Have. Any of you made your own box or smallish humidor?

Echambers

....if so, I'd like to talk with you. Post here or PM perhaps? I'm looking to build either a 300ish box humidor or a small (under 500) cabinet humidor .

kuzi16

my dad built a few. i have one of them and it is in use now. he and i talked extensively about building them and that one in particular. what kinda questions do you have. i may be able to help.

WaltBasil

Feel free to pick my brain cell.

Echambers

Thanks guys. I have lot of questions.,,,but I'll start with just a couple.

. First some background. I think In three years I will be building a house. My intention is to build a well ventilated smoking room with a large built in humidor (much like yours Walt) so I just need something to get me through the next three years. I'm leaning towards mahogany with a. Spanish ceder lining and drawers. I've chosen mahogany for its looks but also because of the hardwoods it has some similar properties to Spanish ceder (but see below too)

I've read a lot of about the debate between solid wood and mdf with veneer. Normally I wouldn't even consider mdf but most of what I read suggested that mdf is better at dealing with the humidity than most real wood. Of. course I'm only looking to get three or four years out of it so maybe it doesn't matter

If I choose a cabinet design I am most concered with the seal. How did you ensure a tight seek Walt?

Thoughts so far? Anything I need to be thinking about?

WaltBasil

Echambers:

Thanks guys. I have lot of questions.,,,but I'll start with just a couple.

. First some background. I think In three years I will be building a house. My intention is to build a well ventilated smoking room with a large built in humidor (much like yours Walt) so I just need something to get me through the next three years. I'm leaning towards mahogany with a. Spanish ceder lining and drawers. I've chosen mahogany for its looks but also because of the hardwoods it has some similar properties to Spanish ceder (but see below too)

I've read a lot of about the debate between solid wood and mdf with veneer. Normally I wouldn't even consider mdf but most of what I read suggested that mdf is better at dealing with the humidity than most real wood. Of. course I'm only looking to get three or four years out of it so maybe it doesn't matter

If I choose a cabinet design I am most concered with the seal. How did you ensure a tight seek Walt?

Thoughts so far? Anything I need to be thinking about?

I think vaneers are better at handling moisture in most cases. But not necessarily for our purpose here. And this is just my opinion, mind you. Someone else feel free to come and school me. Spanish ceder is used for it's better handling capability of moisture. It accepts it, holds it, all without warping too much where other woods would. Lining a box with it is just that. A lining. I don't think it would matter much to your sticks whether or not its solid wood or or a vaneer. Having said that, your box/cabinet might mind when it comes to trapping that moisture in. If using a vaneer, I'd apply a solid coat of the adhesive which will become a moisture barrier. If using solid wood, the wood itself should be enough.

For your door/drawer seals, simple weatherstripping should suffice. Easily obtainable from Lowes/Home Depot, etc. I use an acitve humidification system, so I do worry too much about if it's airtight. If it loses some, the electronics kick in and add more moisture. Before I was completely done sealing the doors, it would take a water refill every 4 days. After the seal I refill once every 8 days or more. I open them sliding doors at least once a day. Sometimes 2 or 3 times a day. For a passive system, the seal will be much more important.

kuzi16

WaltBasil:

If using a vaneer, I'd apply a solid coat of the adhesive which will become a moisture barrier. If using solid wood, the wood itself should be enough.

this is a good point.
one thought though is that if you have two different woods right next to each other with a relatively solid coat of glue acting as a moisture barrier then you have two different materials that expand at a different rate attached together. this could cause warping issues if one expands much more than the other. this can be overcome by having a heavy varnish on both the inside and outside of the exterior wood creating the moisture barrier, then having the spanish cedar as a lining on the inside.
you can see in some desktop humidors that the cedar isnt even attached to the humidor. this is not a problem. its to account for the expansion.

some B&M walk-ins will actually use a plastic vapor seal between the cedar and the exterior walls of the humidor.
if building a walk-in that would be how i would go.


if using solid wood there needs to be some sort of seal on the outside of the wood. the spanish cedar does in fact accept moisture well and this also means that it will go right through it. that heavy varnish on a solid spanish cedar humidor isnt just for looks, it is functional as well.

Echambers

All good information guys. Thanks.

0patience

Somewhere I read about a guy who built a closet humidor.
He lined the inside of the closet with a tub/shower liner material and then installed his cedar.
It made sense. Cause the moisture could get past the cedar into the structure. Especially if you already live in a damp climate.
I wish I could find the article again.

WaltBasil

0patience:

Somewhere I read about a guy who built a closet humidor.
He lined the inside of the closet with a tub/shower liner material and then installed his cedar.
It made sense. Cause the moisture could get past the cedar into the structure. Especially if you already live in a damp climate.
I wish I could find the article again.

Very similar to what I did. In a bathroom (or high moisture areas) you don't want to use regular dry wall. They'll absorb moisture and eventually mold or worse. So you use cement backer board instead. Sold in the same thickness as drywall and usually at the same dimensions. It's just a moisture barrier, keeping it both in and/or out. Knowing this, I used this backerboard for the interior of my humidor, in my case, to help keep the moisture in without causing mold on anything on the outside. I mounted the solid cedar strips onto it with both liquid nails and tack nails.