Adding the Smoke

In the realm of innovation, there comes a time when one must embark upon a new project. For this particular endeavor, I have chosen to craft a whiskey smoker. Now, you may wonder, what manner of contraption is a whiskey smoker? Ah, it is a marvel that allows one to imbue their cherished whiskey, or any other favored libation, with the smoky essence of their preferred wood, such as hickory. In this way, smoking whiskey bears a resemblance to the art of smoking meats.

To bring this creation to life, I shall employ two specialized tools: a bowl bit and a 1/4″ V-bit. The bowl bit shall carve a smooth inside and outside radius for the chimney of the smoker, whilst the V-bit shall be employed for the intricate engravings. Furthermore, a standard down-cut endmill shall be utilized to fashion the chimney and cut out the contour.

The stock shall be firmly secured to the waste board using double-sided tape and shall be steadied in place by the ends of the hold-down clamps. Such measures are necessitated by the lateral forces exerted by the end mills, particularly the sizable bowl bit. Once the bowl bit has completed its task, the 90-degree V-bit shall be called upon to perform the engraving.

With the product now free from the stock, it shall be sanded to a smooth finish, and then an application of beeswax and mineral oil shall be bestowed upon it. During this process, I made a minor error with the chamfer toolpath, having specified an inside contour toolpath instead of a no-offset toolpath, which resulted in a groove along the outside contour. However, this mistake has fortuitously added a pleasing aesthetic, which I have decided to retain.

As a test, a pinch of hickory shavings was loaded into the chimney, and a flame from a butane torch was applied to char the interior of the chimney.

Behold, a small demonstration of the smoker atop an empty mason jar.

Here lies the link to the visual marvel.