Fire Pit

I built this fire pit back in 2018. I wanted something that was going to last and could take a bit of punishment, so I came up with a design on paper and got it laser-cut at my local steel supplier, Surdex. I went with 10mm plate.

I then undertook my biggest welding project to date, with minimal skills and budget equipment.

The result is a 1.2m square pit (at the top) that weighs a fair bit and takes a serious load of wood. It’s been through plenty of big burns since and shows no sign of giving up, aside from a bit of ‘character’ warping.

It sits on concrete blocks, with loose bricks plugging the ends underneath so I can open or close them to control airflow.

Dimensions: 10 mm (3/8″) thick mild steel plate, 1200 mm (47″) opening at the top, 942 mm (37″) square base, 483 mm (19″) high.he shape, I’ve since learned, is an inverted frustum — basically a pyramid with the top chopped off.

Weight: The delivery docket says 287 kg (633 lb) of steel, but I never weighed it.