Firepit on the cheap? Brainstorm!

[Jerasue]

I've been looking for a portable, landlady-friendly firepit for my backyard. Tis the season in my corner of the globe for late-night bonfires with friends and the firepit we used last fall moved away with the neighbor.

So, i've been doing a little bit of research and here's what i have so far:
-Inside basket of broken washing machine does nicely, but the chemical paint might be bad to breathe
-Use an old bowl-like, charcoal grill
-Wok.

My deal is, i want to do something crafty with these things. I don't just want to set a washing machine part out in the middle of the yard. I wanted to make a clay chimenea, but i suppose there's a special technique involved.

Any ideas?

[Craft Forums]

[kitchensqueen]

How about cinder blocks?

[rachelyra]

I've had tons of fires in barbecues and it's worked out really well. They're not the most aesthetically appealing, though. Do you have access to any metalworking facilities (or skills) at all? what would be great is an old propane tank or metal barrel, but ideally you would want to cut them up a little.

does it need to be movable for everyday or just when you leave? a heap of bricks could be nice if you did it right, and as long as they're not mortared can easily move out when you do.

[delqc]

The portable thing is kinda sucky. We're uninstalling an old (very old) woodstove from our basement, and I plan to put it out in the yard to use for small fires, brush, etc. It's much safer and generates lots of heat and is pretty, but isn't very portable!!!

[Tomico Revilak]

You could make something out of a large molded concrete bowl or make some really odd type of sculpture out of concrete. It is pretty inexpensive and most of the odd roadside attractions in America utilise this material with other odds and ends. Maybe you could incororate a wheel barrel or a 4 wheel dolly.

Tomico