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Last post 21 years ago by ducati996. 11 replies replies.
Home made humidor cabinet...
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hoagie55 Offline
#1 Posted: Thu, Mar 27 2003, 5:17 AM EST
Joined: 03-01-2003
Posts: 909
I have been thinking about how to turn a small cabinet or other piece of furniture into a humidor for my growing stock of cigars. Has anyone else here done something like this. If so, what piece of furniture did you use and what did you do to it?

Here is my line of thinking:
1) By a used cabinet of some sort at a garage sale.
2) Seal the interior of it with caulking and a laquer or water proofer for wood such as Thompsons (several layers of course).
3) Line the interior with a thin layer of spanish cedar.
4) Purchase a large humidifier, make the necessary adjustments to the cabinet that is needed (holes to install humidifier, holes for power cords, etc..)
5) Give it a test.

Has anyone else done anything like this? If so, can you email me some pointers at kyhuntsman at yahoo dotcom.

Thanks!!
Matt
Mr.Mean Offline
#2 Posted: Thu, Mar 27 2003, 5:44 AM EST
Joined: 05-16-2001
Posts: 3,025
You don't want to make your seal tooo tight. If you do, your humiditiy will a problem and possible mold issues. Thompsons is an outdoor sealer, not a finish to be used on interior wood. The most accessible finish will be polyeurethane. I prefer a poly/oil blend myself.
xrundog Offline
#3 Posted: Thu, Mar 27 2003, 5:58 AM EST
Joined: 01-17-2002
Posts: 2,212
Look for a hardwood piece. Walnut or oak. Mean is right about the polyurethane. Don't caulk it. If you have some gaps, glue them. Use wood glue. It dries odorless. Use 1/4" spanish cedar. Check Robby's ploomidor post for hardware. That is one high tech setup! There have been comments lately about Cigar Oasis active humidifying units that sound good too. That's my opinion. Thanks for asking!
hoagie55 Offline
#4 Posted: Thu, Mar 27 2003, 7:46 AM EST
Joined: 03-01-2003
Posts: 909
Thanks for the great ideas guys!!

I would definitely look for a hardwood piece of furniture. I guess I was overlooking the mold issue. Using wood glue is definitely a better idea and I'll look into the poly/oil mix too.

Any more suggestions guys/gals?!?!

The ploomidor is an awesome custom piece of work. That would be GREAT to have, but my budget will be alot smaller than that. I will have to work with what I have or can get relatively cheap.
bud451 Offline
#5 Posted: Thu, Mar 27 2003, 7:49 AM EST
Joined: 09-11-2010
Posts: 2,237
No no no....do not us Thompsons, that stuff is crap and stinks like hell! You'll never get rid of it.

If you insist on sealing it, I'd use a water based poly but IMO you don't need to seal it. I used 1/2" rigid insulation and 1/2" plywood for the lining then put 3/8" T&G spanish cedar over that. I could have used 1/4" plywood but I didn't know what thickness spanish cedar I was using at the time.

Wood needs to breath expecially with 70% humidity. My armoire performs flawless in winter or summer in all humidity levels.
xrundog Offline
#6 Posted: Thu, Mar 27 2003, 10:12 AM EST
Joined: 01-17-2002
Posts: 2,212
That is a good point Bud. When screwing around with soft wood, like pine, you have to seal it. a good hardwood doesn't require sealing. Particularly an older piece of furniture. It's going to be pretty dry.
jerrya Offline
#7 Posted: Thu, Mar 27 2003, 1:04 PM EST
Joined: 11-10-2002
Posts: 44
Hoagie,
I put a picture of one I made a couple months ago in the Picture section. Look under the title Homemade Humidor. I think your on the right track.......
Good luck
Nomad Offline
#8 Posted: Thu, Mar 27 2003, 1:56 PM EST
Joined: 02-23-2003
Posts: 27
Last time I checked that 1/4" s/cedar was $$$, unless you can trade it for some morning-wood you may want to sit down and check your cost per cube, especially if you need to store VOLUME. A c-bid deal on that Havana footlocker may save you some time and $$.

JMDAFO
bud451 Offline
#9 Posted: Fri, Mar 28 2003, 7:48 AM EST
Joined: 09-11-2010
Posts: 2,237
Good point Nomad, but if you are like me, you can't put a price on creating something with your own hands. The reward is well worth the money and time. I think about it every time I open my armoire.

Besides the satifaction of refinishing and converting my armoire, I couldn't have purchased anything close for the less than $250 it cost me to build.
hoagie55 Offline
#10 Posted: Fri, Mar 28 2003, 10:31 AM EST
Joined: 03-01-2003
Posts: 909
Thanks for all of your great advice!

I'm really looking to refinish a piece of furniture with my own two hands. Something to stand back and admire everytime I open it.
hoagie55 Offline
#11 Posted: Sat, Mar 29 2003, 7:07 AM EST
Joined: 03-01-2003
Posts: 909
One more question before I start lookig for the supplies for my project. How thick does the spanish cedar need to be to work effectively? Will 3/16" SC work or should I stick with 1/4"?

I ran across someone that has some kiln dried 3/16" SC for a decent price and am wondering if I should buy it or hold out for the 1/4" SC. I am in no hurry so I can wait, but if this is a good deal then I want to make sure I get it before someone else does.
ducati996 Offline
#12 Posted: Sat, Mar 29 2003, 1:08 PM EST
Joined: 01-02-2000
Posts: 3,477
is this an outdoor humidor??..if so, don't use Thompsons. We in Wisconsin found that Thompsons can not stand up to our extreme weather conditions.....LOL
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