What type cedar?

[CigDaddy]

Ok, some may remember that I bought a 300ct humidor in July. I've been bombed a couple of times by some great fellas(5thDan, Altbier, Dadof3illinois) and now.....you guessed it........IT'S FULL!!! I can also give cigarbid a helluva lot of credit for filling it also. Here's the plan: I have a pretty big hutch that I'm going to convert to a hunmidor. I KNOW that Spanish Cedar is the way I'm supposed to go here, but can anyone tell me why regular cedar won't work? Does it have to do with changing the tastes of the smokes? Would it really be THAT big a deal to NOT use Spanish Cedar?....Cmon guys...tell me how it is!! I'm dying to get started on this project ASAP.

Chris

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by CigDaddy

Ok, some may remember that I bought a 300ct humidor in July. I've been bombed a couple of times by some great fellas(5thDan, Altbier, Dadof3illinois) and now.....you guessed it........IT'S FULL!!! I can also give cigarbid a helluva lot of credit for filling it also. Here's the plan: I have a pretty big hutch that I'm going to convert to a hunmidor. I KNOW that Spanish Cedar is the way I'm supposed to go here, but can anyone tell me why regular cedar won't work? Does it have to do with changing the tastes of the smokes? Would it really be THAT big a deal to NOT use Spanish Cedar?....Cmon guys...tell me how it is!! I'm dying to get started on this project ASAP.

Chris

Spanish cedar or don't bother.

[Danimal]

Make sure it's Spanish Kiln Dried Cedar... not Aromatic Spanish cedar

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by DKim81

Make sure it's Spanish Kiln Dried Cedar... not Aromatic Spanish cedar

Thanks Daniel. I didn't know there was a difference.

[opus]

Do not use aromatic cedar. I have heard of other species being used though, such as sycamore.

[Syvman]

Originally Posted by CigDaddy

Ok, some may remember that I bought a 300ct humidor in July. I've been bombed a couple of times by some great fellas(5thDan, Altbier, Dadof3illinois) and now.....you guessed it........IT'S FULL!!! I can also give cigarbid a helluva lot of credit for filling it also. Here's the plan: I have a pretty big hutch that I'm going to convert to a hunmidor. I KNOW that Spanish Cedar is the way I'm supposed to go here, but can anyone tell me why regular cedar won't work? Does it have to do with changing the tastes of the smokes? Would it really be THAT big a deal to NOT use Spanish Cedar?....Cmon guys...tell me how it is!! I'm dying to get started on this project ASAP.

Chris

It's my understanding that Spanish cedar is actually not a cedar at all, but a type of mahogany. And it's got qualities that make it ideal for lining a humidor - retention of moisture, resistance of warping, and no overpowering scent. And in the case of most humidors, the Spanish cedar is kiln-dried, so there won't be any sap leaking out of the wood onto your smokes.
I've also read (in the MANY Cigar 101 documents/faqs out there) that Spanish cedar provides the best overall environment for aging cigars. Whether or not this is true, I have no idea - but it seems to be the consensus.
I don't think Spanish cedar is all that difficult to obtain - it's just not available down at the Home Depot or Lowes. You might have to find a specialty lumber shop (there are several here in Phoenix, I'm sure it's the same elsewhere) to purchase the lumber. Be forewarned - I've been told that it's kind of a pricey wood.

[mels95yj]

Hey, if you can wait until tomorrow, I've got a link to a source for Spanish Cedar. I just remember it being pre-cut board lengths, but you may be able to see if they've got something else. It was a national chain, so there might be one close to you, but if not, you can order it. I'll post it tomorrow.

Mel

[CJupdike]

You can order spanish cedar from your local Woodcraft or Rockler store. Woodcraft will even ship it to you if you order it on ther website
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx...1&FamilyID=680
it's $80 for 8 board feet from them which is definitely on the pricey side so I suggest trying a local lumber yard and if they don't have it maybe they can order it in for you. That large of a cabinet will take quite a few board feet.

[mels95yj]

Originally Posted by CJupdike

You can order spanish cedar from your local Woodcraft or Rockler store. Woodcraft will even ship it to you if you order it on ther website
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx...1&FamilyID=680
it's $80 for 8 board feet from them which is definitely on the pricey side so I suggest trying a local lumber yard and if they don't have it maybe they can order it in for you. That large of a cabinet will take quite a few board feet.

Woodcraft. That's the place I've got stored at work. Thanks CDupdike!

Mel

[zemekone]

The regular cedar is too aromatic, and your sticks will abosorb the scent the the cedar, while the Spanish is less aromatic. Both hold and give off the same amount of humidity

[CigDaddy]

Thanks guys for the info....I'll definately want to do this right as I want to store and age some pricey cigars. We do have a specialty lumber yard here in town that I used to work for....back in the day.....

Chris

[horrorview]

It shouldn't be toooooo expensive, though, no? I mean, he only needs to get, like, 1/4 inch thick sheets at the most, right?

[ky toker]

I have a local Wood Craft and the wood is not kiln dried, so I'm guessing the wood ordered from the website is not either.

Does it have to be kiln dried? Will sanding down prevent sap? Can you heat it in an oven?

[Jeff]

Originally Posted by ky toker

I have a local Wood Craft and the wood is not kiln dried, so I'm guessing the wood ordered from the website is not either.

Does it have to be kiln dried? Will sanding down prevent sap? Can you heat it in an oven?

I would think that it would need to be kiln dried. You want to get rid of resins or any other extractives that might contaminate the stogies. I'll ask my wood products professor about it.

Cedrela Odorata or Spanish cedar is not actually a cedar. Its in the Magnolia family. Thought that was an interesting fact seeing as I'm a Forestry major.

[AAlmeter]

Originally Posted by ky toker

I have a local Wood Craft and the wood is not kiln dried, so I'm guessing the wood ordered from the website is not either.

Does it have to be kiln dried? Will sanding down prevent sap? Can you heat it in an oven?

Sanding down won't prevent sap. I'm sure you could give it a shot in the oven, at very low heat, or you could do what I do for wood storage....the rafters of your garage (or attic) with some scrap pieces of wood between each piece to keep air movement. It will take a while though (like, uh, years). Ideally you want around a 6% MC. Is this all necessary???

The problem with using SC wet is mainly that it tends to "weep". SC remains fairly stable and can take pretty big sways in humidity and moisture content without massive deformation. But if it weeps and the sap touches a cigar...its ruined. If you plan on a lot of box storage....this isnt a problem. Plus you can just wipe off the sap with paint thinner, turpentine, etc.

I know, I know, evil spirits in the temple of the cigar....they'll live. Just think about the gas the torcedor had after eating bean burritos the night before. You never even noticed did you?

So yeah, you can use wet SC without massive problems, especially if youre mainly going to have box storage.

Just remember, wear a dust mask! Im serious, I hate OSHA and I think dust masks are for pansies too, but spanish cedar is NASTY crap.