File Cabinet smoker build DIY

This DIY project is a file cabinet Smoker. I wanted to show how to take a file cabinet and turn it into a smoker. This smoker Is designed as a hot or cold smoker. it can use a smoke generator, wood, gas or electric. I will be showing each of those being used in a future video. You do not have to build a smokestack for it like I did. You can build the little hole covers like I did for the bottom cabinet and put over the hole drilled for the smoke stack. that’s what I would’ve done if I hadn’t had a welder. Thank you for watching, I appreciate it all your comments. If you enjoy this content check out my other videos and like and subscribe and ring the notification bell for future content as I put it out.
safarijoe.s....
To contact me;
[e-mail]
SAFARIJOE’S ADVENTURES
PO Box 205 Loveland CO80539
Music;
Pickup truck by Silent Partner
Catch-up by Dan Lebowitz

[@waltzb7548]

Great job! Finished product looks awesome. Cheers!

[@safarijoesadventures]

Well, thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I did do another video with some upgrades. I did to it that made it work even better. You can check it out on my channel also. Thanks for watching.

[@scroogehowsshehandle]

I Like the time that you put into yours made it look nice

[@safarijoesadventures]

Thank you, I do enjoy making things. Because most of my DIY projects are One and done I like them to look nice.

[@bethbayliss9732]

Good job, Joe!

[@safarijoesadventures]

Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@shirleyjacobs1896]

That's AWESOME Brother

[@safarijoesadventures]

Glad you liked it. You can check out the other videos I’ve done on KZbin also If you would like.

[@jaypeak]

Thanks for the video Joe i just picked up a cabinet myself and I found your video very helpful. You got yourself a new subscriber

[@safarijoesadventures]

Thank you I appreciate that. I am doing an update video on the file cabinet smoker it should be out in about a week I did a couple of changes to improve it and I will go over it in that video. Thank you again I appreciate Your views and comments.

[@davidsettle8456]

Hey Joe. Ever see any deer in those woods

[@safarijoesadventures]

Here in Colorado, we get deer and elk in our yard quite often. I also have a cabin in the upper peninsula of Michigan and I do see quite a bit of white tail up there.

[@davidsettle8456]

@@safarijoesadventures ,. That's on my bucket list, hunt in Ohio, Indiana,or Michigan for deer

[@safarijoesadventures]

@@davidsettle8456 what part of the country do you live in? Is there any big game hunting opportunities there? I have some video of both deer and elk right here in my neighborhood and some of my KZbin videos. I just bought the off grid, cabin and property in the upper peninsula of Michigan the last week of October this year. That’s where I grew up. I did see some deer but I never had a chance to video them when I’m up there in the spring working on the place. Hopefully I can get some video.

[@davidsettle8456]

@@safarijoesadventures Kentucky. About 2 hours from Louisville 30 min from Lexington KY. Not a lot of deer were I live

[@davidsettle8456]

@@safarijoesadventures merry Christmas to you and family.

[@dwightstebner2345]

having problem getting heat and smoke up to the top 2 drawers, do I need more holes?

[@safarijoesadventures]

I have another video of updates that I did on it. You should give it a watch. Yes I did add some extra air venting at the bottom. You could also add extra air vents at the top . It did help you might wanna give it a shot.

[@alfburns6422]

In the process of doing a cabinet smoker 4 draw I think your video is awsome could you not put temp gauges on the front of your draws instead of the sides the temperature should be the same should they not .Alf nz

[@safarijoesadventures]

I had thought about that and I’m sure it would be fine. I just did not want to hit the end of the probe with anything I was putting in or taking out of the cabinets. I did drill a hole in the front of each one so I could stick and meet pro through the drawer for testing the meat.

[@sheryladams9951]

Hi Joe, I've been wanting to do one of these file cabinet smokers for a while now, in fact I got the cabinet a couple of years ago. As far as burning the paint off the cabinet, did you use any specific wood or temperature? Also did you keep it burning till there was no longer a paint smell? I look forward to more of your videos, and I just subscribed to your channel. Thanks, Sheryl

[@safarijoesadventures]

I also have a video I put out within the last week an update on it check it out when you get a chance if you haven’t already. It will give you a little more instruction on things that will make it better. When you burn it out make sure you pull all three of the thermometers out of it when you do it. It did not hurt the top two but it did kill the bottom thermometer and I ordered another three pack off of Amazon so I have two extra now. I just took some firewood put in the bottom cabinet and let it burn for a couple of hours. I also put a little bit less firewood on the next drawer up in little small fire in that just to be sure. I’ve used it several times since then and it has no more paint smell. In fact it smells like wood smoke Even when it’s not being used. Thanks for liking and subscribing to the channel. I enjoy sharing outdoorsy stuff and will continue to do so.

