How to Build a Fireplace Grate With Tubes

A modern take on old-fashioned home heating is the curved tube grate in the wood burning fireplace. This type of grate heats air in the tubes and pushes the air out into the room in a more steady and efficient manner rather than having a majority of the heat generated escape the house through the flue and chimney. Building this blowing grate made of steel tubes requires simple tools and a motorized fan connected to the tubes.

Things You'll Need

• 36-by-1 inch steel tubes (5)
• 11-by-1 inch steel strip
• 12-inch deep steel base
• Tape measure
• Table vise
• Tube bender
• Cordless drill
• 1/4-inch diameter carbide-tip bit
• 1/2-by-1/4-inch rivets
• Rivet punch
• Blower unit

Instructions

1. • 1
     Measure the depth of the fireplace and subtract 2 inches. This measurement is the depth of the fireplace grate. For example, a fireplace that is 14 inches deep will have a 12-inch deep grate, leaving an inch gap in front of and behind the grate.
   • 2
     Grip a 36-inch steel tube, with a 1-inch diameter, in a table vise. Close the vise on the tube 12 inches from one end.
   • 3
     Place a tube bender over the steel tube. Bend a 90-degree angle in the steel tube where the tube exits the vise. Release the vise once the steel is bent, but do not take the tube out of the vise.
   • 4
     Grip the steel tube in the vise 4 inches from the 90-degree bend. This 4 inches added to the 12 inches earlier and the 90-degree bend, places the vise approximately 20 inches from the end of the tube the measuring started at in the beginning.
   • 5
     Bend the tube at a 90-degree angle. This 90-degree angle needs to bend in the opposite direction of the first bend, making the tube look like a "C." Continue making a total of five 36-by-1 inch steel tubes into this shape.
   • 6
     Drill a 1/4-inch hole into the top of the C-shaped tubes, centered 1/2 inch from the edge, using a 1/4-inch diameter carbide-tip drill bit and a cordless drill.
   • 7
     Drill five centered 1/4-inch holes, 1 inch apart, on an 11-inch strip of steel, using a 1/4-inch diameter carbide-tip drill bit. Start and end the holes 1 inch from the edges.
   • 8
     Connect the five tubes with the steel strip through the predrilled holes at the top using 1/2-by-1/4-inch steel rivets and a rivet punch.
   • 9
     Flip the grate over. Drill a 1/4-inch hole into the visible sides of the bottom of each tube, centered 1 inch and 8 inches from the edge, using a 1/4-inch diameter carbide-tip drill bit and a cordless drill.
   • 10
     Drill a 1/4-inch hole into the top of the 12-inch steel base, centered 1 inch and 8 inches from the edge, using a 1/4-inch diameter carbide-tip drill bit and a cordless drill.
   • 11
     Attach the base, upside down, to the holes in the grate bottom, using 1/2-by-1/4-inch steel rivets and a rivet punch.
   • 12
     Purchase a blower unit to fit the bottom holes of the tube grate. Attach the blower unit to the grate as per the blower manufacturer's instructions.