Humidor Build

[Brian Holcombe]

Good morning!


I am building a humidor and detailing the build on my blog. I hope that you will take a look and post up your comments.


https://brianholcombewoodworkerblog.wordpress.com/2016/03/31/humidor-build-casework/


http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/62084736-E59B-4A7F-BEFC-7FFF5668B34E_zpst1gwuimg.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/1CCADB6F-9321-47B7-AAE5-53C53C1D3D06_zpsxxmeiwg1.jpg
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/04D6AB25-ECD0-4356-8322-DEF370A35EC6_zpsam9ngrev.jpg

[Reinis Kanders]

Looks great! It was not really clear how you planed the mitered edge. Was your guide for the shoulder plane clamped to the workbench edge?

Does your Spanish cedar have that cinnamon or clove like spicy fragrance to it? I found some wood on the curb and think it is spanish cedar and has a nice fragrance, but it was shaped like a handrail.

I don't smoke, but would be interesting if similar principles could be used for a breadbox to keep bread fresh longer.

[Phil Mueller]

Very nicely done Brian. Although I will admit that I assumed you would be building a massive walk in somewhere near your work space next to the single malt barrels 😛

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks fellas! Reinis, I just held onto both, like a football.

Spanish cedar has a distinct smell to it, it's hard to describe but it's very prominent. Spicy is one way to describe it.

Phil, that may well be required if they ever reopen trade with Cuba. :D

[Mike Allen1010]

Brian, I always enjoy your posts. I haven't had a chance to look at your blog for the details, but the humidor looks like walnut to me. Beautifully planed as usual.Are those mitered, hidden dovetails? Dude, now you are busting out the top-tier joinery – super impressive!


Okay back to cigars, I've smoked cigars since I was in college, something my wife of 30 years has always hated. We lived in Canada and Switzerland for a time and I confess to once having a bad Cuban cigar problem. I told the LOML "it could be worse, it could be drugs, hookers, etc....." . As you can imagine, that went over like a lead balloon! I finally quit about five years ago.


Last week, out of the blue a box of Montecristo #2 arrived in the mail. An old friend I worked with 10 years ago sent them as a thank you for some imagined mentoring I may have provided back in the day. The occasion was the 5th. anniversary of the firm he started. I have no idea why he thinks I have anything to do with that.


This is the dilemma; in my younger days I would consider a box of Montecristo #2's to be like gold, but alas the Boss would be epically disappointed if I started enjoying them again on a regular basis.


I'm thinking boys poker night, whiskey, cigars etc. Blow through the box and I suffer the short-term pain, but I'm in the clear after that. What do you think – solid idea?


Cheers, Mike

[Brian Holcombe]

The best way to handle that is to build a 'men's valet box' that for some strange reason is lined with Spanish cedar, has a humidification device and resides in an unassuming location in the workshop :D.

It's also best if it remains a 'work in progress' in case anyone is wondering why your cufflinks are not making their way into that box.

Thank you for the comments! Those are hidden mitered dovetails, I've been itching to put them to use on something before I deploy them in a more important project (I have some real casework coming up). They can be a head scratcher at times, but fairly straightforward.

I really enjoy a good cigar, but on a rare occasion, I'm hoping this humidor is capable of aging cigars as that is pretty much the only thing they do....waiting around for a poker night, wedding or other occasion.

[Chris Fournier]

Nice, the depth of your humidor is hard to understand, ammo I stack deep but cigars not so much. What are your plans for the interior? I'm sure you will clarify!

As a Canadian I have been able to visit Cuba at will and smoke as many of their cigars as I can afford. They're okay. Honestly the other Caribbean countries make much more consistent and interesting cigars. All Cuban cigars pretty much taste the same with about a 20% success rate, most are mediocre at best and are way over priced. When a Cuban cigar is good it is indeed very good but it is a rarity. Cohibas have been the recent winners in my experience but even in Cuba they are now $20 + a stick for modest profiles.

How will you humidify your box Brian?

Bobalou Cigars in Austin Texas is unpretentious and make fantastic cigars, you won't be disappointed if you try them.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Awesome build! I love the smell of Spanish Cedar. I did not know that you had a blog. I will bookmark that. PM me your address and I will send you something to put in that humidor.

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks fellas!

Chris, I plan to split the interior with a tray, leaving an air gap between the two spaces. The shelf will be made like kumiko for shoji. Using an Elie Bleu humidification device.

Last time I was in Europe my go-to was H.Upmann, but being an American and being limited I generally prefer Davidoff, they're overpriced but always good. Ashton has a few great lines as well.

Malcolm, will do!

