the chemical reaction of the concrete curing going as long as possible. Where the driest concrete mix provides the strongest result, as soon after the surface of the concrete sets up, saturating it with water (as long as it will not remove or wash away the outer cement material) will keep the curing process going. So putting wet burlap or even submerging in water if practical, will get you more strength. Loved this video, learned so much!
Thanks and thanks for the info!
I’ve used old wire coat hangers instead of rebar for small projects. Great video it’s Memorial weekend here on the California central coast and we get overrun with tourists. I’m staying home and building a smokeless fire pit. Thanks again for the really well done video.
Great idea on the hangers! This project is on my list soon. Wondering how difficult it is to bend rebar? That could be another option for reinforcement.
Then burn wet wood to drive the tourists away !🏃
Another hint, you can buy Fiberglass particles to mix IN WITH the Concrete. Easier and will make the WHOLE Project stronger.
be carefull with that, you might get a carcinogenic result during your first couple of fires
@@auyara007 5tr
@@auyara007 Only in the state of California. 😉
it would be much stronger with two reinforced bars across, better than fibreglass which is for hair line cracks and not for reinforcing concrete slabs.
Chicken wire
Man! What a mind you have. If you thought this out all by yourself, you can work for NASA! Man you are unbelievable!!!
I’m just jumping on here to say I followed this video just about to a T over this weekend, and this 100% works. And it makes sense why it does when you understand the physics of it. Thanks HAXMAN!
is there a way to cap the top of the bricks without having to make those concrete molds?
Excellent mix of accents. Pretty funny to hear someone else celebrate in a Scottish accent or other foreign accent. It’s fun! You had fun!
Scottish accent haha
Fun video! Being the housewife, I have used a dustpan for removing ashes from our BBQ grill and our fireplace (so I have not complained to my spouse about abusing/losing it). Maybe using a dustpan instead of the dog-food scoop could work. (Some dust pans are rather narrow and could make concrete spread better.)
My Husband & I appreciate everything you & your Wife & kids teach viewers. You keep things simple. And we are so greatful for that. We're poor so we can't afford to buy from your little shop. However your very kind in sharing & teaching. I wish we could afford to have a new home built as our floors are caving in the hallway, and our walls are soggy from the leaks, when it rains. 😢Please pray 🙏 for us. We're in our 60's. Life is so over welming.
Once again thanks for teaching & sharing. God Bless you & your family. ❤🙏
Deb
Lewisburg, KY
Thank you Deb. Best wishes to you and your family.
@@HAXMAN;-
Dear Sir; - ☕🥧 thank you.
If you taper your molds just a little (aka Draft Angle) they come off easier - especially deeper molds.
These cap stone molds worked easy because they were shallow and you used a mold release, but
the draft angle is just a tip for future projects.
You can also put a hole in the mold and use compressed air (or water) to push the castings out.
Using fiberglass is good, but you don't have to rip it up like that. Since the concrete is the matrix, it will flow and form around it. Cutting it into 6" wide strips is much better and cleaner. You will get a stronger final product as well. Another tip to increase strength would be to use ground-up ash from your fire in your concrete mix.
I'm interested in how the ash helps strengthen the concrete?
The way I made my existing paver brick fire pit into a smokeless is i dug a foot or two deep hole inside of the pit and then another hole of equal size two to three feet away and then made a 3" tunnel connecting both pits and ran a 3" pvc drain pipe through the tunnel and put a 90 degree angle coming out of the second pit and then buried that pit and cut off the pvc sticking out flush with the ground to protect it from the mower. It works great as long as you know how to stack fuel properly for a smokeless pit.
I’m pretty sure my city zoning won’t let us do that. 😊
His personality would have me watching all of his videos. Even if I have no intension on doing the project. 😂😂
Yep heeeezzahamazzing
Ditto Asf ❤️
HAHA! Same here!
Haha for real. Super rad dude
Agreed!💯 Couple minutes in I was subscribing lol 😆
Appreciate the efforts to entertain and educate. I especially like the fact that you are stringing videos together. Taking the firepit area and then adding lights. Allowing the project to grow with each video. You earned the like and subscribe.
