Building a Humidor

[Kelso Chris]

I decided last week that I would build a nice humidor to stash my cigars in and keep them properly.  I bought some nice Spanish Cedar at WOODCRAFT for the liner and trays.  I have some really nice Cherry that I will use for the case itself and I will probably throw in some walnut for accents here and there. My next question is what should I finish it with after I've built it. If I were just doing the exterior i'd go with a simple oil finish to let the cherry patina nicely. I'm assuming I need to finish the interior though as well to prevent damage from the humidity inside the case. No way do I want to use an oil on the inside as it will never dry completely and will probably taint my cigars as well. If any of you have built a humidor what did you use for a finish and did you finish the inside of the case or leave it natural? The smell of the Spanish Cedar is incredible and very strong.  I can smoke a cigar at the end of the day and come out the next morning and all I smell is the Cedar. I wish it wasn't so expensive, 4 and 3/4 bdft cost me $50.

[lew]

I built this one-

http://thepatriotwoodworker.com/topic/16071-building-fancy-humidor-part-1/#comment-61136

[PeteM]

Would mineral oil do for an interior sealant?  Won't go rancid, has no odor, no taste.  Me either.

[Fred W. Hargis Jr]

I wish Ed Salle was around (he does this for a living). While I don;t know the answer I'll hazard a guess that you don't want anything on the inside to contaminate the cigars. I suspect a coat of shellac is acceptable, but probably unnecessary. I have just won an auction on some fine cigars, so this is of interest to me (without a shop at the moment, it's more academic than anything). That price on the cedar is painful, ouch!

Edited December 2, 2016 by Fred W. Hargis, Jr

[Gene Howe]

The Spanish Cedar shouldn't be finished. Especially, if you incorporate a humidifing device. 

[lew]

1 hour ago, Gene Howe said:

The Spanish Cedar shouldn't be finished. Especially, if you incorporate a humidifing device. 

Exactly. If you do finish the inside- not the cedar- the humidor will need to set open until all of the finish gasses off. Even with that, it still might have a lingering odor.

 

Also, don't skimp on the size of the humidifier. It has to be large enough to maintain the humidity level. 

 

Here's a helpful site- http://archive.cigarweekly.com/magazine/cigarticles/02-12-2009/building-a-cabinet-humidor-from-scratch

[Kelso Chris]

Thanks for the advice guys. I had thought about building one with legs but am opting to keep it smaller. The case will be18x12x9 with a small drawer for my cutters and lighters etc.. I'll probably have a nice base for it. I knew that the cedar should not get a finish. I hadn't thought about finishing the unlined interior with shellac and will probably go with that. I don't buy bulk just a dozen or so at once.

[Dadio]

No finish on the spanish cedar, that is why it is used to temper the humidity and give off a pleasant smell. Are you going to do the Quadrant hinges? If you do you can get them on Ebay for around $9.00 /pr. where as they run around $45. /pr. regular. The Ebay are solid brass but thinner than the more expensive ones. They also have the handles for cheap too.

here are what they look like.

Herb

Edited December 4, 2016 by Dadio

[lew]

Some free Plans from Woodworkers Journal-

http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/WJ144-Walnut-Burl-Humidor.pdf

[Dadio]

Thanks Lew that is a neat set of plans.

herb

[TxMoose]

Here is a link to Ed's website Waxing Moon Humidors.

Here is his Facebook

Drop him a email, it can't hurt to ask.

He used to post frequently over at WOOD when it existed.

TxMoose

[Michael Thuman]

I have very little background with this but my parents had a humidor that was copper lined.  It kept in the moisture and did not contaminate the cigars at all.  At least that is what my Grandpa told me.

 

 

[Gene Howe]

Just out of curiosity Michael, did the copper turn green with the moisture?