Building a new humidor (pictures included)

[acruce]

Very nice.........

[The Mum]

Having the right tools and skills is a God send. Very nice..

[steelheaderdu]

Nicely done!! Can't wait to see it filled with your smokes.

[IceChant]

It looks great !

[CigarMonkel]

are you by any chance into cars? you seem to know what your doing with wetsanding and the grit of papers you are using at the right steps and everything. im impressed! on a car you would start with 120-160grit then bump it up to 250 then hit the prime with a 600grit slap on the basecoats and clearcoats with a wetsand of 1000 then followed up by 1500 or even 2000 grit. but thats on cars, not humidors. but none the less you seem to know what your doing! (btw you still got some orange peel ). i dunno if anyone has any clue of what im talking about. anyways for those of you that dont know orange peel shows up on cars as lots of specs that look like the peel of an orange. domestic cars you MUST have that to match the paint. orange peel is not a bad thing, or a good thing... its just there a lotta times.

NONE THE LESS, you did an outstanding job with the paint, sanding, and the finish. coming from someone who is going to school for auto collision repair and painting i am impressed. hats off to you sir.

[neoflex]

Oh to have your talent. I think I would be dangerous and would probably build myself way to big of a cabinet that would cost a fortune to fill.
Very nice work and Very impressive. Looking forward to seeing pics of that thing filled with smokes.

[sailchaser]

Thanks for sharing the updated project pictures the humi looks better and better with each coat

[ChasDen]

Originally Posted by CigarMonkel

are you by any chance into cars? you seem to know what your doing with wetsanding and the grit of papers you are using at the right steps and everything.

No I have been in the construction business all of my adult life so I have asked a bunch of questions and done a lot of projects over the years.

Originally Posted by CigarMonkel

(btw you still got some orange peel ). i dunno if anyone has any clue of what im talking about. anyways for those of you that dont know orange peel shows up on cars as lots of specs that look like the peel of an orange. domestic cars you MUST have that to match the paint. orange peel is not a bad thing, or a good thing... its just there a lotta times.

LOL I hoped no one would notice that. The big problem I have is the time of year (winter in the northeast) and working conditions (cold garage).

I picked up the cedar today so Saturday and Sunday should finish this thing off. I hope to have completed pictures up by Sunday night.

Chas

[CigarMonkel]

Originally Posted by ChasDen

LOL I hoped no one would notice that. The big problem I have is the time of year (winter in the northeast) and working conditions (cold garage).



Chas

its no biggy, i mean the only people who would notice that are people who know what they are looking for and take a look at it under a really good light. "HMMM I WONDER IF THIS HUMI HAS SOME ORANGE PEEL ON IT!!?!?!?!?! LETS TAKE A GANDER!" i think it'll add a nice touch cause it looked like you got most of it out just tiny bits here and there. it'll add some character to it. keep up the good work and the awesome pictures!

[lynngod]

OUTSTANDING!!!!!, Exceptional, Excellent, First-rate, Supreme.

Yeah, I got a thesaurus, What, what!!

[ChasDen]

The time has come to Install the cedar in the new box. I bought 1/4 inch Spanish cedar for the bottom and sides and 3/16 for the top. The cedar is very soft so you need to be very careful working with it.



I placed the bottom in first. The boards I bought were 4 inches wide so 5 of them fit the inside width just right. When joining boards like this it is important to make sure the joints are as flush as possible. Here I am installing one of the planks. I used a 1/2 inch staple to hold the boards tight while the glue sets.



Here I am gluing the first side in. Because the inside is a finished piece I did not want any nail holes so here I have cut some temporary braces to hold the side tight while the glue sets. The first side piece installed is a full board (4 inches high). I repeated this on all 4 sides.

Once all the sides were completed I cut some 1/2 inch by 3/4 inch strips of oak to support the trays that will be on the top.



Here I have cut some more temporary braces to hold the oak in place until the glue sets.
While I waited for that to set I installed the 3/16 cedar in the lid.



I have decided to not put any hinges on this box because it will be used mostly for aging and storing.
I have 2 other small humidors that I will use for daily use.

Like any woodworking project, sanding is often the most time consuming part.

It is also the one thing that can separate an outstanding piece from an average piece.

Do not skimp on the sanding, you will not regret it.

Once the oak supports were set I cut down some 2 inch cedar strips for the top portion of the sides.



I chose to have the sides higher than the base so when the lid is closed it creates a tight seal.
Because these corners will be seen I mitered the corners.
Once these set up over night I will round off the edges.



Once all sides were cut I placed them in place without glue to insure a good fit of the lid.
The above shot is before glue (dry set).



Again I cut temporary supports to hold the pieces in place.

I picked up some black felt to glue on the bottom and on the lip between the top and base. That should seal it up pretty well. The box and lid are basically complete now. Some sanding on the final pieces and building the trays for the top is all that remains.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have some completed pictures to share.

Chas

[ChasDen]

The final day of construction has finally arrived.
First thing I did this morning was to glue the felt on the bottom lip of the lid.



Using the same wood glue I have been using, I attached 3/4 inch felt strips on the lip.
I used pins to hold the felt in place until the glue set up.

Then off to the garage I went to start construction of the trays.
I decided on two equal trays, one on each side with a gap in the middle.
Should the need arise I can add a third one at a later date for more storage.



When working alone you sometimes need the help of a “jig” or template so to speak.
The jig I made for these trays will allow me to handle the boxes during construction and sanding
without worrying about collapsing them.



Once the glue set up enough to remove the clamps, I began the bottom.
I cut 1 and 1/4 inch strips and spaced them a 1/4 inch apart.
This will ensure good air flow around the sticks.
By installing them in diagonal strips it also allowed me to use up a few
cut offs that would have otherwise gone in the trash.

By mid day I had the trays completed and sanded.

Here is a shot of the completed humidor



With the lid off



Another



Here is a close up of the corner showing the felt.



I also rounded all the corners on the piece rising out of the base to make for easer lifting and closing of the lid.



I also rounded off all the corners of the trays. This will help protect them from chipping.



I have shot dozens of shots trying to capture the look of the finish without glare or reflection.
Below is probably the closest representation of the color it actually looks like in person.



Besides a place to store my cigars I had a few goals going into this project.

1 - Build a piece of furniture that my wife would be proud to display in her house. Check
2 - Create a glass smooth finish that a drill sergeant would be proud of. Check
3 - When the whole thing was complete all the corners lined up.



They are off a hair so b- on that one.

And do it without cutting any fingers off.

Now that its done all that remains is to season it and fill it.

Tonight I think I will take about an hour and just relax.



Hope you found something here of interest. I have had a blast doing it and sharing the experience.

Maybe I should go start a contest for when I will need something bigger…

Just kidding dear, in case she reads this.

Chas

[rgordin]

Wow. I envy your talent.

So where/when can I buy one?

[sames]

That is absolutely amazing. You did a great job. Awesome to see the finished product

[tchariya]

Man that is soooo awesome....I wish I had your wood working skills.
Yeah laugh it up guys..I'm ready to take your jokes now.