April, it is so good to see all these videos because you want to make things and you're brave enough to go with your ideas rather than stress about it being your first time making it. I also enjoy making it all about in-the-moment (with planning) R&D for many projects. Thumbs up, lady!!
I like this. Our current fire pit is a cheap HD pit with no drain holes. I was just emptying it out from today's rain since the cover for it has long ago deteriorated. My wife is wanting to dissemble our kids old playground which will give us a great area to build a fire pit. Great job April. Welds are looking solid as well.
Very cool, April. While that works and looks great as a fire pit alone, you're right about having the option of grilling on it, too. Those diamond cutout holes really added to the coolness of how the fire looked. Great job...as always.
I understand, I was a code welder for 16 yrs. there is a lot of satisfaction in being able to just do it and know that a machine can't do any better. Love your work, keep it up !
Matthias Wandel ChuckE2009 is a very good welder in his own right. This gal can hold her own with anybody to make comparisons to me just doesn’t get it.
Really great job - excellent work. I also got a real kick out of seeing you sitting inside while welding, then grinding, and finally testing the stability. Very funny.
April Wilkerson we can all learn from each other. we just need to be willing to. I wish I had known about UA-cam years ago. Maybe I'd be a youtube maker by now. you're awesome! I learn a lot of very valuable techniques from you and all of my favorite UA-camrs. old dogs can learn new tricks if they wanna!
I know a lot of people who have been metal workers and they could not have made that project near as well. You made a lot of good decisions like leaving the diamond cutting till last. Good on you woman!
Great video and kool project. You have great welding skills and a steady hand with the plasma cutter. I keep a scrap piece of plywood on the floor when using the plasma cutter as the spray can burn the concrete. Keep up the good work. Thank you.
Your portable fire pit came out awesome! Love the design in the side and I think you made the right desision about keeping the pattern more simple. Definitely do the swing arm grill and make it multi functional. I can smell those Texas steaks already searing on your grill,lol. Great Job!! ~Dolly
I too was reminded of the scene from Flashdance most especially when you climbed in and danced...A great video, very informative and very well shot. I used to earn my living doing lighting and power so I can certainly recognize good technique when I see it and your videos contain some great shots, e.g. the inside of the angled sides as you weld the outside, as we are treated to the red high temp. portion of the metal move smoothly down the join. That also highlights your skill with the welding...
Yes, I really enjoy her eye for just the right shots and her editing too is fantastic (compared to many I've seen onyoutube). Not boring and too much of just cutting or sanding, the mundane things that have to be done. A class act to be sure!
I made a welding table with a folding "Church" table, 1/4" sheetrock cut to fit the 24"x60" table top and a 24"x30" section of 18 gauge galvanized sheetmetal. It was a not that heavy and I could fold it up and lean it against the garage out of the weather. I built an entire set of last forever lawn furniture on it. Some one liked it so much they stole it and the lawn furniture while I was on vacation! Validation!
Wow April! I've been a follower for a veeeery long time, pretty much since you started. You know how it is on youtube, as your interests changes, the recommendations change aswell, and the youtubers you haven't watched in a while gets pushed down the list. Well I've found your channel again, and I'm glad to se you've become quite the craftswoman! Even working with metal now! I'm very impressed! Keep up the good work!
April, can I have your workshop, not far to ship it to Australia, you know, just down the road. You are getting some great equipment and awesome tutorials
Drafting tools like that sure are handy. I bought a set when I was in high school so I didn't have to do all of my drafting assignments at school (We were still hand drafting and extremely late Cadkey/early AutoCAD back then). I still use them all the time out in the shop, and much prefer my leadholder for layout over pencils (and it will take soapstone sticks if I really want it to!). The french curve set has even been invaluable. I've often considered building another student drafting bench with a hinged top and set of parallels because I miss how comfortable it was to design that way. I feel like a grandpa in my 30's telling "kids these days" about stories from "back in my day" sometimes, and I'm not really a Luddite by any stretch of the word.
I've been following Cremona and his over-the-top bandsaw mill project. What a nut case I mean awesome dude! He's not too far from me (I'm in Stillwater) so maybe I'll run into him some day.
