A few humidor questions

[David Lucas]

Hi Guys,

Just found this forum - great site with some very talented people! I'm going to build a humidor for a friend of mine who is graduating med school this year. Ive done some reading on how to build a humidor but have a few questions I was hoping you could answer.

I'm going to build the box out of curly maple with wenge accents.

Here are a few questions I have:

1. How thick do you recommend making the spanish cedar lining?

2. Do you finish the inside of the box at all (I know to leave the cedar natural)? I'm just wondering if you do a spit coat of shellac on the inside.

3. What glue do you recommend using on the box?

Thanks in advance!
Dave

[Gus Dundon]

Try to make a research on google using the keyword " How to make humidor" . You will surely get bunch of ideas.

[David Lucas]

Yeah I've done quite a bit of research on google. Just wanted to see what people on this site have tried in the past.

[Mark Valsi]

I never put finish on the inside of the humidor, lining of Span. Cedar, usually about 1/4 inch or so. I use regular white glue or yellow, what ever I have.

[David Lucas]

Sounds good - thanks!

[Frederick Gross]

I have used water-based urethane on the inner surfaces of the exterior wood and then just dry-fitted the Spanish cedar on the interior without glue. But I am no expert.

[Jim Kirkpatrick]

When making a humidor out of solid wood (not ply), I always both seal the inside of the box (before the cedar goes in), and allow plenty of room for expansion. You're dealing with a moist environment on the inside of the box and dry on the outside. That's a recipe for disaster. I learned the hard way to also reinforce the corners if they are mitered with splines, biscuits or dominoes...or better yet, use dovetails or box joints. I also run a very thin bead of pure silicone in the inside corners to further seal the inside from the outside elements. Make sure you thoroughly clean the silicone leaving it only in any gaps or else it'll be a problem when you install the raw cedar. On the cedar, 1/4" thick and when sizing the cedar for the bottom and top, cut it 1/8"- 3/16" narrower than the inside of the box and run a bead of glue down the middle of the board with the grain, leaving a equal gap on both sides, this will allow the cedar to expand independently from the outside wood. The gaps will be concealed by the side pieces of cedar once they are installed.

[David Lucas]

Thanks for all the feedback - I really appreciate it! Looking forward to this project!