God bless you, sir. this economy has hit me hard, but I ran with your idea, I added a fourth leg. I went past the secondary combustion and created a 3rd combustion section which almost makes the burn cycle smokeless. I burned off all the paint on the barrel and added high-heat paint. thus keeping the barrel looking sharp. since I started selling them 6 months ago, I've managed to catch up financially and feed my children. I can only say god bless you, sir!

I got one of those plastic 50 gallon drums and it smokes no matter what I do.

Myself and my 90-year-old dad built a barrel following your instructions. The legs were structurally unsound, so I cut them off and replaced them with three outside mounted steel plates and we added handles on the sides to ease of moving the barrel around safely before and after use. The thing is awesome, we've named ours, "The Dragons Breath!" it incinerates whatever we throw at it. Thanks for your video and the chance to do a project with my retired sheet metal worker father.

Your instruction and attitude are top tier. Nothing to prove, just simple, straight-forward instruction. Well done.

Quote of the week! "We all have something to gain by inspiring each other."

The ability of this guy to draw a circle by hand is way more impressive than the barrel itself

I made this two days ago by following your instructions exactly. The only change I made was not using self tapping screws. I have a mig welder so I welded it back together. GREAT idea and GREAT video! Thank you!

My favorite part of the video was , you having fun with your children. Thanks for giving this world a better chance with great kids.

Written instructions based on the video: Parts needed • two steel drums (same size) • angle grinder with cut off wheels • drill with 1/8th inch bit and #4 step unibit • template material (rigid plastic or metal) • sharpie • Tape measurer • Optional oil for drilling • Jigsaw and metal blades • Sheet metal screws. Inside drum 1. 5 inches from the seam, draw a solid line 2. 1 inch further from the seam, draw a dashed line 3. Use an angle grinder with a cut off wheel. Cut the middle section at the seam and the solid line 4. Ratchet strap the center to hold it 5. Cut the top and bottom sections of the side of the barrel (at seam and solid marker line) 6. Cut through the rim at the seam 7. Cut through the rim at the dash line, across the bottom of the rim to the solid line, and across the rim at the solid line (leaving a one-inch section with side wall and no rim) 8. Cut off the entire capped end of the drum (including the rim) 9. Ratchet drum with tabbed edge on the inside. 10. Fasten drum together with a few self-tapping screws from the outside in (maybe three or four total). 11. Once secure, screw it together every few inches from the inside out. Remove the original screws and put them from the inside out also. 12. Use the angle grinder to cut off the excess screw from the outside. Leave a few threads so it doesn’t unhinge itself. 13. Flip it over, with rim side up. 14. Using a 3.5-inch square template, beginning at the seam, draw squares under the rim and label the squares 1-18. The seam area will not be marked. 15. #6, #12, #18 cut the sides and the bottom (not the rim part). a. Cut just a little bit into the rim from the inside out to allow you to fold them up. b. Bend them in an all the way up. c. Use plyers to fold in the sides of the three tabs to make sturdy legs. From the top, they should look like be C’s, with the hump facing out. 16. Cut the bottom, left hand side, and top (under the rim) of the even numbers. Gently fold these in a little past 90 degrees 17. Flip over and stand on the legs. 18. Draw two lines around the unrimmed top. One 1.5 inches from top, one 3 inches from top. 19. Draw vertical lines from the 1.5 inch line to the top. Cut the vertical lines with grinder. Take off the outside edge of the double layer section. 20. Gently fold the tabs in (can use plyers if you want). 21. Drill a 1/8 hole in the 3-inch line, at the middle point of the tab above. 22. Use the unibit #4 to drill those holes out. (oil can help)   Outer barrel 1. With open edge facing up, put one line at 1.5 and one at 3 inches around the drum. 2. Use 1.5-inch square template to draw vertical lines on the 1.5 to rim area. 3. Use the 1.5-inch square template to draw vertical lines staggered from the last lines, in between the 1.5 and 3 inch horizontal lines. 4. Use 1/8 th drill bit to draw pilot holes for each, then use the #4 unibit to drill those holes out. 5. Flip it over so closed end is up. 6. Mark out a circle the size of the diameter of the inner barrel (likely 20 inches if it is a standard barrel, but check). 7. Drill a hole with the #4 unibit, then use a jigsaw to cut out the hole. (Save the disc). Assembly 1. Put the outer drum over the top of the inner drum, with the holes on the bottom of the outer drum. It should seat, with the outer drum possibly resting on the sheet metal screw in the seam. It should seat between the bent tabs and the holes in the smaller barrel. 2. Use one fastener per leg to screw the inner and outer barrels together. 3. The disc saved from the outer barrel. a. Remove about ¾ inch from the outside edge using jigsaw. b. Draw 8 solid pie lines c. Draw 8 dashed lines between the solid lines. d. Draw a ring ¾ inch further in from edge. e. Use unibit to drill a hole at the inside solid line and solid pie line. f. Draw a 4-inch diameter circle in the middle. g. Use unibit to drill a hole at the solid pie line and the 4 inch circle line intersection. (8 total, in line with the ones drilled previously) h. Using Jigsaw, cut from unibit holes to the dash lines on the left and from inner to outer unibit hole i. Use plyers to bend the tabs up, will look like fan blades. j. Put it in the barrel, with the folded tabs down.

