Humidor - Fine Woodworking

Rabbets for edge-band and inlayFor the edge-banding, make -in.x -in. cuts along the top andsides. Make the bottom cutsx in. deep.in.For the inlay, make -in, x -in.deep cuts along the edge-bandingrabbets.Tablesaw makes the edge-banding and inlay joints acinch. Four cuts along each edge create the necessary joints.are about 6 in. long by 42 ring. If you buy amuch longer cigar, it can go in sideways.For the front, back and two sides, I mill asingle piecein. thick, 5 in. wide andabout 48 in. long. For the top, I use a pieceof -in. by-in. medium-density fiberboard (MDF),in. thick. The MDF addsweight to help keep the lid closed. I veneerall the Spanish cedar on one side, but forthe bottom, I use -in. birch plywoodwithout any veneer.Now, I know we all have been taught toveneer both sides of anything, but this is anexception. Perhaps it is a combination ofthings that makes it work: the stability ofthe cedar, the stability of the box construction, the constant humidity on the inside,the lacquer finish on the outside. Anyway,it works. I have never had a box comeapart using this technique.With a dado head, I cut -in.-wide rabbetsin. deep along both long edges ofthe piece of cedar. Next I cut it to thelengths necessary for the front, back andside pieces. On the side pieces only, I cut-in.-wide rabbetsin. deep on theends to form the corner joints (see thedrawing on p. 45).I dry-clamp the front, back and sides together with several band clamps. Only atthis point do I carefully trim the top andbottom to size in a crosscut box for an exact fit. The joints of the top and bottomprovide a great deal of strength to the humidor and should be right on.After the dry-fitting, I glue the box together. I use a reactive polyurethane glue fromCustom-Pak Adhesives (11047 Lamb's Lane,Newark, OH 43055; 800-454-4583) becauseit is waterproof, sets slowly enough tomake clamping up a stress-free job and hasa clamp time of just over an hour.Waterproof glue is a necessity on the corner joints because they will eventually livein a high moisture environment. Even thewaterproof type II polyvinyl acetate (PVA)glues will eventually let go if exposed to somuch water for long. At the same time, Ihave used regular PVA glue for the veneering, edge-banding and inlay without aproblem. Because the polyurethane glue isactivated by moisture, I spray a little wateron the joints before gluing up the box.Edge-banding to resist wearSpanish cedar is a soft, lightweight wood,and the veneer isn't much more durable. Iuse a hard, solid wood edging for protection against the dings and dents that comewith everyday handling. I add inlay alongthe edge-banding for contrast. The result isvisually pleasing and reasonably durable.After the box has been glued together, Icut rabbets along each edge of the box forthe edge-banding (see the photos anddrawings above). I make the rabbets in.byin. along the top and sides. And Imake them in. by in. deep on the bottom because the edge is thinner.Along the cuts for the edge-banding, Imake a second series of cuts for the inlay,in. wide andin. deep. The veneer on

the edge of these cuts cannot have anybreakout. I use an alternate-bevel, 80-toothblade to cut the cross-grain rabbets and a24-tooth flat-top blade to cut the longgrain rabbets.Next I cut the pieces of -in.-sq. wengeedge-banding to length, fit and glue onepiece at a time. Each piece simply buttsagainst the other because the wenge endgrain is difficult to discern from the longgrain. First I apply the banding along thebottom edge, then around the top and, finally, along the sides. I use yellow glue and3M long masking tape to clamp each piece(see the photo at right). This tape stretchesfor a stronger grip but won't pick up thegrain when I pull it off.When the edge-banding sets, I removeany squeeze-out from the inlay grooveswith a small chisel. I cut the one-piece inlay to length and miter each corner. Then Irun a bead of yellow glue down the grooveand press in the inlay with the back of achisel (see the bottom photos). Don't bother trying to clamp it in; the press-fit shouldhold it in place. When it dries, I plane theedge-banding level with the inlay and veneer, round the edges and file down theend grain on the corners. Then I use a cabinet scraper to smooth the whole box.Bandsawing the box openand fitting the hardwareBuilding the box in one piece and thenslicing it open is the best way to ensure aperfectly matching top and bottom. I perform this delicate operation on a bandsawwith a -in., 3 teeth-per-inch (tpi) bladewith very little set. It make this cut quicklyand removes a minimum of wood.I use a tall fence and set it so the top willbein. thick. Then I cover the cut linewith masking tape to prevent breakout.With a careful push through the saw, it'sdone (see the top left photo on p. 49). I usea cabinet scraper to smooth the edges andmake them perfectly flat. Ideally, the jointshould be hard to distinguish when the boxis closed. I use Brusso quadrant hinges(available from Whitechapel Ltd., P.O. Box136, Wilson, WY 83014; 800-468-5534) because they are well made, look nice and arestrong enough to keep the heavy lid fromgoing anywhere. I install a box lock with aflush escutcheon on the outside.The lining creates the sealFor the lining, I use pieces of Spanish cedarin. thick. The cedar covers all six sidesinside the box and is fitted to create a sealYellow glue and tape attachthe edge-banding. Wengeedge-banding is butted at thecorners, not mitered, becauseendgrain is not conspicuous.Press the inlay into thegroove with the back of achisel (left). It should not needclamping or taping. Fine-tunethe miter if necessary (below).

