Weldless brew stand.

[reuliss]

Has anyone used one of these builds on a wooden deck? I'm interested, but concerned about how hot everyone says this thing gets. I use my grill on the deck without concern, but that thing doesn't heat up towards the bottom. My guess is that the casters themselves aren't getting too hot, but I'd really prefer not to start a fire!!

 

[SuckaMooHudda]

Mine is cool to the touch except for about the top 1/4. I would have total confidence using mine on a deck, for sure... and there is nobody more paranoid than me. Also, mine is not on casters.
:cross:

 

[reuliss]

Mine is cool to the touch except for about the top 1/4. I would have total confidence using mine on a deck, for sure... and there is nobody more paranoid than me. Also, mine is not on casters.
:cross:

Thank you for that feedback!

 

[hunter_le five]

Slowly making progress on mine.







So much awesome in this thread.

 

[BlindFaith]

I am assuming the McMaster-Carr part numbers have changed from the initial build by sam and bender because when I search for them I get the right dimensions of slotted angle, but different part numbers: http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/119/1915/=mr3y0u

I am planning on building one of these over the next few months and didn't feel like perusing through the entire thread (laziness ) to get an answer, so I thought I would ask. The 2 1/4" x 1 1/2" angle is now listed as 4664T19 and the 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" is listed as 4664T18. Are those the same part numbers that were used by anyone who recently ordered?

 

[sudndeth]

Alright, I did it. Turned out nice so far. Adding burners in a few weeks. I'm also going to change the pump so the outlet is pointing up. I think I'm going to do banjo burners. Does it really matter high or low pressure?

 

[LarryN]

I'm finishing up my slot steel brew stand (Brew'in Hilda) I have Hurricane 60K/BTU burners installed (two),I do single infusion mash for now but will eventually try stepped mash, I'm ready to pipe my stand for LPG. Since the hurricane burners work on 11" WC what regulator are you using with your rig? Can two burners run at the same time with enough LPG volume to crank them up to max BTU if I needed it with a 11" WC regulator. I'd probably run my boil kettle burner while sparging just to stop enzyme action on the wort over the 30minute sparge while simultaneously keeping the sparge water at 170 degrees in the HLT.
I guess if I have to ask this seemingly silly question I should have someone else pipe up the system for me although someone once said there are no stupid questions only stupid answers :cross:

 

[pmcint01]

They look sweet.

 

[flh73]

What kind of pumps did u use.

 

[sudndeth]

I have a chugger pump


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[Bender]

I have a pair of March 809 pumps. They've worked fine for 3 years.

 

[sudndeth]

I want to finish my stand. What burners should I use, also how'd you plumb it? Any parts list for that portion is appreciated.

 

[findail]

Thought I posted this, but had to register first. So if this repeats, that's why.

Ok, burner-buyers. If you've seen mention of the NB 210,000 BTU banjo burners priced @ approx. $44 and think that you just gotta have that - perhaps because it would seem to outshine the 100,000 BTU BG-14s carried by Agri Supply for approx. $33 - think again. I jumped on that hook and for a difference of over $30 ended up with three...BG-14s (remorse, chagrin, etc.) See, Agri Supply is accurate in that the BG-14 with a standard regulator is 100,000 BTU and NB was accurate that the 210,000 BTU burner it sells has that specification WHEN paired with the 0-30 PSI regulator that most of us would be acquiring anyway for this rig. NB omits the BG-14 reference. I'm not saying NB is deceptive, I'm saying that NB sells the BG-14 for more than I've seen Agri Supply sell them. Feel free to learn vicariously from me.

 

[sudndeth]

Thought I posted this, but had to register first. So if this repeats, that's why.



Ok, burner-buyers. If you've seen mention of the NB 210,000 BTU banjo burners priced @ approx. $44 and think that you just gotta have that - perhaps because it would seem to outshine the 100,000 BTU BG-14s carried by Agri Supply for approx. $33 - think again. I jumped on that hook and for a difference of over $30 ended up with three...BG-14s (remorse, chagrin, etc.) See, Agri Supply is accurate in that the BG-14 with a standard regulator is 100,000 BTU and NB was accurate that the 210,000 BTU burner it sells has that specification WHEN paired with the 0-30 PSI regulator that most of us would be acquiring anyway for this rig. NB omits the BG-14 reference. I'm not saying NB is deceptive, I'm saying that NB sells the BG-14 for more than I've seen Agri Supply sell them. Feel free to learn vicariously from me.