To texture the concrete on a drive way,small size 1/4” rock salt use to be used and troweled in. Next day you can broom and hose off the driveway. This also works on pool decks. Looks really good
I just finished rebuilding mine. It was about 10 years old. Thanks for the inspiration! Here is what I did different. First, I did not drill all those holes in the metal ring. Waste of effort. After leveling the pit I lined the bottom with fire brick leaving about 1" space between each brick then packed some sand in the spaces.. It gave me a level floor that I could scoop ashes out of. Next I used four more fire bricks under the bottom edge of the ring raising it up that 1 1/2". My outer block was about 1-1 1/4" higher than the top of the ring. That left enough space for the air to circulate and be drawn up and back into the fire just as the holes do. Also I made forms the same way but instead of four heavy ones I made eight. Easier to handle and looks great. They overhang about 1/2" outside and about 1 1/2" over the inside ( they extend past the inside of the metal ring to force this air between the block and the metal into the pit for that secondary burn. Works great. The blocks were adheared together but I left the cap blocks not glued to be able to facilitate replacement of fire ring someday. I painted the fire ring with heat resistant grill paint. It works great! Lastly, I did not do any of that baking soda thing. Just filled the forms and tooled it smooth. I used a sidewalk edge tool to round the edges a bit and a trowel. I tapped the sides of the form to be sure the concrete settled properly. Every day that has seen it loves it. Northern Tool has some metal fire wood grates to put down in the pit to raise the wood up a bit and that helps get air under the wood. They also have a snuffer cover to keep the pit dry during off times and looks great. I painted that black too. Oh and another thing ...I did not like leaving out a few blocks for air to be drawn in to the pit. I left about 1/4" space between each block in the second and third course of block. That was more pleasing and was very effective at feeding oxygen to the fire all around the pit. I tested the draw with a lighter. While the fire pit was hot on the inside I lit a lighter and held it up to the cracks between the blocks on the outside and the flame was sucked in to the pit as expected. Now no creatures can get in during the down time and it looks great. And one more thing. The ring size I wanted was 36". Beware when you go to buy one at Tractor Supply. Measure it to be sure it will work. They lable them as 36" but they are not all that size. The company shipped to their stores three rings banded inside each other. Each ring is assembled. The sizes are as follows: outer banded one is about 36" the middle one about 34" and the most inner one is about 32". It is impossible to fit three rings exactly the same size inside each other but apparently the manager did not understand. They are all labled 36" so to him they must be. ( Even a tape measure did not convince him).
I was able to get the blue foam from Lowe’s, but the contact cement I bought melted it. I saw others were having that issue too. So what I ended up doing was skipping the glue and just using duct tape for all the molds. Worked great!
Get a hot glue gun. They're like duct tape and zip ties, you'd be surprised how many uses you find for it. It would perfect for making foam molds.
Your more fun than Netflix 😂😜
While I certainly appreciate the design there are two significant problems with this. As an individual who works a blacksmith forge there are some things that I see that your average layman might miss. First: Galvanized Steel gives off zinc-oxide when you heat it up, this is no bueno. Even with good ventilation I would still be very reluctant to risk any exposure. Second: Concrete is never truly dry, there is always SOME moisture inside of it. Now what do we know about moisture when it is heated up? Yes, it EXPANDS into steam which can cause the brick to literally explode, which can cause injury or death. Always use firebrick or cinderblock for fire pits.
Really good points you make. Scary to think how many people have watched this and probably used the same materials.
Hard to believe nobody else caught that.
I wonder if Tractor Supply realizes their liability? I just checked and the rings are sold for fireplace use.
@@wildtimbrown Are they galvanized steel? If they are maybe whatever regulatory agency in charge deems outside to be adequate ventilation. Maybe it is and I am just being overly cautious.
The ad said it was galvanized.
Great video and I love the foam board. Much easier than the way I do it now. You can also use a mortar mix with a releasing agent for the top. It will pour like pancake mix and it's ready to go in an hour. You can also skip the fiberglass addition. Check it out.
I think I just found my new favorite channel summer's coming up I got some stuff to do I had lung cancer back in 2020 then covid hit I am just now getting my strength back I don't have all the tools I need but I got enough I been wanting to build one of these for my wife and kids and I. Thanks for the inspiration.