What I enjoyed the most about your video, was hearing you tell you children Multiple times throughout the video you love them. And you can hear it out your voice. Your awesome.

Probably one of the best instructional videos out there.

We need more Dads like this guy who take time to show their kids how to make things and how things work. Great burn barrel too, I'll be making one soon.

Built the burn barrel this week and it works like a charm. We made one modification which is obvious, but still may be worth mentioning: We found that the legs were very flimsy so we folded them inward and rested the barrel on cinderblocks that rest on their sides so that the cinder block cutouts allow air to flow freely from the outside to the underside of the (elevated) barrel.

I built my burn barrel last fall. I built a dolly into mine. Scabbed an axle on to it from an old yard trailer and used some tubular steel remnant for the handle. I don't like a burn barrel laying out in my yard all the time. I researched building it more efficient to burn faster but didn't come up with much. I saw the smokeless fire pits but couldn't figure out how to build it into a burn barrel easily. Well done.

Honestly i didnt expect such a well explained and wholesome video from a burn barrel tutorial but you did a great job explaining all the steps! Got a new project for this weekend thank you!

I put a hole about 8" off the bottom of my barrel. About 2.5-3" in diameter. Just big enough to slide a piece of steel pipe in that also fits neatly around the tube of my leaf blower. I put a loose piece of steel plate on top of the barrel that I can adjust. With the leaf blower just a bit above idle it will burn all of our household refuse and baby diapers, with zero smoke once it starts to get hot. I adjust the plate steel on top to leave about a 10-15% open slot. At night the sides will glow bright red because it gets so hot. Sounds a bit like a rocket when it gets going. Like I said it will burn all of our household refuse and diapers with zero smoke and leaves a very small amount of ash afterwards.

I did something similar (although much less complex) towards the end of burning being allowed in my city. Nobody knew I was burning anything, unless they saw the jet of flame shooting out of the top. Never made nearly as much smoke as a small charcoal grill, and to be honest, sometimes I'd throw some garlic and onion powder into the fire to drive the neighbors crazy, wondering who was cooking out :D

I really liked how you showed you can build something practical, and useful, without a fancy workbench or fancy tools. Though the step bit was pretty key to this project, and you referenced it perfectly in the video. "We all have something to gain by inspiring each other" -- this should be the tagline for UKposts. I would bet on the ideas and success of 10,000 "backyard engineers" vs 50 highly paid engineers.

Super impressed with the ingenuity that went into this conversion. Thanks for sharing!!!

