Humidor Cabinet Questions

[Jacob Mac]

I was asked by a relative to build a humidor cabinet. I know nothing about cigars, and have never built a humidor. I’m tracking that Spanish cedar is optimal for the interior, but are there any others considerations I should be aware of? Is there a go to source for this info? I can find lots of plans/videos on box sized humidors, but not so much on cabinets.

[Brian Holcombe]

That’s a big undertaking, they need to seal very well and they need humidity units or a way to provide humidity. The humidity packs are fine if you don’t mind paying to replace them every 6mo or so, personally I like the sponge style units but most people hate them.

[Bryan Lisowski]

I would head over to Marc Spagnolo (wood whisperer) he did a humidor in his guild project. He also may have done a overview video on YouTube. I don’t think a cabinet would be that much more work, just may need to upsize the humidity regulation.

[Brian Holcombe]

All depends on the requirements of the job, sealing a cabinet is typically a lot more involved than sealing a box because it often involves drawers and frame and panel construction.

[Rob Sack]

I have been building custom humidors ranging in capacity from 50 - 500+ cigars for over 20 years. It's not that difficult. There are quite a few choices from disposable humidity pouches to automatic humidification. Accurate monitoring of the humification inside the humidor is critical, although very easy to do. Also, in addition to creating a sealed internal environment, the construction of the humidor must take into account the difference in humidity between the interior of the humidor, which ideally should be around 70% relative humidity, and the humidity of the room it is placed in. Here in the LA area where the relative humidity in a typical house can hover around 30 - 35% certain times of the year, I have seen properly humidified humidors literally break apart due to the large difference in humidity between the inside and the outside of the humidor. PM me if you have any questions.

[Jeff Bartley]

If you do get to build one with Spanish cedar be ready for the best smelling shop! I would recommend milling the cedar incrementally, this is good for keeping your material stable but more importantly it will show it the cedar will emit sap spots.

I built a humidor a few years back for a friend and one of the sticks had little sticky spots on it a couple days after being milled. Not the best surface for a good cigar. I’ve read reports that you can wipe it off with alcohol and the spots will go away but I wasn’t taking any chances so didn’t use that stick.

A humidor is a fun project!

[Mike Wilkins]

Long time cigar aficionado here with only 2 box type humidors. I have mental plans to build a cabinet style humidor. All the commercial cabinet humidors seem to have one door for access and if any drawers are needed, they are within the cabinet to ensure a good seal.

[Richard Coers]

Never any finish inside the cabinet so the cigars take on any odors, rubber/silicone seals to make it air tight, quarter-sawn lumber for minimal wood movement, stainless steel hinges, and I would only use the spanish cedar for a lining or internal surfaces only. It's incredibly soft and can have an issue with oil spots as Mike mentioned. A cabinet can have thousands of dollars of cigars in it, the cabinet should be built accordingly.

[Jacob Mac]

Thanks everyone, the seal definitely has me thinking. I'm going to use the rubber/silicone technique most likely.

The difference between the humidity inside the humidor and the house is definitely something I hadn't really considered.

And Richard I agree about building this right. Before I agree, I want to ensure I can do this right.

[Luis Reyes]

This sounds like a fun project! This is way above my skill level but would love to hear about your experience when you are done!!

[Tom Bender]

Great start to the new year. Were I building one it would be ready for Christmas.