Awesome! I hope you are well and healthy now. Best wishes
@@HAXMAN yes that's what I mean I am just getting my strength back enough to get it done.
a little angel named perfection gets its wings when a builder says.. "yep I'm going to redo this ".
sick build!
Thanks!
About to build a firepit and glad to see there are design options to help with the smoke. Two changes I'll incorporate: 1, instead of removing alternate blocks I plan on spacing all blocks at the base about 2 inches; 2, instead of drilling all the holes along the top of my steel 4' fire ring I plan for my top cap to sit 1 1/2' above the top of the ring thereby allowing airflow to rise up and spill over the ring below the bottom surface of the overhanging top cap. Too many holes, too many years, too little patience. Thanx for a great video.
@Danger WillRobinson -Any update? I was planning to try a gap at top as well, though smaller to ensure adequate pressure.
@@myjunkmail007 any update from you as well?
I'm thinking of doing the same with the gap. How did it work?
Dude I tried it with 7” x 12” just threw them to see if the concept would work and it works awesome. Love the idea and concept. I am super impressed on how great this works
What did you use as the cap, the top pieces?
@@timhart5354
I had landscape stones about two levels high then just thru on 7x12 rectangle along the top all the way around to see if it would work and it does. But I have made a new fire pit. Using the ring but I dropped it down a bit from the top so I would not have to drill holes I have small gaps in between some of the bottom row but I need to make all blocks on the first row have gaps to allow more air in and I still have to add the top caps similar to what you did with the concrete caps. I’ll let you know how it works once I have it done 👍
@@timhart5354
I also lined the inside of the fire pit with the 7x 12 laying horizontally so that the top caps 7x12 would match the same profile
This is the old fire pit I am talking about
Can’t really explain with out a picture can’t send picture on here
Pretty cool build, esp the venting technique! One thing I do when I mix concrete or cast stone seating is I a get a gallon can/jug of brake rotor shavings from a brake shop, put it in the water for 3 days that you are using for the crete or sand cast mix. Gives the stone look great color and does not bleed off after sealing the surface with concrete sealer
That looks amazing! A couple of minutes into the video I'm thinking "I can do this!". By the end, I felt like I'd watched Merlin perform a miracle.
Owesome. Thanks to you i just made my own fire pit with a 200L barrel and 40 holes of 2.5cm and it works just great. Thumb up for your video.
"No I haven't seen it". I think every man on the planet, no matter race or age, knows this moment well.
You could be talking about world domination and about to invade another country and that question will come out of no where. I will give a like and a share out of basic male respect.
That last comment earned my like and my subscription!
A few things. If you need your
Mixture more liquid consistency so it fills a mold better, don’t add more water because it gets weaker and doesn’t set properly. A cap of laundry detergent when mixing your concrete makes it act like it’s way more watery but doesn’t need to evaporate the extra water so
It has better strength. Secondly. We found instead of Pam for a release spray, crisco cooking grease mixed with a bit of olive oil or vegetable oil works best Mixes into a paste that is great for release
Year late to the party, but good points! Also, instead of tearing the fiber and adding it in the middle of the concrete, he could have added it to the mixer and had it mixed throughout the concrete for a better end strength.
Nothing like watching videos out of order but that's the way I am! Always enjoy your content! Keep up the great work!! Take care, be safe and God bless!
Such a nice looking DIY smokeless fire pit. Those custom cap stones really set this one off. I just might have to go this route as I haven't been satisfied with what I've been seeing for cap stones
My guy.... you have earned a “subscribe” on my first time ever watching one of your videos! No not because I mistook you for the “Russell Crowe next door dude,” but because you are funny as hell and you darn well know what you are doing. Much respect.
Same.
Exactly , agree 100% !!
Dude got a sense of humor !
It's just not fair!!!!! You are the most talented & ingenious man I have ever seen!!!
Great step by step guide. I just took mine out of the forms and rinsed them down. They too look "A-Mazing"! I'm going to water them for a week before my first fire to cure the concrete. Thank you for the entertaining and helpful instruction. Much appreciated.
