Students deliver custom-built smoker to local couple
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It can be said the best lessons are learned outside the pages of a textbook, and a group of talented Bledsoe County High School students proved the point in a large, heavy-duty way. During the 2025-26 school year, under the direction of their instructor, Kris Frady, students wrapped up the semester with a hands-on engineering project, culminating in the delivery of a custom-built vertical, four rack smoker.
The project, which seamlessly blended STEM education, advanced welding techniques, and community goodwill, began as a challenge to transform raw, salvaged materials into a highly functional piece of culinary machinery.
The centerpiece of the build – a repurposed vertical industrial tank supplied by Bryan McMillen was meticulously converted into a multi-tiered smoking chamber.
“These students aren’t just learning how to lay a clean bead of weld; they are learning structural design, airflow dynamics, and problem-solving,” said Frady. “When you take on a build of this scale, every measurement has to be precise. If your seals aren’t tight or your firebox draft is miscalculated, the whole unit fails. They absolutely nailed it.”
McMillen wanted a heavily reinforced, offset side firebox that featured a flat-top warming plate. He said he loves the adjustable smokestack damper system that ensures flawless temperature regulation along with the temperature gage Frady installed.
The custom heavy-duty steel utility frame is riding on rugged, pneumatic casters to make the massive unit fully mobile.
Teresa McMillen stated she loves the practical everyday touches, including a countertop for prep work and built-in wood storage.
For the McMillens, the project was a heartwarming reminder of the talent and generosity building in the county’s youth. The unit has already been put to work, sending up its first plume of clean woodsmoke.
The McMillens expressed immense gratitude for the hard work Frady and the students poured into the project.
