Humidor 101

[AAlmeter]

Originally Posted by MM2(SW)S

Thanks for putting this together. I guess I asked you to many questions

No...keep asking. The more you ask the more I learn....and, hopefully, everyone else learns as well.

[AAlmeter]

Originally Posted by Nely

Great info AalmeterI would love to learn wood working. As a matter of fact I've been considering signing up for some classes. What are the basic tools needed to build humidors? I want to get an idea of the cost my new hobby will bring me. Thanks.

To build the humidors above, you will need a tablesaw, chisels, maybe a hand plane, sandpaper, clamps, and a square. And of course Gorilla glue.

As far as getting started in woodworking (specifically humidors and cabinet-type work), Id say this would be my order for purchasing. 2-4 are interchangable, since theyre all pretty necessary.


1) Tablesaw

Cant live without it. Get the best you can afford.

2) Clamps. C clamps furniture clamps are must haves, miter clamps are nice to have as well. You can never have too many clamps.

3) Chisels and handplanes. Assorted sizes for the chisels and 3 handplanes will serve your needs for the rest of your life, a stanley #3/#4, a #5, and a rabbet plane.

4) Squares. Carpenters squares, framing squares, and combination squares are all pretty inexpensive and handy to have around.

5) Router

6) Planer

7) Bandsaw

Jointer

I hope Im not pushing anyone down another slippery slope.

[AAlmeter]

Originally Posted by Gordon in NM

Remember the Golden Rule:
"Don't cut your f-ing fingers off!!!"

Im going to have to make a cutout sign of that warning with the bandsaw to hang in my workshop.

[Nely]

Thanks again aaltmeter!

[par]

I'm considering building my own humi. Sounds like a fun wood working project. What type of hinges do you use (i like the concealed kind of hinges) and where do you get them from?

Originally Posted by par

I'm considering building my own humi. Sounds like a fun wood working project. What type of hinges do you use (i like the concealed kind of hinges) and where do you get them from?

Par, PM me. Need info on you

AAl meter;
A couple of questions for you, if I might?

How close is what I call Red Cedar (prevelant in the south) to spanish cedar? Or is ti the same thing? I know Red Cedar is very good at rot resistence, and has good aroma properties. But is it too aromatic?

If red cedar is not the same as spanish, do you know enough about red cedar to make any judgement as to it's suitability for the liner?

I have several red cedar log sections stored in my barn for future projects, and this sounds like one.

Exterior: Any danger of exterior odors affecting interior storage? I also have black walnut trunks stored for future projects. Would make a beautiful exterior, but not at the expense of cigars, and black walnut can have an odor.

I also have a very nice piece of Red Oak plank (1" x 12" x 10') put back that will do nicely if Walnut is questionable. This plank is well cured, and begging for a good use, so walnut is not a major issue.

Thanks for posts, a copy will be in my workshop tomorrow, waiting for me to make time to butcher some wood.

[mhotek]

I use 1/4 Spanish Cedar for the interiors. Anything less than this won't work for a buffer which is the real reason for putting it in. You can always go thicker, but about 3/8" is about as thick as you want to go otherwise you'll start to really take up storage space.

A dust mask or even better a respirator is pretty much necessary for Spanish Cedar. It might smell nice, but it tastes like crap and you definitely don't want to be breathing it. That also goes with a good air handling system. You can go as low tech as opening the garage door and using a fan. Spanish Cedar dust can hang in the air for hours after you are done, because it is very fine and very light.

Unless you want your humidor to smell like a hamster cage, don't use red cedar. Spanish cedar is the common name, it actually isn't even a cedar. It is a type of mahogany.

When you buy Spanish cedar, make sure your source understands what they are doing. As weird as it may sound, depending upon the phase of the moon it was harvested under, it can have a significant variation in the amount of sap. There are two tricks to use to do the best you can to make sure the cedar doesn't eventually bleed. Mill it to the final thickness and then stack it off to the side with something like the basic foam sheeting you find wrapped around electronics and other products and leave for about 30 - 60 days. The foam will draw out the excess sap. You can also mill to final thickness and then bake the boards at about 180 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes. (You have to be VERY careful with this one if you don't want to start a fire.)

No matter what tools you buy whether powered or hand tools, the number one wood working tool ever made can't be purchased. It is sitting on top of your shoulders. It something even remotely seems risky, don't do it.

[mhotek]

I also use the following:

Titebond II
Titebond III
Gorilla Glue

The Titebond II and III will actually produce a stronger joint in the short term, but over several days Gorilla Glue will eventually have more strength. I tend to prefer the Titebond simply because it cleans up a lot better than Gorilla Glue, doesn't discolor my hands, and there isn't a lot of foaming residue as you get with Gorilla Glue. It also lasts a lot longer than Gorilla Glue.

If you are buying Gorilla Glue, buy the SMALLEST bottle that they have. Unless you are gluing up hundreds of items, you'll just wind up wasting a lot of glue.