I've seen a lot of DIY channels , when you incorporate your family into it, it's amazing . I've mentioned your channel on Facebook to incourage family more into anything you do . Inspiring.
Wow, thank you
I know I thought of his kid when he was adding the texture. That looked like fun.
I didn’t comment at the time, but I ve built this fire pit to the letter, and it’s been working like a charm for a year. It’s the focal point of my backyard. Thanks from a HAXMANiac!
That’s so awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know!
First time viewer, and new subscriber here!!! 10:45 If you don't like the old weathered look, and want a more artsy fartsy look, use crushed glass, but not just any crushed glass. You'll want to use the stuff intended to go into propane or alcohol tabletop fire "pits". What's really nice about the crushed glass I'm talking about, is that there are no sharp edges, AND, it comes in many different colors. 12:40 For about the same price, or even less, as the fiberglass mat you used, you can get a bag of fiberglass that is already shredded and ready to be mixed right into your concrete mixer. I like to toss in one handful of fiberglass per bag. This gives you a nice even blend of fiberglass throughout the cement for extra strength. You should be able to find it right next to the bags of concrete mix. I think I'm going to be building one of these next weekend. GREAT VIDEO!!!!
Check out Ruby Lake Glass ... excellent selection of colors.
I don’t know why this landed in my recommended videos, but I’m happier man for it.....”No I haven’t seen it.” 😂 You’ve earned my subscription sir.
Because Google or Apple heard you talking about a camp fire or Fire pit or too much smoke etc. They are always listening...
IBID
You were probably looking at the Solo Stove Smokeless fire pit like me and not wanting to pay $300-$400. The internet can read my thoughts of thinking how to make my own.
Yes.. me too
I followed this only didn’t drill holes, just built the top higher and overlapped the top edge of ring. Works perfect! Shocked!! $160 all in using small pavers and 36” ring. Took me 30 min to build! Thanks for the video!!
How far below the ridge or lip line do you make your holes
Please make a video cleaning and organizing the shed!
That would be sooooo satisfying!
But in time lapse, so it looks super fast and easy!!👍🏻
Really enjoy your videos. Curious, I've seen other smokeless designs with holes at the bottom of the ring -- I believe to supply air to the fire -- and the upper holes to provide the "second burn". I believe the Solo stove does this. Did you intentionally leave out the bottom holes?
Just wondering how that metal has held up to the heat. Thanks!
This was actually my next to do project. I was totally going to just slam the pavers in a circle and call it good, but I think I can do this! Thanks for the video!
First time I've ever seen an Aussie Scotsman from the south.
Yeah I was giggling at the accents, and couldn't tell if he was going for well travelled or something in particular!
You're a natural teacher. Thanks for doing what you do!
Your excitement after the concrete worked out is how I feel after every project that goes right finally 😂
Thank you for the video!
I tried using a rigid pink styrofoam I had around. I bought contact adhesive, and it melted the foam. Ended up using some thick MDF and holding it together with fasteners.
Do NOT use contact adhesive on the purple foam either! No clue how the blue foam didn't melt in the video.
My sister bought a Solo, moved and it had an outdoor fireplace, sold the Solo to me. Your fireplace is bigger and I think better. We gave ANOTHER fire pit away. I like your show. Thx, the MIDDLE DAUGHTER!
This looks like a great idea. I’m wondering if the holes should be lower? Would it be better to let the air closer to the bottom. Not so close that the holes would become blocked with ashes.
You want the holes at the top. You need the cold air to enter at the bottom and heat as it rises to the point it will combust when it combines with the smoke at the top.
12:11 a little tip. You should always pour fresh concrete into fresh concrete, never away from it. This prevent voids in your slab. These things are going to get hot, any air pockets can cause explosions.
You are technically correct, especially if you were building an enclosed fire box like a fireplace but with the pits the heat goes straight up, and therefore, very little heat is generated on the cap
I just found this guy today & this is only the second video that I have seen of his & he is fast becoming my favorite. I believe that he can do about anything! God bless you and your family🛐
You need special alcaline resistant glass fibre as reinforcement. The "normal" glass fibre will definitely resolve in the alcaline cement i.e. concrete.