[@sheryladams9951]

@@safarijoesadventures Thanks for the quick and thorough reply! Yes I looked at your updated video and I liked it too. :-)

[@safarijoesadventures]

One other piece of information you may be interested in. When cold smoking something like cheese I find that the Pellet smoke tube works better than the smoke generator that uses sawdust size chips. The generator produces less smoke than the smoke tube. I think the generator would be just fine if you were smoking something like cheese in a very small smoker. But for a larger smoker like the file cabinet the Pellet tube works better and it’s about half the price of the smoke generator.

[@sheryladams9951]

@@safarijoesadventures I thank you for the additional info, it is much appreciated!

[@tjmiller4269]

when you do the paint burn off how long should the burn be? wanted to do one of these for a while now..

[@safarijoesadventures]

I took a couple of old cake pans put one in the bottom and one in the second drawer down from the top and kept a wood fire going in it in both areas for a couple of hours and then let it cool down. it’s just like burning off a brand new woodstove. it either burns off or bakes in the paint and it’s just fine after that. I use this quite often . Once you start smoking with it, the woodsmoke pretty much coats the inside of it I’ve never had any issues. I hope that helps. Just make sure when you burn it out take because it will ruin them because of the heat getting really high. I did not do that, and I ended up having to buy a new set of them.

[@tjmiller4269]

Thank you so much... my dad has some old military cabinets he told me i could have 1... i want to cold smoke hot peppers and cheese to start off with but i can see this going in many directions..@@safarijoesadventures

[@safarijoesadventures]

@@tjmiller4269 I really enjoy using mine. I did another video on that. Also kind of like an update video. That’s the first one I’ve ever built and I did learn a few things in building it. I like to tinker and do these DIY especially when they have something to dowith the outdoors. Thanks for subscribing also.

[@walterjackson4843]

Did you paint the outside?

[@safarijoesadventures]

I did not paint the exterior once I was done with the work on it I knew I was going to get a Woodfire going on the inside of the cabinet and it would either burn it off or bake it on the exterior.

[@primetimesim]

Hi Joe is it necessary to remove original paint before spraying high heat black paint ? thanks !

[@safarijoesadventures]

I started to on the outside but it was a pain so I just did a rough sanding on it and then sprayed it with the high heat paint. For the inside I just started a fire in the bottom and second to bottom drawer and let it burn for a few of hours and it burnt all the paint out I just didn’t want paint fumes from the inside in the food I was cooking. Just remember to take the thermometers out of the side when you do the burn out in the cabinet drawers as it will damage the thermometer in the second drawer I found that out the hard way and had to buy a new set lol. File cabinets are not as thick as a wood stove or a regular grill and a flame in the bottom box will discolor the paint on the outside. I hope that helps. Good luck on your build.

[@primetimesim]

@@safarijoesadventures thanks for the tip! could we roughly sand out the outside of the filing cabinet with a orbital sander ?

[@safarijoesadventures]

I think that would work fine I used a small palm sander to do mine.

[@LVCID777]

What about the paint on the cabinet? Shouldn’t you sand it off and paint it with fire resistant paint? Off gassing from the old paint may be toxic?

[@safarijoesadventures]

I did sand and paint the exterior of the cabinet with a black fire resistant paint. The interior of the cabinet I’ve filled with firewood and burnt it out for about four hours. It burnt all the paint out. I have no reason to repaint the inside of the cabinet as The paint is burnt off and the metal is coated With smoke after using it

[@davidsettle8456]

How much to build one just like that

[@safarijoesadventures]

You can pick up those 4 drawer file cabinets pretty cheap anymore because everybody’s store stuff on their computers. I bought five of them from a company two years ago for $75. The little grates that I put inside I got at a some different thrift stores and they were $1.99 each. The little smokestack on the top was made from an exhaust pipe and I believe it was around $15 for the pipe and the flange was another six or seven dollars and it had to be welded. You don’t have to use the exhaust pipe, you can put the same thing on top that I did on the bottom drawer to run the hose through and that would let the smoke out. The thermometers for three for $15 from Amazon and the little gas stove that I put in there I believe was around 25 or $30 and it all depends on where your source your stuff. I do a lot of different DIY stuff so I’m always looking in thrift stores Facebook marketplace and craigslist for different things. I hope that helped.

[@safarijoesadventures]

I don’t know if you’ve seen this other video I put up after I built the file cabinet smoker, but it’s an update you might be interested in. Here is the link. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXeTent3jsmrrpI