How hard would this be to make?

[David Schmaus]

I am just completing my first workbench and have done some misc projects for the last two years. Never a nice piece of furniture.. I have been wanting to build a humidor for myself. Something in the 24x12x12 size. I have done research building humidors and understand that part..

I found this online and really like the style. How hard would some thing like this be to build


http://cigarhumidors.vigilantinc.com/images/humidors/custom-anniversary-cabinet.gif
http://cigarhumidors.vigilantinc.com/images/humidors/custom-anniversary-open.gif

[George Bregar]

Boxes are hard to make...tougher than furniure because the tight tolerances required to have a nice finished product. That said, they don't cost alot...not a lot of stock is used so go for it! worse thing that can happen is you try again...

[doug faist]

How hard? Exacting, detailed and time consuming, but not THAT hard. This is the kind of project where you can polish your skills and have them shown off to great benefit.

Your best bet is to jump in and do it! If it doesn't turn out to your satisfaction, scrap it and do it again. That's the entertaining part of this hobby.

Have fun with your project.

Doug

[Leo Graywacz]

Looks simple enough. You could make it a bit more challenging by doing a box joint for the drawer boxes. That would take me about 20 hours from start to finishing.

[Bruce Page]

It is certainly doable. Hard is a relative term, what’s difficult for some is easy for others. One of the hardest lessons to learn is patience. I think if you exercise patience, do your planning, and practice in areas that you might be weak in, you could turn out a humidor every bit as nice as the one pictured.

[george wilson]

That box is veneered. That alone can be problematic for even experienced woodworkers,if they haven't done veneering. Be sure to only use hide glue,and NOT contact cement!!!!!!!!! The hide glue may come right through the veneer,but that is o.k.. Sand it down,and put a thin coating of hide glue on the veneer to seal it,and resand. that will also keep you from seeing different color spots where the glue bled through after you apply the finish.

When I first came to Colonial Williamsburg,I had to make a large veneered harpsichord. Even the Master Cabinet Maker had not done veneering. It was a steep learning curve,but I did it. I had been mostly a guitar maker before coming there.

The edge banding is normally made of veneer strips cut right across the grain,with 45 degree mitered corners.

[Myk Rian]

This tool chest took 1 month to build. Bigger than a humidor, but the tolerances are tight. Good measuring equipment and a table saw that cuts straight makes things easier.

[george wilson]

Don't make your drawers too tight. They will stick for sure when the weather gets dry. I tend to make things too closely fitted,and have had that problem with a tool chest I made in 1970,of similar layout to the chest above.

[John Jendro]

I've thought of building a humidor, haven't got around to it yet.

My question is if you go with drawers, does that mean you have to have a humidifier for every drawer?



John

[Adam Wissman]

looks relatively simple, just exacting and time consuming. very, very nice looking box though, i might have to make me one of those.

[John Harden]

The veneering will have a learning curve if you've never done it, but on the other hand, it is at least made up of small pieces you can caul/clamp up, versus needing a press.

In the second photo I can't help but notice the pronounced gap between the drawer sides and the insides of the cabinet. I suspect that what you're not seeing is mechanical (metal) drawer slides.

These cut construction time in half but are out of place on fine furniture pieces. I'd also advise against using them in a high humidity environment like a humidor. To do it well I'd recommend traditional piston fit drawers. Time consuming, but also timeless.

I also agree with the chap who commented tht this is a very nice design overall. Very pleasing to the eye.

Regards,

John

[Frank Drew]

Don't make your drawers too tight. They will stick for sure when the weather gets dry. George,
Don't you mean that they'll stick when the weather gets too humid?

Many years ago, I delivered a piece -- which included two hand-fitted drawers -- right in the middle of Virginia's humid August; the windows in the house were open and I could practically see the humidity coming in; sure enough, by the next morning the drawers were too tight and I had to go plane them down.

[David Schmaus]

I am a little stumped on the design. If it is truly a humidor there would bot be any metal inside at all. The other thing is the drawers ... Each one would have to seal pretty well when closed. Generally in a humidor the drawers are made of cedar and have slots in them to let the air travel.

