This DIY fire pit is made from 3/8”, 7/16”, and ½” steel rod that I bought from Home Depot. I made a jig out of plywood to hold the pieces of rod at the right angle and then welded them together into a series of hexagonal frames. I made one frame with 22” long sides, two frames with 12” long sides, and one small frame with 6” sides. I used 2x4s and strips of plywood to position these frames before field measuring and cutting steel rods to connect them. This is a surprisingly affordable project if you own a welder and the result is an easyto move portable modern fire pit...

TOOLS:

Lincoln Electric Mig Welder
Available at Home Depot













RYOBI Compound Miter Saw
Available at Home Depot












RYOBI Angle Grinder
Available at Home Depot













RYOBI Jig Saw
Available at Home Depot











RYOBI Circular Saw
Available at Home Depot











Download the DIY Steel Fire Pit Instructions »

INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1: Cut the steel rods.
I started with the 7/16" rod which I will use to make the four hexagonal frames. I cut six pieces 22" long, twelve pieces 12" long and six pieces 6" long using my angle grinder with a metal cutting wheel.



STEP 2: Making a plywood jig.
I cut a piece of 3/4" plywood at a 30 degree angle with my compound miter saw. I trimmed a piece off of the corner with my circular saw before screwing it to another piece of plywood. I screwed additional piece of plywood to it to create channels for the 7/16" diameter steel rods to fit into. I used my drill and jig saw to remove a piece of the bottom piece of plywood so that I would be able to reach the joint from different angles.













STEP 3: Welding.
I used my mig welder to weld the pieces of rod together. I did this from multiple angles and tried to fill in all the gaps as well as achieve full penetration on the welds. I welded the pieces 2 at a time and them took those pieces and welded them into hexagonal frames.











STEP 4: Make the bottom of the fire basket.
The smallest frame will become the bottom of the fire basket. I welded pieces of 1/4" diameter rod to the frame to create sort of a grate that can hold the wood but let the ash fall through.







STEP 5: Weld the frames together.
I used 2x4s to raise one of the 12" frames above the bottom of the fire basket. I field measured and then cut pieces of 3/8" rod which I then welded to both frames. I started with the six corners before adding an additional three rods between each other. I bruised the joints that I welded with a wire brush and drill before going over them with the welder a second time to reinforce the joints.











STEP 6: Weld the middle frame to the bottom frame.
I raised up the 22" frame over the 12" bottom frame and then cut pieces to go in between. I tack welded these pieces in place and then flipped the structure over. I brushed the joints that I welded with a wire brush and drill before going over them with the welder a second time to reinforce the joints.









STEP 7: Trimming the rod.
I cut some of the rods a bit too long and so I used my angle grinder to trim them.





STEP 8: Connect the two pieces.
I placed the bottom piece over the fire basket and then cut pieces to weld them together. I started using bolt cutters to cut the rod which was faster.







STEP 9: Finish the fire pit.
I finished the fire pit over and then reinforced the welds before grinding them nice and smooth.













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