No Weld Door

[fremen325]

I was going to have a door built using stainless steel but was quoted over USD$560. I ended up building a door out of plate steel 16g from our local big box store. I have insulated the door using ceramic fiber blanket and painted it with a high temp primer and high temp paint (rated for 2000F). Total cost (not including my time) was ~$120. The only thing I havent figured out is how to protect the temperature probe from getting bent or broken. I have seen others use a piece of pipe or box metal to protect the probe but cant figure out how to mount it to the plate without welding.

[deejayoh]

Good work. For $560 you can get a cheap TIG welder and build the door yourself. And you get to keep the TIG welder. Whoever quoted you that did NOT want the business!

To protect the probe, you probably need to drill a bigger hole and put a piece of threaded tube in there, snug it up on both sides with a nut.

[fremen325]

I thought about using a piece of threaded tube (black iron) but they were all fine threaded. The largest fine threaded nut I could find was 3/8 (I believe) and the smallest threaded tube had a 5/8 diameter. Right now, i am thinking of taking a left over piece of my box metal and cutting the corners from one end for about an inch. then bend each side of the box outward at a 90deg angle, then drill a hole in the 4 flared out sections and use those holes to bolt the box to the plate metal.

[fremen325]

My other thought was to use copper tubing but I think the solders that I can readily obtain (and work with) melt at too low of a temperature.

[cobblerdave]

G'day
Don't mount it to be a permanent installation on your door means you only need a hole through the door.
My first mounted thermometer had the probe damaged moving the door. Now I only have it mounted in a hole and remove it when moving the door and remove and store inside out the elements.
I also have 2 thermometers a high temp one that goes to 600C and a deep fat/ jam thermometer that only goes to 300C. The lower temp one is more accurate for those low and slow baking temps. 225F ( 130 C ) and six hours will turn boot leather to butter.
Regards dave

[joeykramer]

may be a dumb question, but what did you use to cut the steel plate? does it hold the temp well?

[deejayoh]

may be a dumb question, but what did you use to cut the steel plate? does it hold the temp well?

I'm not the OP here, but you can use a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. Works great.

[fremen325]

Joey,

I put a metal cutting blade on my circular saw, clamped the steel to my workbench and cut away. Wear some goggles as it throws sparks everywhere and hot steel flakes kind of hurt when they hit your eyeball. I then took an angle grinder and rounded out some of the curves and removed sharp edges.

Greg