Benny wrote:
I'm going to make (or rather have made) a couple of large barbecues to
use at a school summer fair.
In the past we have used two large half barrels, but these have gone
missing.
What I want to do is get hold of something I can use for the grills, I
guess it would need to be stainless or something, and then get something
made to fit, depending on what I can get hold of.

DIY! Go to a garage and get a 45 gallon oil drum. Cut it in half using a
jigsaw, with appropriate fine-toothed blade. Drill a few 8mm holes in
the botom of the drum so it won't fill with water when left outside. Use
angle iron for the legs, bolt a cross-piece on to make two H sections
per drum half, drill holes in the angle iron and drum halves to take M8
bolts and wing-nuts at the top of each leg and the middle of the
cross-pieces, where the bottom of the drum will sit. Make a good fire in
each drum well before use, out of scrap timber, to burn off any
oil/paint. Use "twillweld" to make grilles, you can cut it with bolt
croppers or a hammer and chisel on a metal block such as an offcut of
RSJ. Make sure the grilles are not too close to the botom, a good lot of
charcoal with fat dripping onto it makes a fair blaze, you'll probably
want to sprinkle water on during cooking to calm it down a bit. Don't
clean the grilles after use, but before using them again, light a fire
under them in the drum with kindling, and wire-brush the top to remove
ash. Get some hardboard and 1x1 1/2" batten to make framed fronts and
sides for the barbecue, finishing a little way above the bottom of the
leg, use cup hooks or bent screws to hang these onto the lip of the
barbecue, as long as there's an air gap they will be OK. Give the front
and sides a coat of gloss to finish them off. Take care when tipping out
hot ash, or moving barbecues, there's quite a lot after a session, and
it stays hot for ages.