Wheel rim modular firepit and grill

Dad’s neighbor had a large-wheeled machine slip off the jacks and subsequently ruined a couple very large wheels. These things are probably 100lbs each, but nicely sized for a good fire pit.

We started by clamping a chunk of steel strip around the wheel so we could easily eye-up the length we needed.

I welded a straight piece to connect the ends of the half circle. The idea is to have an open area on half of the pit so it’s easy to fiddle with the fire while cooking.

With a section of pipe and a small steel rod we cobbled together a little hinge which will let us rotate the grill away from the fire (it also permits for removing the grill entirely from the pit).

After tacking the mesh to the frame, I went around the edge with rotary tool and cut off the excess (allowing for a slight overhang), We added a couple cross pieces to support the steel mesh since it was a little flimsy.

We added some little skid-plate things along the inner edge. This helped stiffen up the grill quite a bit, and also facilitates swinging the grill on and off the pit/wheel.

After ensuring all the paint was sufficiently burnt off, I did a little trial run with some cookies in a cast-iron skillet. They turned out great!