Mancaves: Cigar Sanctuary on DIY Network

[Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Twill413

Had that been my humi, I would have asked for spanish cedar instead of mahogany.

I am pretty sure they are the same thing. Spanish Cedar is not actually in the cedar family because it is a deciduous tree. It also isn't from Spain.

[jkorp]

Originally Posted by Twill413

Had that been my humi, I would have asked for spanish cedar instead of mahogany. Plus it really only had a fiberboard frame. Don't know how effective it would be at humidifying or if it would warp with time. Other than that, what were they smoking at the end ?

I'm pretty sure they were 3 different cigar he passed (Goose got the Cremosa j/k). I don't know what they were smoking, but the owner was really covering up the band on his stick. I think one looked like a white Gran Habano band, so maybe 3 Siglos.

Originally Posted by Sawyer

I am pretty sure they are the same thing. Spanish Cedar is not actually in the cedar family because it is a deciduous tree. It also isn't from Spain.

Spanish Cedar is a member of the Mahogany family.

[mugwump]

It was entertaining and I liked that they made the guy a custom humidor but most of the issues I wanted to see discussed were glossed over -- ventilation, odor removal, etc. Plus I don't think I would build a humi out of MDF. I use it all the time to refurbish arcade cabinets but it has some nasty toxins that I wouldn't want to leech into my stogies.

Now I just sit back and dream of the day when I'll have a basement again...

[coffeemonkey]

Originally Posted by Sawyer

I am pretty sure they are the same thing. Spanish Cedar is not actually in the cedar family because it is a deciduous tree. It also isn't from Spain.

They aren't the same thing even though they are in the same family. Mahogany is not nearly as aromatic and is a fair bit denser than Spanish Cedar. I nice humidor could be made from Mahogany and lined with Spanish cedar.

[Phidelt076]

I was a little surprised to see them use MDF as the case for the humidor as well. Is there any downside to this if you use a Spanish cedar veneer on the inside of the humidor to cover up all of the MDF? It seems like this would be relatively inexpensive to do.

[CaddoMoney]

It wasn't a bad show but I'm with everyone here, they could have used some more details. I could put it on DVD but don't know the legalities of doing so - I know there's a lot of markets that don't even get the DIY network.

Did anyone else notice the rectangular cuts in the bottom/back of the humi? Was that for a large humidification device?

I'm thinking that it might be ok to make on out of MDF since it was lined on the inside and out with Spanish Mahogany, and there was also a pretty thick layer of contact cement between the SM and the MDF. I'm not saying that it would last 20 years or anything, but I would think if you stored the sticks at 65%, it might just work. Aren't some larger humi cabinets made with MDF cores and veneer overlay?

I've made several MDF based projects in the past, and haven't had any issues related to humidity - and yes, in Arkansas it can get pretty humid. It could at least provide someone with a several year storage solution while they build the custom super duper ultra mega humidor of badassity out of solid wood.

[Bubba -NJ]

Originally Posted by Twill413

Had that been my humi, I would have asked for spanish cedar instead of mahogany. Plus it really only had a fiberboard frame. Don't know how effective it would be at humidifying or if it would warp with time. Other than that, what were they smoking at the end ?

From what I've been told and read the MDF they used to construct the cabinet is one of the most stable sheet goods available , just dont get it wet , humidity is fine but if that basement floods , it will blow up like a balloon .

[cbsmokin]

The owner of that house obviously was not a CS member. First of all, did you see the "stocked" humi at the end? What an embarrassment. He had like two 1/2 empty boxes in there. This for a guy who according to his daughter and wife smokes everyday? I'm not buying it. Someone needs to find that guy and tell him about this site and the devils site.

Also, I think the humi was a piece of crap. Come on, lined with veneer? A sponsored show couldn't even spring a couple hundred bucks to actually line it with some decent thickness wood?

I have to admit though that I did like the stone wall, but like everyone else said already that room is useless without the flat screen over the fireplace.

