I am interested in building my own smoker. I am planning to just use resources from the forest such as cut down trees to build it. Has anyone ever done this or have any suggestions?

WWW.google.com and type in build your own smoker.

Friends of mine built a really nice 10x12 smokehouse from dried pine logs on a cedar footing. If you are building your own from wood from the woods. Basically you are building a small box to larger (walk-in) cook shack.
Ensure that you skin and dry your logs. You should us tamarack or cedar for your footings as these types of wood are more resistant to rotting.

If using commercial lumber, don't use chemically treated wood for anything other than your footings.

Good links from google search.

I built one for myslef and another one and sold it.I used heart cypress that I cut and sawed.it is 4' wide 3 1/2' deep x 6'8" high.I made it of 1x12 heart cypress,then I wraped it with 3/4 styrofoam , then covered that with galv. tin.put a 4" smoke stack.I have a fire box that slides in and out through a small door at the bottom.it also has an electric burner with a thermostat,(just in case I have to leave for a while the electric burner will hold it at the right temp.

I have had it for ,goning on the 3rd year now and works great. it will hold 200 lbs or a little over in sasuage.

I saw a show on the Food Channel where the guy used a cardboard box, an electric hot plat, and a tin-foil pie pan filled with saw dust. I think he smoked a salmon.

Don't know what you intend to smoke but. If you are going to cold smoke, such as fish, you need to build the smoke house on a hill, higher than the fire pit so the smoke has time to cool as travels through the pipe or trench to the smoke house, as to not cook but to smoke. Just a thought.

Ive also seen one built out of of a new garbage can and a electric hot plate.

My neighbor uses an old hog feeder,,he has a trap door in the bottom for the wood and on top he cut some slots across from each other,,then he takes some rebar and lays these from slot to slot ,,,this is what he hangs the sausage on. He's been doing this for years

Rebar? , rust, lockjaw.[]
Why not just use wood dowels or more sanitary, stainless steel rods? Sooner or later those re-bars will cause more trouble than their worth. Just a thought to ponder.

The rebar has been used so many times that you might say they are seasoned,,,,The guy that uses this smoker is in his 70's,,,,and believe me he doesn't have lockjaw,,,sometimes we wish he did ( just kidding). As far as wooden dowels,,,remember he is hanging alot of sausage on these rods,,,he wants them to stay up. He is trying to feed people,,,,,,,not the cats !!!! So I guess this thought we will not ponder anymore !!!


SAWDUST,,,,