Blue Chips
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- Messages
- 488
- Location
- Maine, USA
We have lots of free firewood from deadfall or standing dead timber, so this firepit is cheap (read "zero cost") to operate. I constructed it from 1/4-inch steel plate and 1/4-inch-thick rectangular tube for legs, so it's really hefty...definitely not a portable unit, unless you want to keep your hernia surgeon busy. The bottom has a series of drain holes and a layer of hard fire brick. The pyramidal lift-off top is welded angle iron and expanded metal. I placed a small raised grate inside it (not visible in the photos) that keeps the fire contained in the center and prevents it from directly contacting the sides, while promoting air supply for the fire. I left plenty of room around the firepit so that one can move one's chair to a new spot to avoid the smoke if the wind shifts. A nice way to de-stress is to sit around the fire and watch a sunset while lowering the liquid level in a glass of (insert favorite quaffable substance here).