Made my first camping tripod for my brother in law's family. I learned a lot making this and have some ideas on how to improve next time. 

Nicely done. Pretty heavy metal! You would swing a hearty stew off of that.

Yeah it's 5/8 thick. That was one thing I learned. Go smaller lol I wouldn't add those set to my backpacking gear but it's fine for them. They have a camper. 

They look nice; Ditto on the meaty metal. What height will the apex be in cooking position & what length are your tripod legs(?)?

I got a Chinesium set as a gift (from Lodge...), and have this on my list to make. Thank you for your time.

I make the two U and one O style without needing the ring.  If you are making one for yourself size it for your style of cooking!  (The two U and one O can also be used as two uprights and a crossbar for using more pots over a fire cowboy cooking style.)

My largest was sized for a 10 gallon cauldron, about 6' in use with feet variations to deal with all that weight, my smallest was 3/8" sq stock and about 3' long finished.

3/4"X 45" makes a good "U&O" style as TP describes. It's a confortable size for a cowboy trench fire, with out the "bendy" issues with lighter stock. Lots of accessories to make to go with it. 

7 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

 

 

This is also a good project for "old weathered steel" as mostly you are bending and so can keep the aged surface for an old timey look, stamping the date is a grace note if you worry that someone might try to misrepresent it as an antique...

Lots of accessories!  I make all mine with a hook on the end to hang them on a separate one near the cooking one.  (I also make mine 1/2" sq stock at heaviest as the folks I sell to are not cooking half a steer...  For fancy you can do twists on the shaft---also helps keep Shooks from slide sideways on the crossbar.

The legs were about 3' long each. I am not sure where everything sits in the cooking position as I did not measure it. I did not think to date it. It never even occurred to me someone would try to pass it as an antique. Looks like I have some research to do to find out a little more about these before I make my next one. I just kind of did what looked right from pictures I saw. 

Just measured a set I have to hand: the completed pieces are about 4' 4" from end to end, made from 3/8: stock.  I have a longer set made from round stock as well; but didn't get it measured---yet.

For small camp pots 1/2 and 3/8" stock sound good, but the boys with big cast iron pots and 2 gallon coffe pots make me nervous. 

Great information,  thank you CStephens and TPowers and AZGuy.

I have a hoss of a pot, so whatever I end up making will resemble a teepee I'm afraid. I cook Brunswick stew in it, mainly. Low & slow. 

Edit -also,  what do the antique ones look like?  I'd figured they would have been chopped & used for something else,  more practical,  before being allowed to become "antique".

Adun, large (and small) antique cooking tripods *were* chopped up and used for something more practical: firewood.

Oh, there are some historic examples of large metal cooking sets used for outdoor events. By Governors, wealthy plantation owners, European nobility, etc. The same sort of folks who today wear Italian loafers and have cufflinks that cost more than your house.

Locals always hated to see a war in the countryside, because even your own side's troops were going to show up with *nothing*, and "requisition" everything that they needed. Or just caught their eye, and could cart off.

We take for granted that nowadays everyone has (1) access to large chunks of metal cheaply, and (2) a vehicle with which to transport all that camp gear, plus (3) someplace to store it all when they are not using it. Historically, none of the above applied. About the only folks who could afford to have and use metal cooking set-ups in America were chuck wagons: a very specific use at a very specific time and place, where wood was scarce. And that belonged to the ranch, and not the cow punchers.

I have friend who is away at a week long "primitive camping event" in Florida. He filled a long bed dual cab pickup truck and trailer with more stuff than General Cornwallis took on a two year campaign across the Colonies. All for one guy, for a week. He is having a great time, but it is just as much of a fantasy as a Renaissance Faire.

3 hours ago, John McPherson said:

---About the only folks who could afford to have and use metal cooking set-ups in America were chuck wagons: a very specific use at a very specific time and place, where wood was scarce. And that belonged to the ranch, and not the cow punchers.---

Thanks for 'splaining all that Mr. McPherson - Hopefully...you picked up on the fact that I have NEVER seen any metal tripods (in any of my reading, museum visiting, et cetera) from an "antique" timeframe. I have several dozen pictures of wooden tripods, however.  And I was not being a smart butt by not specifically saying the ones I'd seen they were all wooden (replicas) construction- I just did not know if metal ones were out there. My family never had any money, so that explains why we never found any around the place. We can't spell Italian loafers & cuff links is what the Sherriff puts on you.

Anyways; The tripod set I hope to make will be made to be here way long after I am gone (plus, the pot is probably 30 lb. or more). So I'm making a future antique set, I 'spose , sort of like what AZguy made with his material, incorporating what TPowers says about weathering, and the TPowers/CRStevens O/U leg/pole connection advice.

I really appreciate everybody's time & ideas- that's what makes this fun. I don't mean to step into your thread either, AZguy.

Brad

Now as mentioned folks in the 1% way back when may have travelled with *tons* of stuff.  I have a copy of Scappi's "Opera" from 1570, he was cook to 5 popes (hopefully his cooking was not associated with fast turnover!), and published a book with engravings of his tools as well as his recipes/philosophies   Anyway his "camp cooking" set up  took at least one wagon and probably 5 people to run.  He had a folding metal spit racks, spiders with hooks on the legs for lark spits, etc and so on.

OK, my take on large pot tripods---ones that can't be used for a cross bar set up but can take 100# of pot and stew:

First large sq stock, because the square has a bit more metal than the round in the same "size".  Then I do the two Us and one O on the top end as normal---I don't like using rings as individual pieces pack flat and can be distributed. (rings do make sure you show up with all 3 pieces though!---I've been asked to make a replacement piece on the fly before...)

 Adjust the other ends for equal length and point the ends.  about 4" above the pointed end make a bend and about 4-6" above that bend make another and flatten the area between the two bends.  Now adjust the bends so that when the tripod is properly set up, the flattened section is flat on the surface of the ground and won't sink under the weight of your pot and the pointed end is at right angles going down in the dirt to keep the leg from skidding out---the flat makes it easy to set up as you stand on it driving the point into the dirt.  I like to demo this tripod to the customer by putting on a bunch of heavy s hooks and then standing on the end one to show it's stable with *my* weight on it much less a paltry 20 gallon cauldron....

Wish I had a picture of one but I do them up when requested and the old pics are on a hard drive that bit the dust.

For mine I use half inch round and make two circles and one "U" hook. They sell great!

                                                                                                                              Littleblacksmith

11 hours ago, Adun Clebr said:

Thanks for 'splaining all that Mr. McPherson - Hopefully...you picked up on the fact that I have NEVER seen any metal tripods (in any of my reading, museum visiting, et cetera) from an "antique" timeframe. I have several dozen pictures of wooden tripods, however.  And I was not being a smart butt by not specifically saying the ones I'd seen they were all wooden (replicas) construction- I just did not know if metal ones were out there. My family never had any money, so that explains why we never found any around the place. We can't spell Italian loafers & cuff links is what the Sherriff puts on you.

Anyways; The tripod set I hope to make will be made to be here way long after I am gone (plus, the pot is probably 30 lb. or more). So I'm making a future antique set, I 'spose , sort of like what AZguy made with his material, incorporating what TPowers says about weathering, and the TPowers/CRStevens O/U leg/pole connection advice.

I really appreciate everybody's time & ideas- that's what makes this fun. I don't mean to step into your thread either, AZguy.

Brad

It's fine with me. I'm just bummed to hear Renaissance fairs aren't historically accurate lol. 

The ones around here tend to be *very* historically accurate dating to the 21st century period of the USA...