1 Tier Stand Design/Build with Pics

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

I am starting what will be the very slow process of building a single tier brew stand. I have come across some steel on the ultra cheap and will be enlisting the help of family and friends to teach me and lend me the equipment to weld it.

The steel I acquired is 1x1 18 gauge and 1x1 11 gauge. The majority of it is 18 gauge. Based on my calculations, I will have to buy a few steel pieces to complete the project. Is the 18 gauge strong enough?

I want the stand to be 3 burner, using BG14 burners powered by standalone propane tank(s). Maybe BG12 burners if it is determined that they would be powerful enough for 5 gal batches. Would BG12 burners be sufficient?

Eventually, I plan to use 3 Bayou Classic 11gal stainless kettles. And I want this to be completed as inexpensively as possible.

This is what I have come up with so far. Do you think the stand will be stable and sturdy enough?

Your input is welcome and appreciated. Cheers!

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Right now, I've calculated my cut list to be:
Length x Qty
48 x 1 <--- Need to buy
24 x 4
20 x 4
18 x 1 <--- Need to buy
19 x 4
11 x 3
10 x 12
5.5 x 2

And this is the steel I started with: two old Plyo Box platforms and a desktop tower stand.

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

I've done some cutting and a little bit of grinding, still A LOT of grinding left.

Here are mock ups of the bottom, top, front, and rear elevations (in that order).

If something seems out of whack, let me know!

 

[30Bones]

Interesting design. Good luck on the build. I love my single tier.

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Thanks Bones, do you have any recommendations?

 

[30Bones]

Oh no, maybe I should have used the word unique instead. I copied a Brutus10 like thousands of others.

The venting out the back is once thing I was glad I did after lots of reading. Helps with burner efficiency IMO. Only thing about yours is lots of cuts which means lots of welding. Nothing wrong with that though.
Front

Back

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Oh no, maybe I should have used the word unique instead. I copied a Brutus10 like thousands of others.

The venting out the back is once thing I was glad I did after lots of reading. Helps with burner efficiency IMO. Only thing about yours is lots of cuts which means lots of welding. Nothing wrong with that though.

Lot's of cuts were required because of the steel items that I started with. They were already welded in odd dimensions. The tower frame was a total of 14.25" wide and 24" tall but not nearly enough steel to use for the entire build or even half the build. The plyo boxes were trapezoid shape about 28" and 20" tall with bases of 16" and 13".

I chopped them all up with a sawzall to get the most steel I could get while keeping pieces that were relatively the same length.

 

[Komocabo]

If it were me, I would put a straight bar on the top, rather than the shape you have. Your pot of boiling wort is only bring supported on 3 sides, and this seems dangerous to me. I have a Brutus type as well and love it. Each pot has 4 edges to rest on. I might be paranoid, but it seems questionable to only support +100 lbs only on 3 sides of the pot... my 2 cents...

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[Komocabo]

I just drilled several 1.25" holes in my windscreen for the bg14s. Works very well

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[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

After spending a few hours grinding, and trying to make sure all of the hacked up steel that I acquired would be suitable to weld and use, I have come to the realization that buying the steel would be more in line with the finished product that I want.

So, I'll be putting this build on hold for a bit to source the steel and come up with the funds for the project.

Does anyone have suggestions on where to get 1.5x1.5 11awg square steel tube? Obviously, the less expensive the better.

I did update my design to reflect this change and have attached the newest design below. This reflects the 1.5x1.5 steel tube and an increase in length and width from what is posted above.

Stick with me. I'm hoping that I can start the build sometime in April.

 

[zach976]

Call around to local steel suppliers and check prices. I just built my stand with 1-1/2" 16 gauge square tube and it's more than enough strong for a brew stand. Around here the price was $25 for a 24' stick. Not too bad. On the burners, the BG14's are beast and probably overkill for just about everything. The BG12's will be good for 5 gallon batches.

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[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Thanks Zach, I appreciate the input. 16awg would save on costs a bit. I've gone to the local steel places and their prices are a bit steep, about $1.80 per foot. I'll keep looking and make some more calls.

And with the bg12s, what's a typical from tap to boil time? I HATE waiting for temp to rise, enough so that I use a 1500 Watt heat stick along with my current bg10 burner. The bg12s would save money, too, but what do you lose by going that route? And if I ever want to try 10gal batches? I'm not sold either way yet.

Thanks again!

 

[Komocabo]

I use the bg14s. They are like jet burners with propane. I recently went to Natural Gas with new orifices suited for NG. The power has dropped, adding about 30 mins to the brew day, but it is SO quiet now that it is worth the wait. I might go the heat stick route to help speed up the process...

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[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Made another call to the local steel supplier today, 1.5x1.5 16awg is $54.25 per 24 foot length, $2.26 per foot! 1.5x1.5 11awg is $90.24, $3.76 per foot! There's no way I can afford either one of those right now.

 

[30Bones]

Holy smokes! I paid $83.83 for 2" square 14 gauge cut to my drawing. ~$2.30/ft

 

[Gunfighter04]

Most steel place I've been to have a Cutoff Bin, where they throw the pieces away from Cut to order jobs. They usually won't tell you what's in them over the phone, just gotta stop in and see what's currently in there. Most places that have one sell it by the pound for what's in the bin. If you need pieces less than 3' it's something to think about.

 

[cw_racefan]

Wow, those prices are nuts. I paid $125 for all of the steel for my stand. That was for 1.5" .120 wall tubing.

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Decided that purchasing steel locally is a definite NO NO. I can probably call in a favor to get some a bit cheaper, but, that requires a 3 hour drive north. It'll be a while before I am able to make that trip.

In the meantime, my wife, mom, and sister gave me 2 of the Bayou Classic 11 gal stock pots and a small gift card to northern brewer. I'll be picking up something for the stand with it, i just can't make up my mind. NB has a lot of stuff, it's just that you can find it cheaper elsewhere, ya know?

Given the design and current status of the stand, would you suggest I buy the BG14 from NB? Pick up a set of stainless quick disconnects? pick up a new mash paddle? Or go with a domed false bottom?

 

[Komocabo]

Hey there is a guy near Chicago (check the for sale section) that has all the steel, pre-cut for $75! Not sure if he ships, or if your near, but it looks like a good deal...2x2... check it out

 

[NautiDogBrewingCo.]

Placed a few orders for ball valves, dip tube and bulkhead, and false bottom. This will outfit 2 of the 3 kettles and get me into all grain. The steel will have to wait for a bit.

 

[robodeath]

I order my steel from ebay ha! I think my UPS guy hates me though

 

[thatjonguy]

I am sure he does...

 

[Riedel]

Why not use aluminum instead of stainless steel to cut down on the weight what are the pros and cons

 

[30Bones]

Why not use aluminum instead of stainless steel to cut down on the weight what are the pros and cons

Aluminum and high heat don't go well together

 

[Ibrew2little]

How are you guys attaching your thermometers to your kegs? Buying special thermostats somewhere?


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[Doctor_Wily]

how much was steel at Alro?

 

[Doctor_Wily]

Why not use aluminum instead of stainless steel to cut down on the weight what are the pros and cons

Aluminium requires a spool gun often times to weld without big issues (assuming mig/wire feed)

EDIT: I see this thread is moving on 4 months old :-/