Introduction: Big Tripod for Cooking Over a Fire
For christmas i got a cooking pot which needs to hang over a fire. As i didn't have anything to hang it from, i decided to make a tripod which i could put over a fire.
The materials i used are three measuring rods (i hope that's the right word in english), a piece of pipe which had an inside diameter of 10 mm, 2 M10 screws with nuts, and a piece of 8mm round steel for the tripod. Apart from that i got a couple of meters of chain and a hook.
The tools were an anglegrinder, a welding machine, a round file, some pliers, a ruler and something to mark steel (a knife did it in my case).
The materials i used are three measuring rods (i hope that's the right word in english), a piece of pipe which had an inside diameter of 10 mm, 2 M10 screws with nuts, and a piece of 8mm round steel for the tripod. Apart from that i got a couple of meters of chain and a hook.
The tools were an anglegrinder, a welding machine, a round file, some pliers, a ruler and something to mark steel (a knife did it in my case).
Step 1: Cutting the Material
Before cutting anything, i had to mark where i wanted to cut. I didn' want the legs to be straight, because then i could get my cooking pot into a more comfortable working height. So i measured the pot, which has a diameter of 40 cm. I wanted the diameter at the top to be a bit more than that, so i measured 21 cm from the top end of each measuring rod on the inside. I wanted the pieces to go together at an angle of approximately 90 degrees, so i measured the diameter of the rod (35mm), so i also marked double that on the inside of the rod. On the outside, i marked the middle between these, and made an approximate mark where i wanted to cut.
After cutting the rod with the anglegrinder, i bent the pipe so the gap was closed. The only other thing that needed to be cut was the small pipe, which i cut into 6 pieces about 3 cm long each. These are going to be the hinges to put the legs together.
After cutting the rod with the anglegrinder, i bent the pipe so the gap was closed. The only other thing that needed to be cut was the small pipe, which i cut into 6 pieces about 3 cm long each. These are going to be the hinges to put the legs together.
Step 2: Welding It All Together
The angles in the legs were spot-welded together, and where necessary i filled up the gaps. That didn't always turn out to be beautiful, but it's going to hold together.
After that i welded the small pieces of pipe into place, one on the upper half of the end of each leg, one on the lower half. i wanted them to be at a slight angle, so the legs wouldn't be parallel. I did this only for aesthetic reasons, but it made the job of getting the pipes all into the right position a lot harder. I held them in about the right position with the pliers, instead of making a holding device to get the same angle and both pipes parallel every time. I should have done that, but this way it also worked.
After that i welded the small pieces of pipe into place, one on the upper half of the end of each leg, one on the lower half. i wanted them to be at a slight angle, so the legs wouldn't be parallel. I did this only for aesthetic reasons, but it made the job of getting the pipes all into the right position a lot harder. I held them in about the right position with the pliers, instead of making a holding device to get the same angle and both pipes parallel every time. I should have done that, but this way it also worked.
Step 3: Putting It All Together
Before i could put everything together i had to make sure the small pipes were clean on the inside, otherwise the bolts wouldn't fit through. I did that with a small round file. While i was at it, i also cleaned the nastier welds with the angle grinder.
Then i put my two bolts into the upper pipes and then through the lower ones of the next leg. Then i put the nuts on and screwed it all together. It doesn't have to be tight, because i still want to be able to fold my tripod together. I put a piece of round steel which had a bend on one end into the last pair of pipes, so it would be easier to take everything apart when i have to put the tripod away. The hook is on the end of the chain. For now i keep the chain from slipping down by wrapping it around one of the bolts or the round iron like you would do it with a rope on a cleat, but i'm thinking about fixing a small rim from a childrens bicycle to one of the legs as a pulley to run the chain over. We'll see if that's necessary.
To contain the fire, i'm using an old steel rim. It's a bit bigger than the pot, and thanks to its holes i don't have to worry about ventilation. As you can see on the pictures, it's working just fine.
Then i put my two bolts into the upper pipes and then through the lower ones of the next leg. Then i put the nuts on and screwed it all together. It doesn't have to be tight, because i still want to be able to fold my tripod together. I put a piece of round steel which had a bend on one end into the last pair of pipes, so it would be easier to take everything apart when i have to put the tripod away. The hook is on the end of the chain. For now i keep the chain from slipping down by wrapping it around one of the bolts or the round iron like you would do it with a rope on a cleat, but i'm thinking about fixing a small rim from a childrens bicycle to one of the legs as a pulley to run the chain over. We'll see if that's necessary.
To contain the fire, i'm using an old steel rim. It's a bit bigger than the pot, and thanks to its holes i don't have to worry about ventilation. As you can see on the pictures, it's working just fine.