Greetings from the U.K. we just made a burn barrel using your nicely detailed instructions. Works a treat, thanks for putting this video together and sharing it.

I spend countless hours watching how to videos on any random cool things to build next... you by far have one of the best ways to show step by step

I just finished mine this afternoon and tested it with cardboard - simply amazing! Thanks a bunch for sharing this project.

Seeing your Kids interact with you at the tail end of the video shows how healthy the environment these Kids are growing into and will become an ideal member of our society.

The boy and I built one last weekend. Very nice plan, and thanks for the details. We welded the joint on the inner barrel and also welded flat pads on the feet to make it more stable on dirt/gravel. I didn't have a unibit, so we fiddled around with a hole saw for much of the holes. Got to thinking it would be cool to write something in the lower area of the outer barrel, especially if a plasma cutter is available. It was a gift for the grandparents, so haven't seen it burn, but I'm sure it'll do great. Very nice video! Blessings to you and your beautiful kids.

Well if there was an award for the best presentation and innovation, you won it! I recently had a go at building one and failed miserably. Your video not only inspired me to build your version but you also sold a dewalt jigsaw. So Thankyou for sharing your talent and skill. I live in London and the locals get kind of hissy when it comes to smoke. Many thanks

Freakin' brilliant. This is basically the exact way a jet turbine combustor works, secondary air injection for clean combustion, and it keeps the outside cooler for safety. Really solid work! Thanks.

Thank you for a clear and concise demonstration. I loved it.

I've been working on a smokeless burn barrel video, but have only found firepits. This is a godsend! Thank you! Same principles, just bigger.

“We all have something to gain by inspiring each other”. I promise you, I was just saying something to that effect. We should help each other instead of hating on one another.

I've watched dozens, if not hundreds of How To videos...and Your instruction is Hands Down THE BEST I have Ever seen or heard. The simplicity of instruction, and narration is Spot On. Outstanding Job

You sir taught us how to build an item most of us didn't know of yet try to accomplish ourselves....but the message at your conclusion was an unexpected gem....god bless you n your family for the informative step by step instruction for a cleaner and efficient product that is two fold.....burns up all sorts of trash and avoid almost all immitted pollution into our air .... genius and impressive.....thank you sir.

Thank You for sharing your burn barrel design. It's different from all of the boring burn barrel videos that just drill several holes in one barrel. You take it to a higher level. I built a burn barrel exactly to your video instructions, and I love how well it works. Not only is it smokeless, it burns materials faster and it doesn't have to be touched once it starts burning! I love it. Thanks again for sharing your creativity and ingenuity with the rest of us UKposts surfers!👍

Some years ago we camped at an Rv park in the Santa Cruz mtns of Calif. For fire pits, this park had fabricated their fire pits out of the tub used in old washing machines. These tubs have holes punched into them top to bottom. The first thing I noticed after lighting my fire was, NO SMOKE! It worked SO well that I acquired an old washing machine tub, put 4 legs on it and we hauled around with us as we traveled. It was the BOMB!! Until after many many fires, the metal fatigued & the thing fell apart. !

Built one this afternoon. Overall works great. First tip is buy the hole saw with carbide teeth at Harbor Freight. It's $20 and lot faster than the cone bit. Use high temp paint on all cut surfaces, but I am in Florida where everything rusts. Thanks for the design.

I made myself a brick burn barrel. I was tiered of replacing burn barrels every time they rusted out. All I did was stack the bricks in a cylindrical shape overlapping every other layer. My construction isn't as efficient your creation, but it's better than just a barrel because of all the air flow. The best part is that not only will it not rust out, it looks good. One of these days I might actually mortar the bricks, though if I do I'll need to make sure I don't loose all that airflow.

I made a burn barrel according to your instructions and the barrel is SUPER EFFICIENT!!! Thanks for the video!!!

Absolutely love this tutorial. Please do more like this for backyard projects.