But, don't get that wrong. Any of the three mentioned above will have more bonding strength than the wood around it. Once fully cured, you are going to break the board long before you break the glue line with any of those three.

[opus]

Originally Posted by AAlmeter

No...keep asking. The more you ask the more I learn....and, hopefully, everyone else learns as well.

I am building a replica 3 door icebox out of solid quartersawn white oak. I plan on making it a humidor. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Thinking I will line it with 1/2 inch spanish cedar an make slide out cedar slat trays. Perhaps box storage in the larger of the three doors. Should I glue the cedar to the oak, or will they expand and contract at different rates. Also thought about no glue tongue and groove or board and battan for the cedar lining. Do you think I can make the door seals adequate? Any humidifying suggestions. I already have the case and doors cut but not assembled.

Again, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

[AAlmeter]

Originally Posted by par

I'm considering building my own humi. Sounds like a fun wood working project. What type of hinges do you use (i like the concealed kind of hinges) and where do you get them from?

I get most of my stuff from Rockler. This is not an endorsement...its just because they are the only place near me.

[AAlmeter]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

AAl meter;
A couple of questions for you, if I might?

How close is what I call Red Cedar (prevelant in the south) to spanish cedar? Or is ti the same thing? I know Red Cedar is very good at rot resistence, and has good aroma properties. But is it too aromatic?

If red cedar is not the same as spanish, do you know enough about red cedar to make any judgement as to it's suitability for the liner?

I have several red cedar log sections stored in my barn for future projects, and this sounds like one.

Exterior: Any danger of exterior odors affecting interior storage? I also have black walnut trunks stored for future projects. Would make a beautiful exterior, but not at the expense of cigars, and black walnut can have an odor.

I also have a very nice piece of Red Oak plank (1" x 12" x 10') put back that will do nicely if Walnut is questionable. This plank is well cured, and begging for a good use, so walnut is not a major issue.

Thanks for posts, a copy will be in my workshop tomorrow, waiting for me to make time to butcher some wood.

Red cedar is not Spanish cedar. Do not use red cedar. Though black walnut does have an odor (I find it to be very pleasant), Ive found that even 1/4" of sp cedar lining will keep the smell out. To be honest, I dont think it would really matter. Many people like the smell of spanish cedar as a compliment to cigars, and I dont think black walnut would be a bad choice either. But.....with the lining its not a problem and I THINK that the smell of black walnut dissipates within weeks, whereas sp cedar will last for quite a while.

Your best bet would be to make a black walnut humidor, and a red oak one.

[AAlmeter]

Originally Posted by opusxox

I am building a replica 3 door icebox out of solid quartersawn white oak. I plan on making it a humidor. Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated. Thinking I will line it with 1/2 inch spanish cedar an make slide out cedar slat trays. Perhaps box storage in the larger of the three doors. Should I glue the cedar to the oak, or will they expand and contract at different rates. Also thought about no glue tongue and groove or board and battan for the cedar lining. Do you think I can make the door seals adequate? Any humidifying suggestions. I already have the case and doors cut but not assembled.

Again, any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Well, I need to ask you a few questions. By icebox...you mean 'icebox' right? Like old fridge size? Take extra care with your angles. Any error will be very noticable. You are almost framing a room at that size, but Im assuming you still want to keep a woodworkers tolerence. You will need an active humidification system. There are plenty of threads on here from people who know more that I do about that. 1/2" is appropriate and easy to work with for that size humidor.

[mhotek]

Focus on the construction of the exterior. Make sure everything fits cleanly and accurately. I'd call 1/2" Spanish Cedar a bit much, you shouldn't have to go that thick. It's a liner, not the main building material. 1/4" at a minimum and 3/8" at most should get you exactly what you want.

Lining desktop humidors is easy, you cut it to fit snugly, and you do NOT glue it to the exterior wood. This allows it to basically float and shift as the cedar expands without placing stress on the exterior. If it were glued to the exterior, most desktops would eventually blow them selves apart due to the stress points. Don't underestimate just how much force is exerted by a board when it expands by 1/128".

Lining a cabinet is much different since you are dealing with larger areas and the fact that you have horizontal and vertical orientations. So, yes, there is some adhesion that you need to do. The top and bottom are something we usually glue to the exterior, but we use very thin sheets (~1/16") for that lining to reduce the amount of stress it can exert. For the walls, we go as sparingly with the glue as possible. You want the liner to stay in place and not display any gaps to the exterior wood, but you don't want it glued so completely that it doesn't move.

[opus]

Originally Posted by AAlmeter

Well, I need to ask you a few questions. By icebox...you mean 'icebox' right? Like old fridge size? Take extra care with your angles. Any error will be very noticable. You are almost framing a room at that size, but Im assuming you still want to keep a woodworkers tolerence. You will need an active humidification system. There are plenty of threads on here from people who know more that I do about that. 1/2" is appropriate and easy to work with for that size humidor.

Yeah, it is from Rockler icebox plans with a few variations. I am cocerned about sealing and the active humidifier does sound appropriate. I will look for the threads Thanks for your advice