Thanks. I went with the agri gas. What needle valves did you use?

 

[sudndeth]

Just finished my stand for now. I have a ball valve to control the flow. Word of advice is not to crank down on the mounting bolts on the burner. I pulled some if the threads. So one now has three mounts. Still solid.

 

[findail]

Sudndeth, et. al.

1. AIH for needles (no brand name advertised, I rc'vd Bayou Classic items) & two center-inlet chugger pumps (on sale) & associated reducers:

www.homebrewing.org/Needle-Valve-For-Propane_p_1726.html

www.homebrewing.org/Chugger-Pump-Stainless-Steel-Center_p_3193.html


2. Local big box HW store for black pipe and yellow PTFE tape.

3. Tractor Supply for a $70 30lb LPG cylinder:

www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/manc...e-cylinder-equipped-with-qcc1-opd-valve-30-lb


4. Amazon for a $32 0-40 PSI regulator & ball valve (shut off for LPG):

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0033JF0GE/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081LIGRY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


5. AgriSupply for 3' HP LPG hose:

http://www.agrisupply.com/High-Pressure-Hose-Assembly-Mpt-Ffl/p/36108/&sid=&eid=/


6. Various fittings:

http://www.suremarineservice.com/

1/2" Male NPT x 3/8" Flare (SAE) Brass Adapter, qty 1
3/8" Female Swivel Flare (SAE) x 3/8" Male Flare (SAE) Brass Elbow, qty 3
1/2" Male NPT x 1/4" Female NPT Brass Hex Bushing, qty 3
1/4" Male NPT x 1/4" Female NPT Brass Adapter, qty 3
1/2" Male NPT x 1/2" Female NPT Brass Adapter, qty 1

7. Heat shields/rings from Brewers Hardware:

http://www.brewershardware.com/12-Heat-Shield-Burner-Mount.html

 

[GuyBob]

What's the best way to cut this slotted angled iron? I've seen the 18 gauge and 14 at HD or Lowes. Thanks


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[garrycook]

What's the best way to cut this slotted angled iron? I've seen the 18 gauge and 14 at HD or Lowes. Thanks

Don't buy at the big box stores, it's about half the price ordering from McMaster Carr, even with shipping.
I cut mine with an $18 angle grinder that I picked up at Harbor Freight.

 

[sudndeth]

I cut mine with a miter saw with a metal blade.

 

[fimpster]

Love this thread! I am in awe after reading through ALL 65 pages! It's like beer pr0n.

Since this thread goes back 4-1/2 years, can any of the early builders comment on how their brewstand has held up?

 

[TJMaxx]

I just finished reading the thread and its awesome. I was wondering if anyone had considered possibly using stainless angles in the areas near the burners. http://www.mcmaster.com/#slotted-stainless-steel-angles/=twa2ho

I wouldn't do the whole frame obviously because that would be way too expensive or maybe just add some of the stainless corner plates attached to the frame around the burners. Just a thought

 

[findail]

TJMaxx: Assuming that we're discussing using the corner-braces/angles in a horizontally mounted way to serve as a platform for the keggles - and not just using them on the stand per what is in the basic design - I tried that but in my application they interfered and they were not necessary. In my build the keggles rest on the boxes built from the runs of slotted angle iron as shown in most photos in this thread. What I did differently from some of the pics was to use heat shields around the banjos to better direct the flame.

In many of the pics the banjo burners are mounted where the orifices end up helter skelter whereas I wanted mine all pointing straight out - so I bolted the heat shields to the banjo burners, then rested the shielded burners on two 72" lengths of 1/2 threaded rod that was tied down with SS zip ties. Before mounting the threaded rod I put on washers and nuts in order to be able to surround the heat shields with washers to prevent side-to-side movement - tightening the nuts once the shielded burners were put in place.

The shielded burners are uniformly mounted and I can adjust the height of the burners by raising or lowering the angle runs to which they are attached. My stand doesn't go on the road so that works nice. If ever needed I could drill holes in the heat shields and bolt those to the stand for more stability. I'll post a pic sometime.

 

[Hauger]

I'm looking at building this, mainly because (1) I need a brew stand, and (2) I'm not authorized by my significant other to spend too much on my hobby (she still views homebrew through the distorted lense of college kids half-hearted attempts at stale kit brewing 10 years ago).