Nice job as usual April. You may want to consider putting some cement blocks under those legs so they don't eventual sink in the dirt due to weather. Looking forward to the next installment.
Cutting out shapes by hand with a plasma is definitely tricky, you made it look a lot easier than it is for sure. Really turned out awesome. I am only an hour away from you, would have been fun to model this would in Fusion360 and cut it out on our CNC plasma table, would have saved you some work :) Looking forward to part 2!
An hour in which direction? Thank you for the offer but I enjoy doing things myself when it comes to my projects. Plus, it would make a boring video if I sent off the sides to get cut by a machine. ; ) However! Maybe a DIYer watching the video, who doesn't have a cutter (or simply does not want to mess with the cutting process) will read this and go that route as an alternative for their own fire pit.
I really glad to see you incorporate welding into your channel. Great job on the layout and fit up. You had some good penetration on your welds. In the future if you would like a flush finish, you can bevel both pieces then leave a small gap in between them. That way you can grind the welds flush and still have adequate strength. Stay safe and creative.
Good tip, I left them as an open joint instead of doing a butt joint in hopes the welds would come out flush. I did end up using the grinder to smooth them out before painting them though. : )
I didn't recognize you in pants! Lol. That looks great, and your welds are looking pretty good too. I think he same mesh you used on the bottom would look nice in your diamonds if it starts spilling out the sides. Always love your vids. Thanks!!
Looks great, nice work. I would add screen on the inside of the cutouts and also add a heavy lid. Just makes it safer to close it up at the end of the night and also easier if it rains before you want to have a fire.
Good use of jigs! I might have put the expanded metal inside so when it burns through, easy to just lift out and replace. Nice project. You sure have a steady hand!
Very nice and much better quality than the store bought ones. Another idea to finish the top would be to bend some 1/4" rod and outline it leaving a few inches of space. I think that would look cool as well.
I love how you teach and build, I have been watching all of your new videos. looks great, but as a Firefighter PLEASE get a few more fire extinguishers the shop. keep up the great projects!
Nice Build April. who doesn't love a good fire pit...lol. i just got one because the old one i had finally gave out, maybe next year i will use a welder as an excuse to make another pit...honey i need a welder to make a fire pit.....might work...lol. nice idea for grilling, can't wait to see what you come up with.
Hi April, Nice looking fire pit. Your welding skills have really improved. Was a little funny the way you sat down into the pit to weld the floor. I also love the way you design on the fly. :-) I see others have already suggested using a welding table.When you do get one it will make those metal working projects seem easier. Looking forward to watching next weeks video.
: ) Thank you, I'm enjoying welding. Yeah a table will certainly help but right now I do not have the room for a dedicated table and also since I just started on the craft I don't yet know what I want from a table. I want to do more projects and then design something I'll find very functional. In the mean time, I don't mind the floor. ; )
I liked the way the rectangle tube looked on the top but it looked way out of proportion to the legs. Maybe some beefier legs running down the outside of three of the corners, connecting to the bottom of the rectangle tube shelf/rim? The smaller angled legs are definitely a traditional look for patio firepits, but I think you should make that thing a monster. I would recommend welding some of that expanded metal inside the cutouts in the wall. Keep embers in and tipsy feet out. I could see some logs shifting inside and sending a decent coal out the side and into someone's flip flop. Also, our dogs like curling up dangerously close to our firepit on cooler nights. The grill is a decent idea, but having spent many hours around many campfires/firepits, I've found that I rarely am burning wood in a firepit that is suitable for cooking. At home, we save the oak for the inside fireplace and burn doug fir in the firepit, which is not so great to cook with. Things are probably different in your neck of the woods.
Wow. That is really cool. Wonder if you could just put some of the wider tube steel on top of the sides? Maybe that would look better? Idk just a thought.
Yep I do, but it takes time to build up everything needed for a new craft. A welding table is certainly on the list but I don't have room for one in my current shop.
