Puff Cigar Discussion Forums

ChasDen · 12-29-2007, 11:30 PM

Because I have 4 days off this weekend I decided I would tackle the problem of storing my cigars. Because I have little will power and the devil site has me hook line and sinker my 2 - 50 count humidors are no longer sufficient. The cheap one will be a temporary holding box for trades and contests. The second one my son bought me for Christmas (a very nice engraved unit). That unit will be used for the everyday smokes and those that will be available at a moments notice. The new one will be for the main storage of new sticks and will be sitting on the night stand next to my bed so I can guard it! The rough size will be 22 inches long 12 inches deep and 8 inches high. That comes out to 2112 cubic inches. Based on the average 100 count humidor (700 ci), I figure it will hold around 300 cigars. I will take a few pictures as I go and hope to have it completed before the 8th of 9th of January.

Day one:
Goal – Build main box body and get one coat of stain applied.

I work in the building industry so I have access to plenty of wood scraps. The main body will be finish grade plywood that I picked up a few months back with no real purpose at the time.

Here I have ripped down ¾ inch poplar for the bottom and top of the plywood. The bottom will hang over the inside so I have something to support the floor of the humidor.

Here the sides are assembled with the tops and bottoms. I have grooved out the top and bottom of the outside to allow for a flush mount of trim.

A better view

Here the sides have been cut and are ready to assemble.

A close up of the ends.

The main body is complete. All joints are glued and nailed using a small brad.

Here I am gluing the trim to the body. Once completed I will sand the seams flush.

Trim is complete. The top will be sanded flush to allow for a larger lip for the lid. The bottom is raised slightly off the bottom.

Sanded and ready for the first coat of stain.

I choose a rosewood stain. 2 coats of stain will probably create the look I want. I like the dark woods where the wood grain is just slightly visible. This will also help blend in the 2 different kinds of wood used. The trim was just pine.

Sanding took about 2 hours. I started with 120 grit sandpaper and finished with 220. A quick rub down with steel wool and this puppy is as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

As expected the first coat of stain is too light for my taste. Another coat in the morning before the wife gets up.

Hopefully I will get at least one coat of urethane on the body tomorrow. I also need to decide on the top. I have not made up my mind if I want glass in it or not yet. I will update this post as I go and hope to have it done in a week.

Chas

BamaDoc77 · 12-29-2007, 11:33 PM

That looks like some quality right there........i would let it sit AT LEAST a month b4 sticking cigars in it though to let the chemicals/vapors evaporate as best they can.....GOOD WORK!!