Hint : if you make one or more air intake openings under the fire, combustion will improve substantially. Your air inlets higher up indeed will help to burn off the smoke.... but the airsupply under the fire will prevent the forming smoke.
A North Carolina accent just makes this 100% better. Feels like home.
His accent is very pleasant to my ears. His beard and hairy arms are quite lovely.
North Carolina..?? I thought I heard some Australian in there... 👍😎 mate
I loved the "Collateral Damage " in the shop & the wife asking 4 the "Dog food scoop". It was a great & successful video. I laid these pavers for years. Wish I had made caps like u did here!!
as an Englishman I subbed for the Australian/Scottish/English accent mashup...oh..and the firepit.
😁 I appreciate that!
+1 from an Aussie
Haha mate I just done the same thing!🏴 😂👍
@@Barrygvid A Scotsman an Englishman and an Aussie all walk up to a fire pit... 🤣
I thought he sounded american like southern.
Instead of removing a lot more bricks and leaving a lot of empty space, you can remove less bricks and space out the existing bricks to pull air from all around the outer ring, rather than only through a few big gaps.
Would that then make the inner ring unnecessary or does having the chamber do something more than just holes?
@@macdaddy9344
I think if you stacked the paver stones with space between EVERY stone, effectively making the same diameter circle with just 1~3 lesser blocks, that’ll feed enough oxygen to the fire.
Keep in mind: once the first layer is built that way, you can build subsequent layers that way also. Plenty of air & oxygen.
That said, this project has its merits.
We get to BUILD something. 😁😁😁
I think it's just easier to make it symmetric if you pull 3 bricks than if you try to distribute that same amount of air space between all the bricks.
I'm not sure I'm convinced it's all that "smokeless" without more of a demonstration. He's gonna get SOME fresh air heated up and blowing on the top. I'm not sure how much. I think if he put the fire up on a grate and the bottom of the inner wall level with the grate, then he'd have a real down-draft gasifier, like those Solo-brand portable fire pits.
With his design, I'm not sure how much draw he's getting or how long it takes to heat up and start pulling air. But if you added the grate, underneath it, it'd start pulling any smoke and unburned volatiles down the bottom, up the sides, and come out through the holes at the top, where they ignite in the gasifier fire pits. The way he's got it isolated, he's just bringing in fresh air at the top.
I'd like to see the full-blown, brick-walled down-draft gasifier. It'd be better than the all-metal ones they sell, because those bricks would warm up and radiate more heat for longer. Maybe.
@@macdaddy9344 It would make the inner ring partially unnecessary, but having it would help a bit. The best configuration would be having the air holes on the bottom going in a spiral, so in the worst case scenario (strong winds), you end up with a fire tornado going up and to a side, rather than wild flames going straight on the side.
There's not much of a difference, between not having the inner chamber and having straight holes, and there's not much of a difference between having straight holes and angled/spiral/vortex holes, but there's a fair bit of difference between having spiral holes and having the inner chamber.
But you'll notice the difference best when seeing it in practice, I guess.
@@harrymills2770 Might be easier to be symetric if you end up with the same number of bricks on each side. Also, adding a layer of stainless steel sheet on top of those 4 stones which together cover the whole thing can increase the cooking area significantly. Especially if aside from taking a brick or two from each layer and spacing the rest of the bricks on every layer, then expanding the cement slabs more towards the center, then adding some support pillars to hold the cement tables, then adding a layer of stainless steel on top of the cement tables.
However, it would be best to fill the bottom of the cement with a fairly thick layer of clay mixed with sand, so the heat of the fire slowly vitrifies the clay mixture. Ideally, it would be made from soilcrete/dirtcrete, with 4% cement, 8%-12% water, and the rest soil which is mostly clay and a bit sand/sandy, then using some flat weights on a pole to compact that down a lot. The result will look a lot like actual stone, and the high content of clay and sand will bake it into a stone from the bottom, slowly but surely.
I mean, in the past, that's how our ancestors made cave houses, they dug up dirt in a cliff, packed down the walls and roof using some heavy things (like rocks, for example), then set up a big fire inside, which burned for half a day or more, covered most of the entrance and chimney hole with loosely packed dirt (which us then more easily removed), then by the next day or two, when the room finally cooled down, the walls were stone-like terracotta.