April Wilkerson You can make one that sits a bit lower then your wood surfaces that is on locking casters so when you done you just roll it under one of your bench tops and maybe still put stuff underneath. I have the same problem but reversed. I have a welding shop by trade but every now and then need my table saw so I made one of my welding tables just high enough to roll the table saw under when its on its lock up casters. ( made by ridgid, really cool)
Best bet for a small shop is to build a welding table with a steel top, then add a removable top that is made of wood/particle core. This makes an extra assembly table for non welding projects. My old one was a removable melamine top. I like melamine because it is cheap, I can cut on it, screw down to it and its slippery surface is great for moving projects like cabinet boxes etc around on. Added benefit is that nothing sticks to it. Paint, wood glue, etc can all just be scraped off with a razor. Then i can just replace the whole piece down the road if it gets too beat up.
I tend to agree with Matthias. If you don't spend a lot time on a particular process, don't devote a lot of time and space for it in your shop. A quick temporary set up works,. Nice welds, by the way.
April, it is so good to see all these videos because you want to make things and you're brave enough to go with your ideas rather than stress about it being your first time making it. I also enjoy making it all about in-the-moment (with planning) R&D for many projects. Thumbs up, lady!!
I like this. Our current fire pit is a cheap HD pit with no drain holes. I was just emptying it out from today's rain since the cover for it has long ago deteriorated. My wife is wanting to dissemble our kids old playground which will give us a great area to build a fire pit. Great job April. Welds are looking solid as well.
Sweet! that is one fantastic fire pit.just WOW!
: ) Well thank you.
Very cool, April. While that works and looks great as a fire pit alone, you're right about having the option of grilling on it, too. Those diamond cutout holes really added to the coolness of how the fire looked. Great job...as always.
I understand, I was a code welder for 16 yrs. there is a lot of satisfaction in being able to just do it and know that a machine can't do any better. Love your work, keep it up !
Hah, nice Birkey hat! Your videos are so great, April. So impressed by your metalworking skills, you're killing it with these projects.
I love the look. The swinging grill arm is a great idea.
that would be sweet!
Wow, Miss Wilkerson! The things that you create are so beautiful! People who get Christmas gifts from you are very lucky!
Thanks, glad you like it.
Really giving ChuckE2009 a run for the money!
Matthias Wandel. best comment ever
Ha, well I don't believe that but thanks for saying it! ; ) Funny enough, he lives just 30 mins away from me.
April Wilkerson you and Matthias should meet someday
Matthias Wandel no disrespect but ChuckE2009 should be sweeping her shop
Matthias Wandel ChuckE2009 is a very good welder in his own right. This gal can hold her own with anybody to make comparisons to me just doesn’t get it.
I like the see through effect of the diamond shapes, thumbs up!
April ROCKS! Very impressed by your skills! Great videos, please continue the fantastic content. Thank you.
Really great job - excellent work. I also got a real kick out of seeing you sitting inside while welding, then grinding, and finally testing the stability. Very funny.
Thanks! Ha, I get it done. ;)
fantastic video!I learned some valuable stuff from you. I've been a welder for 40 yrs. I'm so glad I found UA-cam for so many reasons.
Wow that's awesome to hear from a welder. : ) Thanks.
April Wilkerson we can all learn from each other. we just need to be willing to. I wish I had known about UA-cam years ago. Maybe I'd be a youtube maker by now. you're awesome! I learn a lot of very valuable techniques from you and all of my favorite UA-camrs. old dogs can learn new tricks if they wanna!
Great video, April. You're really getting good at freehanding your cuts and welding!
I love your work! nothing beats sitting around a fire! respect from Australia.
I know a lot of people who have been metal workers and they could not have made that project near as well. You made a lot of good decisions like leaving the diamond cutting till last. Good on you woman!
That was just awesome - thank you for sharing. It has been a great journey seeing you expand from woodworking into metal craft.
Great video and kool project. You have great welding skills and a steady hand with the plasma cutter. I keep a scrap piece of plywood on the floor when using the plasma cutter as the spray can burn the concrete. Keep up the good work. Thank you.
Bossed it up yoooo! Looks great April.
; ) Why thank you David, much appreciated.