Can't believe i just sat here and watched this entire video and loved it! I don't even need one of those, but I want to go out and build one. Great job.

You are a no nonsense type of a guy. Love your video. Thank you. I will definitely build one.

Building one this weekend! Thanks for all the info, it helps all of us!

"We're building a burn barrel, not a clock." My OCD doesn't care. Wonderful video! Getting some Grant Thompson vibes (may he rest in peace) which is a good thing!

My mom and I made followed this tutorial and it worked out great! Got an acre lot and was able to get all the yard debris burned up 100x faster than normal with no smoke!

What an absolute amazing tutorial. This is the best one I've watched and will complete, Thankyou. Please make more. 🙏 God bless 🙌

Ive put together my parts and tools… looking forward to putting this together this weekend! Thank you for the great video!

I noticed you burned through a lot of cutting wheels. Diablo makes a diamond tipped cutting wheel that lasts a really long time. I skirt mobile homes and used to used about 5-8 discs per hone. I’m on the same Diablo wheel for my 4th home.

When I was a kid, everyone had what were called an "ash-can" which was a barrel in which people burned their trash. They were very smoky and hard to keep going, and the trash was never completely burned. Great improvement on the old ash-can design and a lot of fun! The amazing thing about this is that the space between walls has a much greater vertical length than the Solo Stove allowing longer exposure time for the air rising to be super heated, expand, and then come out the holes at the top hotter and at a higher velocity for a more efficient burn! The only improvement I could think of, would to create a system where the air coming in from underneath could also be heated before entry into the burn chamber as the Solo stove does by routing the air through a hole in the bottom which then comes around the ash pan! But you can't argue with success!

I love this! I want to use a barrel to cook outdoors. In Mexico, they use this with a flat disc on top to use as a comal to make tortillas or a flat surface to put a pot on. I recently saw a video where she had also added a middle portion that she used as an oven complete with a door. She still had the top she could use to cook on while using the middle as an oven, brilliant!!!

Loved every moment! Inspired and motivated to build this with my son. Thanks for putting in the hard work and making this video

"We're building a burning barrel, not a clock" - will be my favourite quote from now on!

What I like about this video so much is the video work and the combined commentary were really well edited to make it simple to follow, not long drawn out pieces for real time footage. It condensed a length process into something practical and safe with plain common sense regards safety etc.(Loved the comment about making a burn barrel and not a clock) And how he got George Clooney to do the voice over is a testament to the guys persuasiveness . Well done. Yeah it was inspiring to watch and to learn. 100/100. Looking forward to more instruction... I'm lovin' it. SOnnie T.

Awesome awesome awesome teaching!!! Please don't ever stop passing on the knowledge! It's the only way we live and grow👍

Most definitely Inspiring, informative and motivational! More people need to be similarly helpful, our world would be immensely better! THANKS!

"Don't drill in your hand" -- Man, you take all the fun out of this!!!

This is another reason why these platforms are important. This just awesome! Thank you for you and your families work putting your abilities out there, I’ll definitely be following ypur technique:(

Thanks dude. Just finished my inner drum... will complete outer drum and grill tomorrow.... ! Thankyou very much. I didn't realise I needed 1 until I saw your video. Fun to make, practically free just time. Awesome.

Thank you for the video. It worked just as you described. I'm building out a homestead and have watched a lot of "instructional" videos. Yours is the first where the process and result match the video frame by frame.

I have made four of these for the family. On one burn barrel I used a lid for a bottom and raised the barrel so I would not have to drill all those holes on the outside barrel. Plus seven fire pits same basic method. They all work great.Thanks you are amazing.

Absolutely love the idea behind this channel! I have a constant flow of projects in the works, in process and getting done so folks that inspire others to do things better than they do is 100% what I’m interested in. Keep it up!👍👍

Brilliant and inspiring! Your video should be on all the environmental protection websites. I actually have no need for a burn barrel, being an apartment dweller, but if I ever do I will have one made. I enjoyed watching how you made this.