You can try something like that with a mud/dirt fireplace, if you want. The fire has to be quite hot, though, and to stay hot for at least 6 hours, then cool down slowly. You can pack loose dirt and gravel to the sides, to help it stay hot for longer (to turn into terracotta) and to protect from the wind.
Nice going. It really is amazing the number of possibilities for a smokeless fire pit.
'Engineer Carter' ( my neighbor) built one similar, but around the bottom layer, he used a broom handle (dowel) to space between the blocks for an even air inlet. He claims that this allows for a change in the wind direction at the inlet ( I think he was just worried about his dog laying down and blocking a hole if he use the absent brick method). This of course made the diameter greater, but not by much. The next two layers were set tight and he ended with a larger size brick for the top layer which gave him a lip at the top.
I really like your cast pieces for the top finish. That is a stylish design!
Motor oil is the best release agent for concrete. Also, great “rebar” for small projects is dry cleaning hangers. Those turned out amazing!
I never thought of using dry cleaning hangers that's perfect Kelly!!
@@robbyers7614 If you find you don’t have enough for a project, most every dry cleaners has a rack of free hangers that people bring their clothes back on. Hope that helps. 💞🇺🇸
@@BostonBorn I had no clue, and I thank you....it rhymes.
@@robbyers7614 that’s a fine rhyme 😉
Chicken wire
You could have textured the foam with aluminum foil. Wad up a big ball of aluminum foil so it has nice bumps and pointy bits sticking out a little then you just roll it over the surface of the foam board. That would create a positive texture in the cast. You can also just find a rock with a lot of nice texture on it and do the same thing.
Great idea!!
To add on this, another way is I grabbed one of the fire pit stones, and just “stamped” the face all over the foam. Worked great!
I followed your exact instructions on the custom cap stones and they turned out amazing. You did not however inform in your video how much of a pain in the ass getting these molds created was! Lol thank you very much. My wife and I are psyched
That’s so awesome to hear! Except the pain part. 😁
Great build except for the use of the galvanized steel. When heated, galvanized steel emits zinc oxide which is fairly posionous. Use raw steel or stainless steel sheet metal bent around with a considerable overlap. Use sheet metal screws from the inside to secure the overlap.
Could you coat the galvanized ring with high heat wood stove paint to prevent it from emitting the zinc oxide?
*update, never mind i read the label it says don’t use it on surfaces directly exposed to flames
Isnt zinc oxide the same stuff the make athletic tape and sunscreen with?
Yes it's used for sunscreen so don't smoke that either
How do you not have more subscribers man? Awesome video dude. Thank you
Thank you!
lol i was just about to post this and figured i'd check out the comments. i looked to see how many subscribers he had and expected to see a few hundred K
@@akhkharu2305 Thank you!
I'm from Iran and we don't have that prepared ones so you just gave me the best Idea to build it my self
I felt good in the first half then this guy turned DIY up to 11 haha great project, love the Pam trick
Yep, got me at the custom concrete part.
Great idea man! One question though, is that ring galvanized steel? If so isn’t that an issue when it gets heated up?
My gwaud, I think I be buying a fire pit kit but I'm sharing this with other guys I know whom have cement mixers and all these cool tools. Fun and informative vid.
Super entertaining practical videos! Have you considered using the bricks in such a way as to force the incoming air in at an angle so that all air inlets work together to create a vortex - driving the general direction of the combustion in a counter/clockwise direction within the pit. Done correctly - you may not need the metal liner at all. Extreme, fast combustion would literally create a fire tornado in the pit (& how cool would that look)!
“No, I haven’t seen the dog food scoop.” Classic husband response! Lol.
Yes, lying to your wife is hillarious.
@@jamese9283 Yes, that was hilarious! Grow a sense of humor, James.
@@birddogne666 Hilarious? Let's not go overboard. It's just every day home life stuff. Like the time my sister's dad used a spatula from the kitchen to clear a clog in the toilet. Or when someone uses an expensive screwdriver to scrape bird shit off pavement. And every one of these people go "Errr? No. Never saw it." Hilarious? No. Just "classic" fibbing. Chuckle-worthy fibbing? Maybe. But hilarious? No.