Great project.... you never cease to amaze me with how much different things you do.
Looks good. I kind of like the pattern only being on three sides and not as busy as the original idea. Looking forward to part two.
Your portable fire pit came out awesome! Love the design in the side and I think you made the right desision about keeping the pattern more simple. Definitely do the swing arm grill and make it multi functional. I can smell those Texas steaks already searing on your grill,lol. Great Job!!
~Dolly
A must have for Winter.Thanks for sharing April
Nice work! I love that you dive in and tackle these ambitious projects! Keep it up!👍🏽
Fantastic job on this April! It looks great and I like your methodology, especially the magnetic jigs.
; ) Jigs make life easier.
The diamond pattern really worked out nicely! Good Job April!
I too was reminded of the scene from Flashdance most especially when you climbed in and danced...A great video, very informative and very well shot. I used to earn my living doing lighting and power so I can certainly recognize good technique when I see it and your videos contain some great shots, e.g. the inside of the angled sides as you weld the outside, as we are treated to the red high temp. portion of the metal move smoothly down the join. That also highlights your skill with the welding...
Yes, I really enjoy her eye for just the right shots and her editing too is fantastic (compared to many I've seen onyoutube). Not boring and too much of just cutting or sanding, the mundane things that have to be done. A class act to be sure!
April, your creativity and attitude are an inspiration. Great video!
You killed it April!
Love it ! Awesome design April
That turned out nice April!
Came out great! You can tell you really enjoyed making it. Good on you!
I made a welding table with a folding "Church" table, 1/4" sheetrock cut to fit the 24"x60" table top and a 24"x30" section of 18 gauge galvanized sheetmetal. It was a not that heavy and I could fold it up and lean it against the garage out of the weather. I built an entire set of last forever lawn furniture on it. Some one liked it so much they stole it and the lawn furniture while I was on vacation! Validation!
Looks fabulous! I even like the look of not all sides having the diamonds, but that's just my taste. The shot at the end is stunning. Great job!
Yeah I think I like just the three sides have the pattern as well. Thank you!
Wow April! I've been a follower for a veeeery long time, pretty much since you started. You know how it is on youtube, as your interests changes, the recommendations change aswell, and the youtubers you haven't watched in a while gets pushed down the list.
Well I've found your channel again, and I'm glad to se you've become quite the craftswoman! Even working with metal now! I'm very impressed! Keep up the good work!
what a great workshop and how many instruments and a girl who knows how to use them !!
Beautiful design. Think it looks great with the pattern only being on three sides.
April, can I have your workshop, not far to ship it to Australia, you know, just down the road. You are getting some great equipment and awesome tutorials
Drafting tools like that sure are handy. I bought a set when I was in high school so I didn't have to do all of my drafting assignments at school (We were still hand drafting and extremely late Cadkey/early AutoCAD back then). I still use them all the time out in the shop, and much prefer my leadholder for layout over pencils (and it will take soapstone sticks if I really want it to!). The french curve set has even been invaluable. I've often considered building another student drafting bench with a hinged top and set of parallels because I miss how comfortable it was to design that way. I feel like a grandpa in my 30's telling "kids these days" about stories from "back in my day" sometimes, and I'm not really a Luddite by any stretch of the word.
You make it all sound and look simple. I have learned so much from your video"s. Especially when you first started. Thank you so much.
I now want a plasma torch! Great job
Looks great, and a swinging grill arm is a brilliant idea!
GREAT Job!! Watching this in December 2020 and I
hear you about sitting next to a fire on a cold day. PEACE!!
Fantastic and very neat job. Loved the design.
Nice work April! Looks warm! I could go for a nice fire right about now up in cold ass Minnesota.
Oh man I bet. My buddy Matt Cremona is in Minnesota and I've seen how much snow is on the ground. Brrr
I've been following Cremona and his over-the-top bandsaw mill project. What a nut case I mean awesome dude! He's not too far from me (I'm in Stillwater) so maybe I'll run into him some day.
