Building a humidor

I currently only have a small travel humidor for my cigars so I thought that I should size up and I wanted to do it on the cheap so I decided that I was going to make one! I'm wondering if anyone here has any suggestions on wood type, construction tips, or anything really that might make my journey cheaper or smoother in any way. I will also keep this post updated with pictures of the project along the way.

[kaisersozei]

If you're looking for cheap yet effective storage options, the better route to go may be to convert a cooler to a coolidor. Minimal investment and doesn't require any woodworking skill.

[Remo]

Originally Posted by kaisersozei

If you're looking for cheap yet effective storage options, the better route to go may be to convert a cooler to a coolidor. Minimal investment and doesn't require any woodworking skill.

Yup, why not just a cooler?

There are two main reasons why I want to work with wood and they are: 1. I want it to look nice and 2. I want to get into woodworking more as a hobby and thought this might be a fun way to spend my summer

[Blak Smyth]

Originally Posted by RugbyBuck22

There are two main reasons why I want to work with wood and they are: 1. I want it to look nice and 2. I want to get into woodworking more as a hobby and thought this might be a fun way to spend my summer

Sounds like the perfect reason not to use a cooler

I can't give you advice about the exterior wood, I have no wood working experience, however I would want to use spanish cedar on the inside.

[Remo]

Originally Posted by RugbyBuck22

There are two main reasons why I want to work with wood and they are: 1. I want it to look nice and 2. I want to get into woodworking more as a hobby and thought this might be a fun way to spend my summer

Question answered Sorry I have no woodworking skills at all, but good luck But my buddy has woodworking skills and built me this. It is nice to have a nice looking humi. but I keep most of mine in the cooler.

[OLS]

Originally Posted by RugbyBuck22

There are two main reasons why I want to work with wood and they are: 1. I want it to look nice and 2. I want to get into woodworking more as a hobby and thought this might be a fun way to spend my summer

I think we understand that, it's just that it countermands your first statement about doing it "on the cheap".
You will find nothing cheap about doing it right in wood. I don't think, anyway. Make a nice Bird Feeder if
you want to get into woodworking more as a hobby. Then get a small cooler....Not a Swinger, though.

The exterior wood is really the only thing I don't have readily available at my house so the cost won't be terrible and the humidor has to fit somewhat odd dimensions for personal reasons so I think I'm going to stick with wood

[Jefft72]

I haven't taken the journey myself yet, but I have done some reading on the subject. From what I have been able to gather if you want to build a simple humidor then you need to be able to build a nice solid box. Sounds easy, but it will really depend on the tools that you have and the attention to detail that you pay on the project.

Being able to cut accurate and repeatable 90 and 45 degree angles will cut down on the frustration level. You can do with only a solid table saw, but if you have also have a compound miter saw then that might be a benefit. A router/router table will help in finishing the box with nice clean edges. Cheap? Woodworking is a hobby that most certainly isn't cheap, but so long as you buy good quality tools and learn how to use them then you will be off to a good start.

The wood choices to use for the outside of the box really depend on your budget and personal preference. However, Spanish cedar will be the choice for the inside. I believe there are some other options to use inside, but spanish ceder is the most prevalent.

Good luck and let us know how your project goes. Once I get my garage in order I plan on giving it a go as well.

[CigarNut]

Originally Posted by RugbyBuck22

The exterior wood is really the only thing I don't have readily available at my house so the cost won't be terrible and the humidor has to fit somewhat odd dimensions for personal reasons so I think I'm going to stick with wood

What kind of wood are you planning to use for the interior?

Interior I'll be using cedar from old cigar boxes got from a friend and thanks for the breakdown Jeff

[Jefft72]

Here is a link that I have read through and thought it had some good tips on designing and building a humidor.

http://www.whitemountdesign.com/HumidorArticlePart1.htm

Thanks Jeff! Just took a look and it seems really helpful

[Ncpsycho]

Originally Posted by Remo_5_0

Question answered Sorry I have no woodworking skills at all, but good luck But my buddy has woodworking skills and built me this. It is nice to have a nice looking humi. but I keep most of mine in the cooler.

Attachment 12076

I love this humi-- does he sell them?

[Remo]

Originally Posted by Ncpsycho

I love this humi-- does he sell them?

Custom builds whatever...he is a member here. Hockey4life

[bobarian]

I commend you on your ambition. But building a humidor is not the "cheap" way to go. You can get a decent humidor for $40-60 online, while building one will cost more just for materials. If you have access to good woodworking tools then at least that cost can be avoided. Recycling old boxes seems very impractical as you will have different thicknesses and sizes of wood. But good luck and please post pictures.

[N2 GOLD]

Go with the wood. I, did the kooler thing & it just was not the same. I know, that's just me being the picky Faq'r that I am. I have seen & heard other that just love them. Nothing worng or bad about the coolidor they work real good. I just did not like the idea of a cooler in the living room or my cigars in the garage.

[markem]

Good luck! Several people here do wood working as a hobby as does my brother. Initial costs are high but amortization is your friend, as long as you stick with the hobby.

I have an interest in wood working, but not the commitment, so I wind up using a friend's shop when I need to have stuff done. The first things to consider, from my perspective are that you will need a planer, you will need to know how to build jigs (or buy them $$$) and you need to know about glues that could affect the effectiveness (alliteration is my friend) of your finished humidor. Those are just some of the things that I believe most people don't put enough thought in to.

My humidor cost about $5K, but it was made with about $50K worth of tools.

Scale as appropriate.

thanks to all for the advice! should be starting construction of the outer box by monday! i'll keep the thread posted with pictures along the way... if it doesn't turn out well or doesn't seal i'll probably just convert it into a jewelry box and give it to my sister as a birthday present so the way i see it I can't lose here haha