For forty years I've been fabricating things out of steel/metal. I'm constantly looking for ways to improve/educate myself. This is a great video on explaining the obvious then taking the time to educate others (like me). At the start I'm watching thinking why has he started to cut in the centre of the barrel, then he gets the strap. Now what, I'm thinking, and as soon as we see him wrapping it around the barrel it's plainly obvious. Too obvious, it's to stop the steel spring and the 1" notch in the rim obvious but so simple to most it's not. Great video. Thank you for taking the time.

One enhancement I would make is use the top 3 inches or so of another barrel as an ash trap under the barrel. Often when burning stuff there are nails and whatnot so having it all contained in a pan helps clean those up and it also gives you an instant container to haul the ashes away.

Ok well I tried it. It works like crazy. Best part is the secondary burning starts right away, and you can see it. Along the top holes on the inside of the barrel, once you really got that sucker going, it looks like you have propane coming out of the air holes. Weirdest effect. I also attached a small 4 inch aluminum pipe at a right angle to the outer barrel and had a leaf blower at the other end to force air in. Although it made the fire look like i was trying to be visible from space, it was unnecessary. A large tree, minus the main trunk, was reduced to a bucket of ashes in a day. Two thumbs up!

It is a great ideal and clear direction for a burn barrel. Your step-by-step is a skilled presentation. Thanks for sharing .

I like that you took the time to teach as well as show how to build this project.

Very well done video and instructional commentary. Great project, I just completed my build and it works Great. Did a side by side test and it's quite impressive. The old barrel with just holes in the sides was still smoking and barely burning when this new smokeless barrel had finished burning. Thank you. I plan to add an ash catching tray under it.

Your little gardener bringing you a carrot that is so cute. My daughter was by my side every gardening season from the time she was 2 until today. She is coming down to spend the weekend with me and her mom so we can plant this years garden. I absolutely loved your video I could watch a lot of videos like this one. Thank you for taking us along with you and God Bless your channel it's great to see good wholesome content on UKposts.

Thanks a lot from Panama 🇵🇦. You did inspired my group to build similar stuff. And the learning experience was so rewarding and useful to the group. Kudos!!!!!

You’re the man!!!!I know it’s just a burn barrel,but dude that was AWESOME!!!!! Informative,practical,positive ,easy enough!!!!!! Great video!!!!!! Best video!!!

I got myself a barrel a couple of years ago that I meant to use as a burn barrel. When I picked it up I happened to get two of them. They’re still just sitting there, behind my barn. But NOW I know what I’ll use both of then for, and finally get me that burn barrel! Thank you! 😁

You could always do all the drilling and cutting of your grate while before cutting it out of the barrel to be at chest height rather than working on the ground

You sir have inspired me to go and build one too. I may make it shorter so I can sit and relax next to it to feed it but your project and your spirt has greatly helped me. Thank you for sharing your project, you did a really awesome job!

Great video. Simple and motivating. I had made a burn barrel with some of your features but not all. Now I need to modify mine or simply build another.

Thank you for posting, very charitable. Please continue to post. Learning from others saves us all money and time.

That's awesome. I would suggest saving the end off the first barrel (and leaving an inch or two side to it) and then use that as a top of lid for when not in use and it will keep the rain/snow out. 👍

I built this project and it is WILD! Man does that think work great! THANK YOU!

Thank you for this tutorial. You are a great instructor.

I've done the same thing on a small scale with tin cans, with my son 'helping'. Then we'd have fun burning sticks and pine cones in them, watching the jets burn the smoke. Very nice job upsizing this to a piece of useful gear.

Easy to follow, clear instructions. I love the idea of turning one barrel bottom into a turbine style grate and using some of the inner barrel flaps for integrated stands. Already knew the basic design idea from creating small & simple wood gas burners / hobo stoves for camping or bushcraft out of used food or paint cans. Looking forward to try out your approach on the next one I make as it solves grate and stands using simply what you already get from the 2 barrels. Also guess the turbine grate (lots of directed airflow, likely causing the air to create a small tornado inside the barrel ) and the burn chamber's upper rim tapered inwards like a jet exhaust will increase performance.