Is there no end to your talents? Yet anothet quality build and video, thanks for sharing.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year to you and your family April. Thanks for sharing all your great work and advice. Cheers
Nice job as usual April. You may want to consider putting some cement blocks under those legs so they don't eventual sink in the dirt due to weather. Looking forward to the next installment.
I'm glad you opted to only cut out 3 sides. It gives the fire some wind protection and also will help keep the embers in.
An inspiring project. Think some simple rolled stock on the top would look good. Will definitely be trying this.
Your planning and layout of your projects are very well done. I enjoy watching your videos. They give me ideas to try out around my place.
Argggggg...Now I so NEED a plasma cutter.!!! Nice work and I think having the design on only 3 sides is best anyways.
This is so awesome. I like the design and color. I will be looking forward to your second video on this.
👏🏾
Awesome job. It looks great April!!!
Great instructional video and your design worked out really nice!
Cutting out shapes by hand with a plasma is definitely tricky, you made it look a lot easier than it is for sure. Really turned out awesome. I am only an hour away from you, would have been fun to model this would in Fusion360 and cut it out on our CNC plasma table, would have saved you some work :) Looking forward to part 2!
An hour in which direction? Thank you for the offer but I enjoy doing things myself when it comes to my projects. Plus, it would make a boring video if I sent off the sides to get cut by a machine. ; ) However! Maybe a DIYer watching the video, who doesn't have a cutter (or simply does not want to mess with the cutting process) will read this and go that route as an alternative for their own fire pit.
I like the design and proportions. That large box tube didnt look bad on the top, but the only person who needs to be happy with it is you.
I love how quickly you've jumped into trying new things. You're becoming quite the Jill of all trades.
I really glad to see you incorporate welding into your channel. Great job on the layout and fit up. You had some good penetration on your welds. In the future if you would like a flush finish, you can bevel both pieces then leave a small gap in between them. That way you can grind the welds flush and still have adequate strength. Stay safe and creative.
Good tip, I left them as an open joint instead of doing a butt joint in hopes the welds would come out flush. I did end up using the grinder to smooth them out before painting them though. : )
Nice work April I have been seeing your work for a while looking good
I didn't recognize you in pants! Lol. That looks great, and your welds are looking pretty good too. I think he same mesh you used on the bottom would look nice in your diamonds if it starts spilling out the sides. Always love your vids. Thanks!!
Cold weather now days - - it'd be crazy to wear shorts but in 100+ degree weather, you'd be crazy to wear pants!
Nice job April and it looks pretty too!👍
Nice Design and great outcome. good work
I like the jig. Great work April
Looks great, nice work. I would add screen on the inside of the cutouts and also add a heavy lid. Just makes it safer to close it up at the end of the night and also easier if it rains before you want to have a fire.
Great work, thanks for taking the time and sharing!!!
Good use of jigs! I might have put the expanded metal inside so when it burns through, easy to just lift out and replace. Nice project. You sure have a steady hand!
Good job and I'm a bit jealous of the plasma cutter.
Just buy one,goof! If you cant afford one,you dont need one!!!
Good job. That plasma cutter makes it for an easy job.
Wow great job. Nice job free handing with the plasma cutter it came out great looking. Keep up the nice work.
-Pidge
Thank you!
Very nice and much better quality than the store bought ones. Another idea to finish the top would be to bend some 1/4" rod and outline it leaving a few inches of space. I think that would look cool as well.
Nice job April. Looks like a fun project. All I need is a plasma cutter and a welder. Merry Christmas
I love how you teach and build, I have been watching all of your new videos. looks great, but as a Firefighter PLEASE get a few more fire extinguishers the shop. keep up the great projects!
Great job April...you are a great all around DIY'er and love the video quality.
Nice Build April. who doesn't love a good fire pit...lol. i just got one because the old one i had finally gave out, maybe next year i will use a welder as an excuse to make another pit...honey i need a welder to make a fire pit.....might work...lol. nice idea for grilling, can't wait to see what you come up with.
Hi April,
Nice looking fire pit. Your welding skills have really improved. Was a little funny the way you sat down into the pit to weld the floor. I also love the way you design on the fly. :-)
I see others have already suggested using a welding table.When you do get one it will make those metal working projects seem easier.