<Rant Over>

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by tchariya

RenoB....i'm going to tape this and bring it over to your place and watch it in your Man Cave!

Don't forget to bring a bucket of KFC Extra Crispy and a six pack of Schlitz.

[jkorp]

Originally Posted by cbsmokin

The owner of that house obviously was not a CS member. First of all, did you see the "stocked" humi at the end? What an embarrassment. He had like two 1/2 empty boxes in there. This for a guy who according to his daughter and wife smokes everyday? I'm not buying it. Someone needs to find that guy and tell him about this site and the devils site..

<RANT Over>

Thats because showing his "actual" collection would probably get the Federalis knocking on his door.

[ljh824]

I was extremely dissappointed. They didn't go into any detail. The episodes with those college friends from Boston last four or five episodes and was extremely detailed. I also thought the room could have been better. Maybe a flat screen, etc. Very dissappointed.

[Wookieefoot]

How many square feet do you think that room was? It looks almost identical to my future mancave.

[moviewithnotitle]

I don't get this channel on my cable system (darn cablevision) so I was not able to watch....booo! I have always viewed these shows as a brainstorm for myself and future projects. It's a good way to get the juices flowing and serve as a guide for your actual project. I think the tutorial if you will about the Cigar Room by Ryan was AWESOME! Huge props to him and the wealth of information that can be had form his website.

on a related note...I asked the wife about building one of these when we get a house and I got "that look" so I am guessing I will have to try harder. I may go for the computer/hobby/cigar room approach! I'll keep you all posted in the next few years if it happens.

Anyone know if the episode is available online to view?

[tandblov]

Perhaps some of you would do well to ask Bob Staebell or the guy who makes Avallos what goes into making a cabinet humidor. You would be suprised to learn that most of a humidor is constructed with MDF due to the fact that solid wood tends to warp. Ny understanding from Bob is that the only solid piece of wood is the door/s., and these aren't cheap humidors by any means.

The veneer doesn't need to be too thick in order to do the job, and if it is high quality veneer and applied properly, it looks quite good and does the job well. That is unless you want to drop a few thousand dollars just on a 1 inch thick piece of tiger eye maple big enough to do the top of your cabinet, only to see it warp after 6 months.

And why fill your humidor with huge amounts of spanish cedar? A thin layer is all you need. Your active humidification system is what primarily keeps things steady. You don't need a lot of cedar to balance out the humidity.

Just saying, you'd might be surprised what actually goes into making a high quality cabinet humidor.

[jkorp]

Originally Posted by tandblov

Perhaps some of you would do well to ask Bob Staebell or the guy who makes Avallos what goes into making a cabinet humidor. You would be suprised to learn that most of a humidor is constructed with MDF due to the fact that solid wood tends to warp. Ny understanding from Bob is that the only solid piece of wood is the door/s., and these aren't cheap humidors by any means.

The veneer doesn't need to be too thick in order to do the job, and if it is high quality veneer and applied properly, it looks quite good and does the job well. That is unless you want to drop a few thousand dollars just on a 1 inch thick piece of tiger eye maple big enough to do the top of your cabinet, only to see it warp after 6 months.

And why fill your humidor with huge amounts of spanish cedar? A thin layer is all you need. Your active humidification system is what primarily keeps things steady. You don't need a lot of cedar to balance out the humidity.

Just saying, you'd might be surprised what actually goes into making a high quality cabinet humidor.

I agree with most of what you said, but MDF is not the only option, just the cheapest option. You can use plywood which is more dimensionally stable than MDF. Agreed that you probably would't want to use solid figured wood to make the shell, but you can use a low grade solid wood and veneer a figured wood on top of that. You don't have to use sawdust and glue.

The big problem I have with MDF and plywood, is that it will off-gas for a long time, a lifetime even. One of the components of the resin is formaldehyde. I don't know about the rest of ya, but I don't want formaldehyde in my smokes. If you have to use MDF or Plywood, there are low and emission free products available, but I'm betting they cost a pretty penny.