DIY Budget friendly disc cooker and stand

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brianb2

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I posted this on another site, so apologies if any of you saw it there. One of the guys on that site posted about a small disc cooker he found on amazon that resembled a skottle. It had short legs and was intended to go on a campfire, but it's cast iron and there was potential there. I have a larger DIY disc cooker I had made that's great for groups, but it's just big enough that I don't take it out if it's just me. I liked the idea of a smaller one it just needed a stand.

Here’s what I used:

Bayou Campfire Griddle - $25
Walmart/Ozark Trail Single Burner Stove - $15
EMT 1/2” for the legs - $6
Welded Steel Ring - $2
Steel cable about 4’ any size, the thinner the better - $2
Steel cable ferrules - $2
Extension springs (3) - $6
Key rings (3) - $1
Iron pipe plugs 3/8” (3) - $4
PVC threaded Caps 1/2” - $3
-- drill, hammer, and a small bolt

It’s a tripod style stand, so you need to cut three pieces of EMT for your legs. I had some EMT already and my shortest piece was just over 3' so I cut all mine to that length. Put a few strong rubber bands around the three legs to bind them together to make determining your angles and lengths easier. Flip the disc upside down, place the stove/fuel bottle in the middle, then adjust the legs so that they clear the fuel bottle and support the disc. Mark the location of rubber bands, that's the hinge point for your legs. I moved mine and additional 1/2" away from the fuel bottle to make sure you have plenty of clearance.

Now for the first fun part. You’ve got to get the steel ring around the three legs. It’s a tight fit. What worked for me was to put the first two in and then insert the third at a 45 degree angle and kind of shoe horn it in. Whacking it with a hammer or 2x4 would probably work as well. Again, it’s a tight fit so I used a hammer to move it down the legs to get it to the mark I made. The ring constricts the legs and works like a kind of hinge. Pull one of them so it pivots at the ring and the other two are forced to move as well. Once it looks like a tripod, double check it again on the disc to make sure everything is good and your measurements check. Drill a hole in one of the legs just below the ring, and put in a single bolt so it can't slide down.

With the legs open mark the holes where you're going to drill for the cable. The legs turn slightly when opening and if you mark them in the closed position they'll be at the wrong angle. I drilled mine about 1” down from the ends. Place everything back on the disc and check your measurements. When you’re happy, lock the cable using the ferrules. You can now flip it over and test the disc on the stand.


The burner support is made up of three key rings and three springs. Put one key ring on each section of cable between the legs and then attach all the key rings together using the springs. The burner fits down in the middle of the triangle created by the springs and hangs there. Watch out for the fuel knob. The weight of the disc will spread the legs of the tripod and the cable and springs will push the burner against the disc.


A few finishing touches. Insert the iron plugs into the top of the legs. Two of mine went in using a wrench, the third I had to persuade with a hammer. I only put them in about ¼ to ½ inch. On the bottom of the legs friction fit the pvc caps on to make feet. It’s too wet around here to paint today, so I’ll hit it with some black paint another day.

You're done. This is the simplest form of this I could come up with. Lots of tweaks you can do to fit to your needs. Good luck if you make one of these, and post up any pics or variations you come up with. It would be fun to see them.






Here's it's bigger brother using the 22" disc
 
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bmwguru

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Looks good. I've been interested on and off in the Skottle. They are cool but the price for what they are seems a bit out of line. That being said anything from Tembo Tusk seems way overpriced to me.
 

Ironhide

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I posted this on another site, so apologies if any of you saw it there. One of the guys on that site posted about a small disc cooker he found on amazon that resembled a skottle. It had short legs and was intended to go on a campfire, but it's cast iron and there was potential there. I have a larger disc cooker I had gotten from a farming supply store that's great for groups, but it's big enough that I don't take it out if it's just me. I liked the idea of a smaller one and it needed a stand.

Here’s what I used:

Bayou Campfire Griddle - $25
Walmart/Ozark Trail Single Burner Stove - $15
EMT 1/2” for the legs - $6
Welded Steel Ring - $2
Steel cable about 4’ any size, the thinner the better - $2
Steel cable ferrules - $2
Extension springs (3) - $6
Key rings (3) - $1
Iron pipe plugs 3/8” (3) - $4
PVC threaded Caps 1/2” - $3
-- drill, hammer, and a small bolt

It’s a tripod style stand, so you need to cut three pieces of EMT for your legs. I had some EMT already and my shortest piece was just over 3' so I cut all mine to that length. Put a few strong rubber bands around the three legs to bind them together to make determining your angles and lengths easier. Flip the disc upside down, place the stove/fuel bottle in the middle, then adjust the legs so that they clear the fuel bottle and support the disc. Mark the location of rubber bands, that's your hinge point on your legs. I moved mine and additional 1/2" away from the fuel bottle to make sure you have plenty of clearance.

