Introduction: A Different Fire Pit From a Washing Machine Drum

About: I am liking the flexible schedule of retirement to do things and love this site for ideas to amuse myself.

Thanks so much for the response since I posted this. Please vote for the contests I've entered.

I had seen and heard of making a fire pit out of a washing machine drum. Well lucky day! The washing machine died!

Please use all safety equipment and caution when working with power tools and sharp materials and fire.

You will need to determine what parts to save and may be different than what I have. However, I present to you an idea you can adapt to your situation if you desire to make your own creation using my idea. The usual W/M tub fire pit is vertical and I thought of going horizontal with complete inclosure.

Parts:
Washing machine tub
Whatever usable washing machine you can use (I used the internal three legged support)
self tapping screws
1/4-20 nuts and bolts
metal sheet with 1/8 holes
metal dry wall strip

Tools
Drill motor
Phillips tip driver
Snips
Single jack, or hammer
Pliers
Grinder with cut off wheel
Welder (optional)

Step 1: Get Your Stuff Together

 Gather your materials, parts, and tools. I did this is a few hours including stripping down the old Washing machine.

Step 2: Prep the Tub

The tub had a protrusion in the center that I removed for more space. I drilled four holes and used a cut off wheel to remove it. Then I cut a piece of the 1/8 screen to plug it by using self tapping screws driven in with the cordless drill motor. I created a half screen for the opening. Mark with felt pen, cut with snips, may make adjustments for good fit, created an edge out of the dry wall strip for the top edge, and finally attach with sheet metal screws and drill motor.

Step 3: Attach the Bottom Screen

Attach the bottom screen with metal screws. I didn't like the pointy tips around the tub lip, so I ground them off.

Step 4: Upper Removeable Screen Door

I wanted to have to fire completely enclosed so I designed an upper removable screen to fit over the tub lip. Begin by marking the screen to match the outside lip diameter and cut with the snips. Repeat previous method of attaching a strip made from the dry wall strip. For the frame around the arc I wanted it to drop onto the lip to hold it in place, so I only cut straight cuts to bend it to follow around the arc. I arbitrarily choose to cut every 5 inches and adjusted it to make it even. I attached the frame with metal screws and ground off the points. I added a handle for convenience. 

Step 5: Put Some Legs on It and Fire It Up

I had the support piece and a triangular piece. I attached the triangular piece to the tub and found that bolt holes lined up to attach to legs to the triangular piece on the tub. I nutted the bolts in place, Then I marked the center for accuracy on the bottom of the tub. Then positioned the triangular piece and screwed it on. I tried my stick welder, but was not appropriate, but made some nasty tacks. I wanted more stability, so I added a jack bolt and adjusted with a tape measure. I converted the leg piece into a true tripod by removing excess material with the cut off wheel and filed the sharp edges. I adjusted the size of the holes in the legs to ease mounting the legs to the tub and assembled it. I was pleased with the result when I presented it to my daughter-in-law who wanted one and promptly put it to use.

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