@@birddogne666 The thing that makes it the funniest is that it was totally staged... ;-)
That was hilarious
I forwarded this video to a friend. This is a very informative video and hopefully he will use your advice. I hope next time we visit his home we will truly enjoy his beautiful fire pit minus the smoke!
I did this last year. And I love it.I chiseled the blocks he took out I cut in half so there were a half block every 4 block. So then there was( 2 ) 4 in holes between the fire pit for cool air to enter the pit. With no big gap.
I had to subscribe after he said he didn’t know where the dog scoop was. This guys going places, the dog house might be one of them.
great ; th-cam.com/video/KD1bQeeEo9M/w-d-xo.html
Great presentation! Thank You! Now I'm going out and building one!
Dude - I really enjoy the videos you make. They are very well filmed and also extremely informative. Keep doing them please!
this dude has 7 million dollars worth of OSB in his shed, i saw 4 boards in there. There might be more!
🤣🤣🤣
A 200 ft roll of wire just shot up to $239
@@yongyea4147
The way these prices are going is nuts.
Steel up 145%
Lumber up 126%
as of a couple weeks ago
Measure twice, cut once. You can't afford mistakes.
I watched all of your smokeless fire pits and I want to say THANK YOU MILLION TIMES OVER! Now I need to watch it again so I can get the courage to make the paver caps. It will be my present for my husband, any other tips? I don’t have a lot of tools or experience 😀
The retaining wall blocks used on the outside come in two sizes. If you use the small blocks on the perimeter and then use retaining wall caps made for the large blocks you might not have to pour the tops.
@@HAXMAN Thank you 🙏
It’s hard to find the cement caps right now. The one I found were $65.00 a piece. I will give it a try, it’ll be a learning experience.
That concrete should have been a little wetter. I did stone casting professionally for a while and i found out that to dry of concrete like you had in your mix isnt strong an will break shortly after. As well as vibrating the concrete would have helped greatly as well for strength and you wouldnt need any fiberglass especially with a piece that small. 👍other than that well done
Usually just watch and don’t comment, but the dog food scoop bit at the end ... hahahaha GOLD. Thanks for taking the time to make this tutorial. Love it!!
Thanks 👍
So I just started a backyard project where I am going to have a fire pit and this video popped up, I will definitely take this into consideration when building it.
The “oh snap” when pulling the cap out of the mold was my favorite part lol
In Baja, we use old washing machine tubs on cinder blocks.
I have one in Florida, stainless steel is best, does not rust
instead of drilling holes, could you just lower the ring so it's not touching the caps and have a 1" channel all the way around - would it still probably function to allow the secondary burn? Thoughts (anyone)?
BTW, according to Real Engineering, you could add the fiber glass during the mixing time. I think it's better than rebars since those do not like the kind of heat they'll be exposed to.
Normally you can add the fiberglass in the mix but it will show up on the surface. I didn’t want to see it. You could make two separate mixes. One for the face and one with the fiberglass mixed to finish filling the mold. I just didn’t feel like making two mixes.
I usually just sit on the opposite side the smoke is blowing but this works too
Wind swirls at my house and it gets you everywhere
Love, love, love how natural and entertaining you are on camera. It's like a party for one, shared. Thanks. I watched one other "how to" on this. But, yours is the best hands down. Saving it, for if I ever get the opportunity (and drive) to build one. Retired 4 months now. So, hopefully, I'll eventually get around to that. Lol. Right now, just marinating in no more definite dead lines. 🌻🦋😁 ps. I also recognize the work you put into making your videos. Thanks
I subscribed once I heard you talking in varying accents to your project. I thought I was the only nutter who did that!
I like how you drift from Australian into Scottish
Gotta admit that was my favorite part too.
came straight to comments to see if anyone else noticed haha :D
Prolly all his inner ancestors were stoked as much as much as that fire :)
100 percent Dingo Haggis
Great idea ...I just wonder why holes were not drilled on the bottom and not the top?? ...maybe that is what makes it work so well??