I've gone through the thread though, but there hasn't been much talk about sourcing the materials from somewhere other than McMaster-Carr. For some reason, reports are McMaster-Carr won't sell to Canadians.

Has anyone built this in Canada and if so, where have you sourced your materials? I've looked at the big box stores, but the prices are a bit high. Another option is fastenal. They have a store/warehouse about 5 minutes from my house. I was looking at buying these entirely:

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/details/0952109. The gauge is thicker than the McMaster parts listed (12 GA vs. 14 GA), and I figured buying 6 should do the trick (10 ft each). Has anyone used Fastenal? Any Canadians here that have sourced this stuff for a decent price?

 

[Reaver]

Hauger...
That depends on the type of stand you want to build. I assume you want weldless since you are on this thread.

Check out this thread for sourcing info on the connections for Unistrut. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/my-weldless-build-using-strut-363128/
Uni-strut itself can be had in any HomeDepot, Lowes, or electric supply house.

 

[Hauger]

Reaver, thanks for the response. I've been looking at the UniStrut ones for a while as well and thanks for the link to that thread, been reading through it to see what I can learn from it as well. Just the design of Channel Strut appeals to me in that it just looks stronger.

Having said that, the same problem of sourcing at an inexpensive price seems to remain. I went to Home Depot, Lowes, and Rona, but nobody carries it. Fastenal carries it and has 10ft lengths in stock, but they want about $60 per length + tax (http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/details/48124?searchMode=productSearch&filterByVendingMachine=). Figuring I'd need 3 10ft lengths = about $180 + tax, and that's before fasteners.

So I'm back to square one, has anyone sourced any of this in Canada for a reasonable price?

 

[gergyboy13]

Love this thread! I am in awe after reading through ALL 65 pages! It's like beer pr0n.

Since this thread goes back 4-1/2 years, can any of the early builders comment on how their brewstand has held up?

I'm wondering the same thing about how well everybody's stands are holding up this long. I'm curious how it's holding up based on time and based on uses (roughly how many brews)


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[garrycook]

I'm wondering the same thing about how well everybody's stands are holding up this long. I'm curious how it's holding up based on time and based on uses (roughly how many brews)

I don't know how many brews I've put on it. But it's holding up like a champ and and don't foresee any issues with it outlasting me.
Every other brew or so I check the nuts/bolts for tightness, and occasionally I have to wrench on some of them.

 

[BreezyBrew]

I don't know how many brews I've put on it. But it's holding up like a champ and and don't foresee any issues with it outlasting me.
Every other brew or so I check the nuts/bolts for tightness, and occasionally I have to wrench on some of them.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[SuckaMooHudda]

I have probably made 35+ ten gallon batches during almost 2 years time, and it is as sturdy now as the day I built it. I raised my pots with angled steel to get the pots off the iron. I was afraid that over time the flame directly touching the iron would weaken it, so I added the steel. Not sure if it was necessary, but it works great. This stand is the best $200-ish I have ever spent. I love my system!!! I don't know if you could build a stand any cheaper with the strength of this stand. So, if you are thinking of building a stand on limited budget, look no further.

 

[jstuts2260]

I realize this may be a little bit of a cheat, since there are welds on my brew stand. But since I bought it like this and modified I technically didn't weld anything

I bought the base stand from Academy sports, it's a 2 burner table. Then I cut out the propane tank holder in the middle and bolted a third burner on the bottom level. I removed the second burner from the top, and used that gas line to run propane to the bottom burner. This way I can use the original manifold and run my HLT and Brew Kettle from the factory manifold. I heat my sparge water in the 9 gallon kettle on the bottom and use my chugger pump to transfer heated sparge water to my sanke Mash Tun with false bottom.

I also bolted my 40 plate chiller with qd's onto the side back side. I only have to use 4 hoses total for brewing. I've been brewing on it for a little over a year and have never had an issue. All in all, the rig cost me around $220? Obviously, the pump, plate chiller and qd's were a little bit more.

The first 5 pics are the build out, the last 3 are during a brew session. As you can see, they've definitely gotten some use over the last year.

If you're looking for a no weld two tier stand, I highly recommend this one! I've made a lot of good beer on this system, and plan on using for years to come.

Cheers!