Am I being too picky? (picture heavy)

[shilala]

All the pinkish wood in the lid and the rails that hold the slats and the trays are cedar, Brad. Nice, solid, thick cedar, too. Generally you'll get 1/32" veneer in humis that's over particle board.
If anything, in my opinion, there's an over-adequate amount of cedar in there. Completely depends on how much you like your smokes to taste like cedar, and how aromatic the wood is. Spanish Cedar varies in it's intensity and varies in it's aroma. I try to match the thickness and amount I use to give a flavor, but not overpower, if that makes sense.
It's easy to do when you're lining, because you can adjust the thickness of cedar in the lid and bottom to suit.
It helps to buy your wood and have it around for a good while, too. That way the cedar teaches you how it's going to smell and how much you should use.
Your guys used tons of cedar.

In this picture, shouldn't the cedar in the box (not the top) go all the way to the top?

As I said, what if I didn't want to use the tray? I've never seen a humidor that was only lined half way up.

[shilala]

In that last pic, the slats inside the humi look like poplar or birch, too. That's a nice idea, both aesthetically and structurally.
Cedar doesn't lend itself to make good structural components. It's very soft and very weak. If the slide-in slats were made of cedar they'd probably break the first time you pulled them out.
I like the contrast, too.

One other thing I hadn't noticed from before is that the hinges aren't mounted inside, they're face mounted on the back. That's even odder and it totally takes the functionality out of the design.
I'll explain...
The back bottom of the lid is beveled. The top back of the bottom is beveled. The reason for that is so that when you open the humidor, those two surfaces meet and create a stop. It looks like the lid should open about 145 degrees and then stop.
I mentioned barrell stop hinges earlier. They look like your hinges in the pics, but they have a built in "stop" at 50 to 55 degrees past perpendicular (145 degrees). The reason I mention the 50 and 55 degrees is that's how they are labeled for sale. They're called "barrell hinge with 55 degree stop". A guy already knows they mean past 90 degres (or he'll learn the first time he gets them, lol).
By not setting in the hinge, the whole built in stop design of the humi is defeated.
That says the guy isn't real swift, or he doesn't understand hinging, or I missed something. That something would become obvious as soon as I opened the lid.

Brad, did the lid swing all the way back and hit the table, or did it stop at some point along the way? It looks to me like it'd do the former, but the hinges may be stops, or the mating surfaces might bind before the lid hits the table.

Either way, it goes right back to you being absolutely right about the hinges. They should have been set in. I'm just craftsman-curious and want to see what the builder was thinking, and what (if anything) he did to make the lid stop like it should.

[Taki]

I really hope you get your money back...plus for that kind of money I would talk to some of the guys here on CA that make some custom pieces...they will handle it with care and get you hooked up the right way

[shilala]

I think I see now. The hinges are emmeshed between the two layers of laminated wood that make up the base. If he'd have just adjusted them a bit deeper into the lid and base and made a little carf for the barrell of the hinge, then the fitment would be right and the design would stop the lid and it'd work great.
That design allows a guy to use a regular old barrell hinge without a stop, but it also defeats the design purpose.
I think he simply made a mistake in how deep he set the hinges, and once he was committed to the depth, the screws are already laminated between two layers, so there's no fixing it.
Really, really bad idea. If he'd just take the extra time to set them properly he could make all the adjustments he needs for perfect fitment.
My guess is that this is a design change he made from a templated box drawing he found somewhere. A quick rethink would put him on the right track.
It's a shame, because he really does do gorgeous work.

Another line of thought on the hinging is that it'd completely do away with hinge tear-out. So if they are set properly, it'd be foolproof. But humans aren't foolproof.
So it really could be considered a good idea on that front. It's just that the cons outweigh the benefits. Plus the hinges would actually be mounted in the hardwood and the screws would never pull out of paduak. You need to spend money on good hinges, though. Think maybe $12-20 a set rather than $1.00 a set.

I don't believe his assertion that everyone else is fine with this fitment, either. I think this box was simply a mistake and he tried to get it by you as "good enough". He had to have cringed when he saw the mistake himself.

I'm not a wood worker, but I'll describe it the best I can. The flat (plate) part of the hinge is sandwiched between the poplar inner box, and the Paduak outer box.

Looks like we replied at the same time

[shilala]

Originally Posted by ysr_racer

Looks like we replied at the same time

We sure did.
It puts to rest the "fixing it" part, too. It'd be a harder to fix than I initially thought, but it could still be fixed. I'd just have to clean out all the old hinge by cuting it with a wafer wheel on a grinder, then either move the hinges to the left or right of their location, or just deal with grinding out the metal to set the new hinge.
It'd be a pain, but it'd still be fixable. That's academic by now anyways, but if all the builder's customers don't mind the fit, he should be able to resell it in no time.

[arlinliss]

the humidor maker is unskilled in my opinion....

Originally Posted by arlinliss

the humidor maker is unskilled in my opinion....

A man of few words, and many (nice) humidors. I like it.

I got a check in the mail from the original builder yesterday. I paid him with Visa

[Ranger_B]

Not a bad box just not a humidor.

[arlinliss]

FWIW here is what I call a Solid Paduak Humidor

http://www.arlinliss.com/_Paduak/Ric...or_Details.htm

This was made about 12 years ago..... it has not been returned.

Originally Posted by arlinliss

the humidor maker is unskilled in my opinion....

What's the opposite of "Praise from Caesar" ?

Wouldn't even ask if you did the dollar bill test.....that workmanship is horrible!

[Silound]

Speaking as a hobbyist and one who occasionally builds grandfather clock bodies and other things out of hardwood, I have to agree with Scott on this.

There is absolutely nothing that I can see that is wrong with the overall craftsmanship of the humidor, other than the hinges being a glaring design flaw. Had a different method of hinging been used, this box likely would have fit tightly and nicely. The laminate and miter jobs are well done, which is no easy task for even an experienced craftsman. Hell, every so often one of my miters doesn't add up perfectly, and I've been doing it for almost 15 years.

The hinges are enough to make me send it back, but that's really about it.

Thinking about this makes me want to get back into the shop and make a few humidors of my own...oddly a project I've never undertaken.

[Ed M]

What a piece of s**t! I'm into woodworking as a hobby. I've never attempted a humidor, but if I do and it looks like that, it's going straight in the fireplace. I wouldn't even SHOW it to anyone, let alone try to SELL it. I don't think he'll be in business long. Hope you get your money back.

Never buy anything from anyone selling stuff on a web site with Comic Sans font. Ever.