[Brian Holcombe]

While we're on the topic of interiors, here is the second post in the series;

https://brianholcombewoodworkerblog.wordpress.com/2016/04/02/humidor-build-interior-part-1/

Some highlights;
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/CE400679-A8C7-46A9-9088-493910CC06F1_zpsptezs3s8.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/9B207265-3FA1-4A2B-AC65-2C6AEEB96A4A_zpstiqgt10m.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/D7215D50-026D-43D8-97A6-57C7A103D075_zpsfumowmfh.jpg

[Mel Fulks]

Brian, what neat work you do! And that blog has the quality of a Kubrick film.

[Chris Fournier]

I kinda thought that this was going to be your plan, two tills would be nice indeed. The first cigars I brought back from Cuba were H. Upman torpedoes, very nice indeed! Now I want to build another humidor...

Beautiful work Brian!

[Frederick Skelly]

More beautiful work Brian. You are so talented.

When I see the quality of your work, I always wonder - are you a pro or "just" a really advanced hobbyist?

Fred

[Brian Holcombe]

Brian, what neat work you do! And that blog has the quality of a Kubrick film.

Hah! I nearly fell out of chair with that comment, thanks Mel!


I kinda thought that this was going to be your plan, two tills would be nice indeed. The first cigars I brought back from Cuba were H. Upman torpedoes, very nice indeed! Now I want to build another humidor...

Beautiful work Brian!

Thanks Chris! I was lucky enough last trip, having asked a good friend who is knee deep in cigars what to buy and he recommended a few of their styles. He told me not to waste money on esplenditos (I couldn't resist a couple of them, but damn....they're painfully expensive), and a few other varieties of Cohiba, Monte Cristo and probably a few others I'm forgetting. They were all splendid but the H Upmann's stood out as being the most suited to my taste.


More beautiful work Brian. You are so talented.

When I see the quality of your work, I always wonder - are you a pro or "just" a really advanced hobbyist?

Fred

Thanks Fred! A good friend calls me 'Insane Hobbyist', and I think that fits. I've done a run of frames for another friend and if you want to improve your skill there is nothing like doing repetitive work to bring you up a notch or two.

[Larry Heflin]

Bobalou Cigars in Austin Texas is unpretentious and make fantastic cigars, you won't be disappointed if you try them.


Agree on Bobalou's

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Thanks for the post. A nice humidor is on my long list at the moment. Someday!

Here's a question for any of you humidor experts, though. Why even use a veneer? Why not just make the casework out of whatever wood you like, line it with cedar, and call it good?

The Diamond Crown humidor I currently have is made of Spanish cedar with a rosewood veneer. Perhaps the use of Spanish cedar for the casework rather that just a lining is supposed to give better performance but I don't know. And rosewood is too expensive to use for the casework I imagine. But if you intended to use walnut or something relatively affordable and accessible then wouldn't the humidor be far more durable and easier to build if you just made all the casework out of your chosen wood and no veneer?

[Brian Holcombe]

Excellent question! Now there is a good reason for using a veneer on the top. When you lock in wood (surrounded by long grain on all sides) the wood cannot expand and contract without something giving (either the case will break or the panel), even with woods that behave well that is a bad practice. A humidor is one situation where you want the box to be sealed, so having a box without floating panels is going to offer a better seal than one with floating panels.

Spanish cedar is a porous wood that is one of the reasons why it works so well to line a humidor, however being a porous wood it will have air passing through it easier than a tight grained wood with a finish. You will often see humidor manufacturers using spanish cedar for the case as well, but almost everyone I have seen has been veneered on the outside of that case and typically lacquered as well.

So the spanish cedar is available to do what it does best, and it does so while contained inside of a more tightly sealed box.

Manufactured humidors are often made with veneers, one of the reasons is reliability. Veneer over stable substrate is a whole lot more consistently reliable than solid wood, if you are making your humidors in France and shipping them anywhere and everywhere than they need to be reliable. They're also working with tight tolerances and MDF behaves better than solid woods. The next reason is that they can acquire very high quality wood in veneer form without hinderance, a top humidor maker is turning out hundreds and thousands of humidors, offering a solid macassar ebony or indian rosewood humidor would be nearly impossible and incredibly expensive., without much if anything gained as far as the consumer is concerned.

To manufacture a humidor like the one being built here, with joinery and what will be a French polish, it would retail at the top end of the range in order to be profitable.

[Kevin Adams]

Hi Brian, beautiful, clean work, thanks for sharing all this. Curious, what is that small ryoba that you are using?

Thanks again.
Kevin

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Kevin! The ryoba is from Mitsukawa, it's the replaceable blade shirogane model.

[Kevin Adams]

Thanks Kevin! The ryoba is from Mitsukawa, it's the replaceable blade shirogane model.

Thanks, Brian, after I asked I saw you had a comment in your blog post. I appreciate you getting back, looks like a nice size saw to try.