[Stephen Musial]

That may be why there's a gap on the side - air circulation, not drawer guides. The guides could be on the bottom.

It would be a nice little project to learn on. Veneering isn't at all difficult - just use cold press veneer glue and either cauls or a Roarockit kit (be sure to put waxed paper between the veneer and the caul). It's good practice to balance your panels with veneer on both sides so use Spanish Cedar on the inside of the panels.

A few other points that come to mind:

If you use plywood as your veneer base, you can glue the panels to the frames for added rigidity. The frames could be cope and stick or just mortise and tenon with applied moldings around the inside.

The top panels can sit in a rabbet and then sand/scrape/plane the frames perfectly flush with the panel.

The edges of the drawers would be easy to do with cockbeading. Make them a little large and then sneak up on the final fit with a plane, scraper or sander.

Make the drawers all one piece - the middle is just a kerf cut to make them look like separate drawers.

[David Schmaus]

That sounds good.. I am thinking about making this out of solid wood instead of veneer. I think it will be a challenge enough without introducing something I have not tried before. I really want to focus on nice tight joints and the "details" That is what I struggle with the most. You know the "she looks good a 10 feet"

I noticed in the picture that they only have three drawers opened. I believe that is because the bottom drawer contains the humidifier.

[Stephen Musial]

If you go that route, you'll need to make sure all the panels float - don't glue them to the sides or something will give when they expand and contract.

[Prashun Patel]

If it were me, I'd adapt the design to my skill level.

Can you make a single-drawer humidor?
Can you make the top and drawer faces out of solid stock instead of edgebanded veneer?
Those things might make it easier.

The difficulty of the drawers will be in the joinery. You can do box joints or dovetails if you're feeling ambitious, or rabbets and dado's.

The faceframe can be made considerably easier if you use pocket screws on the back...

[Lee Schierer]

It looks like an interesting project. It will take a lot of time to get it done right. You won't progress your wood working skills by always building simple projects. I would take the time to draw out the project so you have at least a dimensioned drawing to work from rather than winging it as you go. You will need to insure your saw is well tuned to get perfect cuts. Two suggestions for the drawers.

First use locking rabbet joints for the corners. They are easy to make and very strong. You can see what they look like below.
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~us71na/maplebox.jpg


Second for the dividers you can make them adjustable and removable by cutting shallow v-grooves either in the drawer sides or by making inserts that fit into the drawer that have the v-grooves in them. The divider you see in the bottom of the jewelry box is made that way and can be removed in seconds. The cross piece has pointed ends that fit into the v grooves of the slats that run front to back along the sides.
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~us71na/emilyjewel3.jpg

You can make this type of divider any size depending upon how you locate the v-grooves and the length of the slats.

[Joe Leigh]

I am a little stumped on the design. If it is truly a humidor there would bot be any metal inside at all. The other thing is the drawers ... Each one would have to seal pretty well when closed. Generally in a humidor the drawers are made of cedar and have slots in them to let the air travel.

I agree with this. Humidors typically do no contain drawers as it's difficult to seal them when closed. Humidity control is the essence of any well made humidor. Lining them with Spanish cedar and using a rabbetted hinged top makes the best seal IMHO.

[Frank Drew]

Great wood selection in both pieces, Lee; the maple in particular is just spectacular -- thanks for the photos.

[David Schmaus]

Sent an email to the company for some more info and they replied with this.

"The drawers are sealed with a felt gasket so the air doesn’t escape. The dims are 13”deep x 31.25” wide x 17.75” High (humidor only)
It is made of a combination of Mahogany, Pomele Sapele and Spanish Cedar.
Yes, the bottom is a tip out drawer area that houses the digital controls and display, the reservoir and a small space for boxed cigars.
Please let me know if you need any additional information. Lead time is 6-8 weeks. $3995 Thanks again Dave"

I thought it might be a good time to learn sketchup... I attached my first attempt