Looking forward to watching next weeks video.
: ) Thank you, I'm enjoying welding. Yeah a table will certainly help but right now I do not have the room for a dedicated table and also since I just started on the craft I don't yet know what I want from a table. I want to do more projects and then design something I'll find very functional. In the mean time, I don't mind the floor. ; )
Looks awesome! Nice work 🤓👍🏼
She got mad! Skills!! That's for shure ! Great job and videos !!!
Great place for a fire. Masterfully done! Like!
That looks really nice...good job!
Personally I like the every other side cut look.
: ) Thanks, I like it as well.
Nice job April, ready for the March mellows.
Great job April your welds looked very good!!
I liked the way the rectangle tube looked on the top but it looked way out of proportion to the legs. Maybe some beefier legs running down the outside of three of the corners, connecting to the bottom of the rectangle tube shelf/rim? The smaller angled legs are definitely a traditional look for patio firepits, but I think you should make that thing a monster.
I would recommend welding some of that expanded metal inside the cutouts in the wall. Keep embers in and tipsy feet out. I could see some logs shifting inside and sending a decent coal out the side and into someone's flip flop. Also, our dogs like curling up dangerously close to our firepit on cooler nights.
The grill is a decent idea, but having spent many hours around many campfires/firepits, I've found that I rarely am burning wood in a firepit that is suitable for cooking. At home, we save the oak for the inside fireplace and burn doug fir in the firepit, which is not so great to cook with. Things are probably different in your neck of the woods.
Best lady welder since that scene in Flashdance :-). Really nice job April.
She´s is already married.....^ ^
Wow April I'm very impressed. You never seem to disappoint me. Love watching your builds. Cheers from Toronto Canada
Those welds are beautiful! Super project!
Great Work as always April, for a self taught welder you do a really good job....
Good work. A lot more aesthetically pleasing than one I built out of wire mesh and pipe
One of MY favorite things to do is ALSO to sit around an outside fire!!!! Too bad I'm in New Jersey.....Merry Christmas!
I'm in Jersey too. We use it year round, lol. It's definitely a challenge sometimes.
Great looking fire pit April!
From the way you are bundled up you made it just in time, Very nice.
Yep, but as soon as I get it built it goes from 32 degrees to 60! haha, just my luck.
Just like NC
I am so impressed with this young lady!
is there no end to this girls talents i think not, well done April
Wow. That is really cool. Wonder if you could just put some of the wider tube steel on top of the sides? Maybe that would look better? Idk just a thought.
You took the thoughts right out of my head whilst watching this April, yes some swing over cooking trays would be a great addition . Love the NEW pit
Good Job! Yep, you need a dedicated welding table.
Yep I do, but it takes time to build up everything needed for a new craft. A welding table is certainly on the list but I don't have room for one in my current shop.
April Wilkerson You can make one that sits a bit lower then your wood surfaces that is on locking casters so when you done you just roll it under one of your bench tops and maybe still put stuff underneath. I have the same problem but reversed. I have a welding shop by trade but every now and then need my table saw so I made one of my welding tables just high enough to roll the table saw under when its on its lock up casters. ( made by ridgid, really cool)
Just a big piece of particle board would be nough to protect whatever you are working on. And yes, it will catch fire from time to time.
Best bet for a small shop is to build a welding table with a steel top, then add a removable top that is made of wood/particle core. This makes an extra assembly table for non welding projects.
My old one was a removable melamine top. I like melamine because it is cheap, I can cut on it, screw down to it and its slippery surface is great for moving projects like cabinet boxes etc around on. Added benefit is that nothing sticks to it. Paint, wood glue, etc can all just be scraped off with a razor. Then i can just replace the whole piece down the road if it gets too beat up.
I tend to agree with Matthias. If you don't spend a lot time on a particular process, don't devote a lot of time and space for it in your shop. A quick temporary set up works,.
Nice welds, by the way.
This is badass.
Nice job April! Turned out great! 👍🏼
Awesome job April! Really a quality piece of work!