Now for the first fun part. You’ve got to get the steel ring around the three legs. It’s a very tight fit. What worked for me was to put the first two in and then insert the third at a 45 degree angle and kind of shoe horn it in. Whacking it with a hammer or 2x4 would probably work as well. Again, it’s a tight fit so I used a hammer to move it down the legs to get it to the mark I made. The ring constricts the legs and works like a kind of hinge. Pull one of them so it pivots at the ring and the other two are forced to move as well. Once it looks like a tripod, double check it again on the disc to make sure everything is good and your measurements check. Drill a hole in one of the legs just below the ring, and put in a single bolt so it can't slide down.

With the legs open mark the holes where you're going to drill for the cable. The legs turn slightly when opening and if you mark them in the closed position they'll be at the wrong angle. I drilled mine about 1” down from the ends. Place everything back on the disc and check your measurements. When you’re happy, lock the cable using the ferrules. You can now flip it over and test the disc on the stand.


The burner support is made up of three key rings and three springs. Put one key ring on each section of cable between the legs and then attach all the key rings together using the springs. The burner fits down in the middle of the triangle created by the springs and hangs there. Watch out for the fuel knob. The weight of the disc will spread the legs of the tripod and the cable and springs will push the burner against the disc.


A few finishing touches. Insert the iron plugs into the top of the legs. Two of mine went in using a wrench, the third I had to persuade with a hammer. I only put them in about ¼ to ½ inch. On the bottom of the legs friction fit the pvc caps on to make feet. It’s too wet around here to paint today, so I’ll hit it with some black paint another day.

You're done. This is the simplest form of this I could come up with. Lots of tweaks you can do to fit to your needs. Good luck if you make one of these, and post up any pics or variations you come up with. It would be fun to see them.






Here's it's bigger brother using the 22" disc
This is truly budget overlanding at it's best brianb2! Thank you! I have an old stainless steel milker and am planning to cut the bottom out because it is concave and will make a great disc cooker. I will post pics of the milker later. You've given me some great ideas for my project.
 
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brianb2

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I built my own as well a while back a little more like the Skottle made from a horrowing disc. It's a great cooker!
That looks great, nice work. My last pic is from the first one I made which is a 22" disc. Agreed, they're a lot of fun to cook on. Nice job on your leg receivers.
 

bmwguru

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That looks great, nice work. My last pic is from the first one I made which is a 22" disc. Agreed, they're a lot of fun to cook on. Nice job on your leg receivers.
Where did you get the disc? All the ones I see have a square hole in the middle. Did you weld that closed or use one that did not have a hole?
 

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Where did you get the disc? All the ones I see have a square hole in the middle. Did you weld that closed or use one that did not have a hole?
I had to had to weld it closed then grind it down. The worst part was getting the paint off of it. The thing I found worked best was to put it in the BBQ grill on high for a good hour or so still it all burned off.
 

brianb2

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why the curved surface vs that of a skillet or griddle as far as ease of cooking?
The concave surface works like a wok, so you have levels of heat intensity.. hottest at the bottom center and so on. Same way on a grill you move stuff to and from the hotspots. Steam cooking/baking does well with the shape which opens up a lot of options. Also, it’s just a fun way to cook. They’re popular in South America, South Africa, and Australia. Out west I think they’re called cowboy woks.
 
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Knitron

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Nice work. I was wondering though why the curved surface vs that of a skillet or griddle as far as ease of cooking?
Works great. It's not easy to make a slew of pancakes though...lol. I like the portability. If it's windy or really rainy I'll bring it the tent to cook instead of using the stove in the back of the trailer.
 
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Stickbow

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I'm curious why you didn't use the original leg set up on the Bayou Campfire Griddle ('discada') - maybe just slip the EMT on the original legs? Did you not like the footprint, was it too tippy, or ??


I posted this on another site, so apologies if any of you saw it there. One of the guys on that site posted about a small disc cooker he found on amazon that resembled a skottle. It had short legs and was intended to go on a campfire, but it's cast iron and there was potential there. I have a larger disc cooker I had gotten from a farming supply store that's great for groups, but it's big enough that I don't take it out if it's just me. I liked the idea of a smaller one and it needed a stand.

Here’s what I used:

Bayou Campfire Griddle - $25
 

brianb2

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maybe just slip the EMT on the original legs? Did you not like the footprint, was it too tippy, or ??
Too wobbly and unstable. Maybe with some kind of insert for the tubing. This stand also provides a solution for mounting the burner without modifying the disc. I can still use the disc the way it was originally intended. I’m going to try it sitting on one half of my two burner stove to see how that work.
 
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Rick Schlepphorst

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Man, that looks great! I already have that griddle and a Coleman burner and was trying to figure out a leg system. Thanks for doing the brain work for me!:smile:
 
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brianb2

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Tried sitting the disc with no legs on one side of my two burner stove. Not a great fit. Was hoping it would only take up one side and the other would be available. More flexibility is always a winner, but oh well. Still works great as a stand alone disc cooker.

 
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systemdelete

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Tried sitting the disc with no legs on one side of my two burner stove. Not a great fit. Was hoping it would only take up one side and the other would be available. More flexibility is always a winner, but oh well. Still works great as a stand alone disc cooker.

This just needs a wok rak/ring like you would use on a commercial gas stove. They are $8-12.