Great job on the instructional video. This is a little bit labor intensive, but looks like the results are well worth it. I am considering going back to the salvage yard to pick up a second barrel. Not only will it be more efficient, and faster, but I believe less pollution for the environment. Thanks for sharing.

Suitably inspired. Outstanding. Thank you!

I made one my own way.. still lasting in a wet environment. One barrel, made a stand for it to keep it off the ground so the bottom doesn’t rot out. Next I made 3 sets of 2 cut outs 3”x1” along the bottom. After that I made a grating to keep the bottom clean and allow air flow to the fire. Set that at about 3” off the bottom of the barrel. Made that grating removable for easy cleaning. The bottom of my barrel is not open like yours so I don’t have a mess on the floor. I just dump the ashes in a hole when it comes time to do so. Last about 7 or 8 years in NY state.

Great how to video! Super clear hands on instruction! Nice to see a dad who loves his kids too! 👍

That's a bloody wicked build. Fair play and thanks for sharing fella. Very therapeutic to watch it all coming together 👍

Thanks a ton for your video on this... I just built the same setup, following your great instructions. Mine was slightly different as my barrels ended up being mismatched forr height. Your video is better than mine, but you inspired me to take a crack at it !!

Hey buddy, great video. But PLEASE put the blade guard back on your grinder. I have 11 stitches in my chest and I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose this finger because I had a cut off wheel pop on me doing stuff I have done 1,000 times before.

This is great. I live in a country with no refuse collection where almost everyone burns (I should say smoulders) their rubbish. I'll be adding one to my yard and discussing a more robust build with a thermal blanket filled twin layered outer shell to increase the internal heat with our local government for public use. Hopefully reduce some of the localised pollution. Thank you awesome stuff! Plus from what we see here a man with a heart of pure joy.

Great job! Thanks for posting it!

This is by far the best video I've ever seen on UKposts. Thank you for this.

I wish I’d seen your tutorial earlier - had a bunch of old, but sensitive, documents to burn. I used the old gas grill my neighbor gave me; it eventually got the job done, but it wasn’t pretty. Very well thought out, and well presented. Thanks for sharing

"We're building a burn barrel, not a clock." That needs a t-shirt. Or a frame in my shop. :-) What a well-designed improvement on a common yard item! Thanks for showing a way to make a difference.

THANKS for the narration . It gives us BOTH "instruction" AND thinking 👍.

Excellent video. Clear instructions without the fluff. I got a little concerned when you were cutting towards yourself with the jigsaw but no harm done. Respect.

Primary ability of this gentleman is to be an ideal family person. Rest will follow. More and more happy days with your family sir!

I think this is AWESOME!! I will make one asap! The amount of time and inginnuity that you did, is appreciated greatly! Well done!

Thank you. You are now my diy life coach I

This is what the Internet should be used for! Lovely idea and implementation, I will work on it during the winter1

Love the design on this burn barrel. I built one about a year ago which is about half the height using some old tractor wheels, same diameter as the 55 gal. drums. I have an ash collection pit underneath about 14 inches deep. Once everything gets proper air flow the whole pit glows bright red, in fact it gets so hot I have started using the pit as an impromptu blast furnace for casting (aluminum only), and forge for steel and iron. Keep in mind, I'm no expert, just a guy with a welder, and a lot of scrap metal to build with.

Great video with good clear instructions, nice work. I have been using this design on a smaller scale for over 15 years as a cook stove. It uses food tins commonly found here in Australia and if I stop the burn at the right time also produces charcoal I can either cook with again later or use in the garden as biochar.

Built one of these over the last couple days - works great!

I like your concise narrative. Easy to follow instruction.