Keep up your great work!

Kevin

[Brian Holcombe]

Anytime! Btw I bought that saw in three sizes, 195, 240, 295 to cover all of the joinery I do.

[Kevin Adams]

Well, I just ordered the 195 size...looking forward to working with it...thanks again, Brian!

[Wayne Collier]

Brian,

I noticed on your blog photos that there were shavings on the carpet. I was appalled, but will assume your iRobot vac was taking a break. I don't show photos of your shop to the LOML as she might expect me to sweep mine more often.

Your work is inspiring! I enjoy the blog and have learned much from your posts.

Thanks,

Wayne

[Brian Holcombe]

Kevin, that's probably the best one to have for a majority of small furniture/box work, it'll do well for you, enjoy it!

Hah, thanks Wayne! Glad that you are enjoying!

[Brett Luna]

That is lovely work indeed, Brian. At first, it looked a bit deep for my preference but then thought if there were a ledge to hold the first tray off of the bottom, the space would accommodate the humidification beads that I use.

I've had a hand full of nice Davidoffs but they never really clicked for me. I'm a fan of Padron, Fuente, LFD, and several others.

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Brett! Sometimes I kick myself with off-the-cuff dimensions. I typically work with golden ratio, so I settled on these dimensions wanting to take full advantage of the stock I had on hand. So far, with two rows available and a space between them it's starting to look like it will work out well.

I'm probably on the opposite side of the spectrum, I typically like mild-medium cigars, but break from that occasionally.

[Brian Holcombe]

I'll have the next post ready this weekend, but here is a teaser :D

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/E7AA7441-A60C-40D8-93EF-C1240E5A6BFA_zpsw1hqajtn.jpg

[Brian Holcombe]

The continuation of my humidor build is now ready. In this post I am completing the interior woodwork which includes the tray that divides the bottom into two sections. Hope you will read and comment.

https://brianholcombewoodworkerblog.wordpress.com/2016/04/09/humidor-build-interior-part-2/

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/6459AA84-ABFB-4B6E-B182-0A6ED8E26B60_zpsulrd3j6z.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/1A841D95-F918-4F58-B098-F16378CB0C8C_zpslcp2rojx.jpg

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/25A424A9-0A07-4E07-BB6F-8C01A8719F08_zpsky9imsg6.jpg

[Pat Barry]

Very very nice work Brian. I find your detail work truly fascinating. You must have great eyesight! Me, I wish I could see my own work as clearly as I can see the detail in yours. I have a question for you: Where did you learn how to do all this? I suspect you went to a school for example or otherwise learned from a master. Its very inspiring but beyond my talents.

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Pat! I have no formal training, I just self study and I'm lucky enough to be able to bend the ears of many willing teachers.

I was slso lucky enough to be taught how to approach new challenges and unfamiliar territory by a machinist who I worked for in college.

[Mel Fulks]

I suggest a little carved creature to live "under grid". Just make sure the whole thing is in YOUR hands when you offer a friend a last layer cigar!

[David Ryle]

Beautiful work,can't help but notice the carpet on the shop floor,by God that's living!!!!

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks gents! Mel, I like that, might be better than even a lock.

David, lol, that carpet gets a lot of attention.

[Scott DelPorte]

Your french polish is looking great. What kind of oil are you using?

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Scott! Still many hours ahead of me on that, but finally some encouraging results. I've been using camellia oil.

[Stewie Simpson]

Excellent work Brian.

[Brian Holcombe]

Thank you Stewie!

[Derek Cohen]

Brian

I have not posted anything in this splendid build of yours, but read every work and devour the pics. It is exceptional.

I am curious about one little item - the grid. That is deceptively tricky to get so clean. Any hints what you did.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Patrick Walsh]

I am also interestd in the grid.

I have a house full off HVAC grates i want to make to match my hardewood floors. The plan is to make them flush mount.

How about a tutorial? No pressure as i know I would not have the time to compile post such as yours and actually make stuff aslo.

[ken hatch]

Brian,

As usual I'm late to the party.....Beautiful work but that first photo is just showing off:D.

ken

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Gents!

Ken, I'm hoping I can fill the grain to the point where it stays that way permanently now that the finish shrunk down pretty far.

Derek and Patrick,

Thanks for the compliments on that. I followed Desmond King's instructions very closely, but there are a couple of things I noticed. First is that I'm aiming for a compression fit, so I cut the joints just slightly small and just planed the piece to fit (took about two strokes on average). Gang up the pieces so that your cuts are in perfect alignment, then do a sub assembly of the grid before mortising the exterior frame.

That would make beautiful air vents.

Wish I had time for a tutorial, but likely I will not as workshop hours are going to become relatively scarce for the next few weeks.