Fire Pit 2 - Brake Rotor

Tags: metal working, welding, fire pit, automotive

This project was completed July 14, 2020 by Mitchell Hollis.  

This was a bit of an experiment, trying to find a good use for old brake rotors. The brake rotor is obviously the main material, but I also used this metal screen, some 1/2” steel rod, and some 1/4” rod.

Lining the Rotor with Steel Mesh

I believe this screen is stainless, but my tin snips make quick work of it. I cut out a circle to go in the bottom of the rotor and keep ashes and whatnot from falling through the holes. I didn’t want to cover the holes though, because having plenty of airflow underneath the fire is very helpful.

Cutting the Legs

Next I made the legs. I wanted them to be about 6” long, so I cut three 12” lengths of the 1/2” rod.

Bending the Legs 

Even though I cut a notch in the center and used heat, they still snapped when I tried to bend them. That’s okay, that’s what welders are for! I used this welding magnet to hold the two halves at a 45° angle and weld them.

Attaching the Legs

Next I welded the legs to the bottom of the rotor. I eyeballed the spacing, but they were about equal-distant. The triangle shape of the legs meant that they all flared out at the same angle. I was surprised how well the rotor welded. I was expecting it to put up more of a fight. Finally I used a flap disc on my angle grinder to round over the points of the legs.

Cage Vertical Pieces

Next was the cage on top to hold the majority of the fire. I originally wanted to use more of the steel mesh, but it just melted away when I tried to tack weld it. I cut six pieces of the 1/2” rod at 3.5” each. This just seemed like a good height. I arranged the six rods in a hexagon shape. Placing one above the center of each leg and one directly in between each pair. I used the same welding magnet to hold them as vertical as possible.

Cage Horizontal Pieces

 

Last were the horizontal pieces. There were 18 in total and I cut them from 1/4” rod. I originally cut them to 5.5” long, but ended up having to go back and custom trim each one to fit. I cut this spacer block to hold them at the same height while I welded them in. Unfortunately my block was a bit too tall and I didn’t get all three rows equally spaced. At least with the top two being closer it almost looks intentional!

Complete

 

The last thing was to put the screen circle back in and give it a test! It fit nice and snug with just a pressure fit.

Test

 

It worked well! It can’t hold that large of a fire, but should be plenty for a couple people to sit around and burn some small scraps. You can also view this project on Instagram and Instructables.