topic Offset Smoker / Propane Tank Bell Design in Fusion Design, Validate & Document Forum

Offset Smoker / Propane Tank Bell Design

trmorris71 — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 22:42:37 GMT

I have built an offset smoker from 150-gallon a propane tank and now I want to create CAD drawings for it. I am having difficulty designing the two "bells" on the end of the tank's cylinder, or in this case, the cooking chamber. The diameter of the cooking chamber is 24" and is 1/4" thick, which will be the same for the two bells. I have tried to use the ellipse tool and 3-point arc, which were suggested by ChatGPT, but have grown frustrated due to my lack of knowledge. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Re: Offset Smoker / Propane Tank Bell Design

TheCADWhisperer — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 00:54:17 GMT

@trmorris71 wrote:
Can someone point me in the right direction?

@trmorris71

Can you File>Export your *.f3d file to your local drive and then Attach it here to a Reply?

You specified the diameter of the cylinder, but what is the length of the cylindrical portion?

(I show half-length in the image below.)

What is the length of the elliptical head cap?

Step 1.

Sketch a 2-Point Rectangle at the Origin.

Right click on the Horizontal line at the Origin and select Centerline.

Right click on the Vertical line at the right end of the Rectangle and select Construction...

Click on image above to enlarge the view.

Re: Offset Smoker / Propane Tank Bell Design

trmorris71 — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 16:10:03 GMT

Thank you for your response and I've attached the .f3d file. The cylinder has a total length of 71.336 inches on the outside of the weld. Each weld is approximately 1 inch wide. The bell 'height' will be 7" from the end of the cylinder.

Re: Offset Smoker / Propane Tank Bell Design

TheCADWhisperer — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 19:47:18 GMT

@trmorris71

Examine the Attached for some ideas using Elliptical ends.

I will also do an example with 3-Point Arc ends.

For the Arc example you may or may not have the center of the arc on the centerline of the cylinder.

Re: Offset Smoker / Propane Tank Bell Design

johnsonshiue — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 21:06:58 GMT

Hi! There are multiple ways to do it. Another approach to consider is to leverage Non-Uniform Scale. Simply create a sphere as big as the barrel opening. Scale -> Non-Uniform Scale -> flatten it in Y direction.

Many thanks!