thickness of ss for door

[jimkramer]

My friend's friend is helping me make an insulated door with his computerized plasma cutter. Coolest thing you've ever seen. He inputs the shape, and his gizmo cuts it, all in his garage. He also has a welder to put it all together.

What is the thinnest gauge of stainless steel I can use for the door? I want it to be as light as possible, but still thick enough to withstand the heat. I guess it won't need to withstand direct fire, since the door is to retain heat once the fire has died down, as I assume I'll be cooking pizza and roasts with the door open.

[fornax hominus]

Re: thickness of ss for door

My door is gauge aluminum and I have shut the door on a really hot fires , smothered it and let the charcoal re-ignite slowly the next day for smokey low temp [260f] cooking .. I have had no problems in 4 years with aluminum so you can go quite thin with SS and no worries.

[Laurentius]

Re: thickness of ss for door

Hi Jim,

What do you plan to insulate the door with?

[jimkramer]

Re: thickness of ss for door

I'll insulate it with 3" of fiber insulation I used for the dome.

Also, forgot to mention, we ordered the wrong stuff, and ended up using about 1/8" thickness for the inside of the door. (SHipping made it not worth returning)

So, since the inside/heat bearing side will be quite thick (and heavy) I figure I can get by with something much thinner on the 3" edges and outside.

[david s]

Re: thickness of ss for door

One of stainless' characteristics is that it really moves when heated. This may create sealing problems when it warps causing heat loss at the seal. The heat is not particularly even, being way hotter from the radiant heat in the centre than the sides which are sitting behind the door rebate. I'd imagine that warping would be greater for thin stainless. Another more desirable characteristic of stainless, apart from it not rusting, is that it is way less conductive than mild steel which in turn is way less conductive than aluminium (it is worth looking up the thermal conductivity of the three metals, you will be surprised at the large difference).This is aluminium's drawback for this application and the thicker your metal, the greater the thermal mass, so the more heat is lost. All metal doors can get dangerously hot too, so engineer some insulated handles.

[TropicalCoasting]

Re: thickness of ss for door

Thinking out aloud .....
That sounds like maybe you use the thicker bit for outside and thinner for inside ???
Some kind of triple sandwich off thin ss, then insulation,another thin ss,then insulation then thick ss.
Attach the inner to the middle with bolts then attach the outer to the middle with different bolts(fixings??) so heat isnt transferred from inner to outer via bolts. (handles could be attached to the protruding bolts)
Try and put a heat break between outer and inner.
Difference may be minimal but it would be fun and safe
A lot of work but you do have access to good toys.

[jimkramer]

Re: thickness of ss for door

No, I think I confused people with the details. My friend bought 12 ga steel to make the door, but this is way too heavy, so I'm going to order a new sheet. Just wondering if I can get away with something as thin as 20 ga (.036"), or if that will warp too much from the heat.

[texman]

Re: thickness of ss for door

jim

i wish i could help on gauge. But, if you don't mind, i would be interested in a door if he is willing. the 12 ga would be fine and i am happy to pay as required. i got a local quote for a ss door and it was $500+ so i opted out. i have some insulation left and a template if needed.

Thanks

Texman

[Greenman]

Re: thickness of ss for door

Once folded the lighter s/s should be ok. If you look for it you can find good stainless sheet that has been used for appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers and the like. The quote of $500 sounds a bit steep in any currency.

[Tonyp]

Re: thickness of ss for door

I ordered 14ga (.075") T304 SS, gosh it's thick.. and heavy! Feels like plate armor. I ordered 2 pieces and was planning to use it on the outside too but thinking I might use 1/2" oak or something which will be lighter! I might order some 18ga to use for the sides...