A box insideof a boxThe Spanish cedar lining insidethe humidor is in effect a secondbox. It maintains the humiditylevel by absorbing and releasingmoisture from the humidifier.When the humidor's closed, thelining forms an almost-airtightseal around the edge.Lining detailbetween the lid and the bottom of the box.I leave the lining unfinished to let it absorband release moisture efficiently.Before I fit the lining, I spray a coat of flatlacquer on the inside of the box exceptalong the top and bottom edges. The lacquer slows down absorption of moistureinto the joints when seasoning the humidorand slows down the release of moisturewhen the cigars are in it. The corner jointswill appreciate the reduction in stress.I install the top and bottom pieces of lining first. I cut them to fit snugly in lengthbut leave a gap of in. toin. on thesides for cross-grain movement. The liningfor the sides in the bottom half of the boxshould extend above the edge by aboutin., and the lining in the top should berecessed by about in. (less if you desire atighter seal). Next I install the lining alongthe sides of the top and the bottom: frontand back pieces first, then the shorter sides

time, rotate their position once a month.The humidifier I prefer to use is the Nonpareil (available from Beall Tool Co., 541Swans Road N.E., Newark, Ohio 43055;800-331-4718). It is made of anodized aluminum and uses a removable and easy-toclean urethane foam pad. This eliminatesSaw the top off the box on a bandsaw. Tape the entire saw line, and usea -in., 3-tpi blade to avoid breakout.(see the top right photo). One thin bead ofyellow glue down the middle of each piecewill keep them centered during assembly.The joint between the edge of the lid andthe lining around the bottom will establishhow well your humidor holds its humidity(see the drawing at left). If the joint's tootight, not only will the box be difficult toopen and close, it also will force the humidity level beyond 70%, making the airmusty from poor circulation and increasingthe chance of mold. A damp cigar will notburn well, and it will produce smoke toothick and pungent to be enjoyable. Likewood, a cigar that absorbs too much moisture may split. And if left soggy for too long,a cigar will begin to rot. But too loose a jointwill let in drafts and make it difficult for thehumidor to reach 70% "relative humidityand remain there.If you will be opening the humidor everyfew days, make the seal tight so that adropped lid will float closed on a cushionof trapped air. If you won't be opening thehumidor very often, make the seal lesstight to help keep the air from becomingtoo damp.Opening and closing should be easy, andyou should just feel the lining touching onthe lid as it shuts. For a tight seal, cut asteep bevel on the lining in the bottom ofthe box, and for a loose seal, make the bevel lower. The front needs more of a bevelthan the sides and back so the lid opensand closes properly. I bevel all sides foreven breathing and to maintain a continuity of style (see the photo at right).Finishing the humidorand installing a humidifierI finish the outside with several coats oflacquer. I apply two or three coats of sanding sealer and then about 10 coats of glosslacquer, sanding after every three coats. Af-Gently press-fit lining around interi-or. When you season the humidor, thelining will swell and lock itself in place.ter the last coat, I let the finish cure for atleast a week and then sand with 1,000-gritand water and power buff with automotiveglazing compounds. Let the finish cure foras long as you can before waxing.The humidifier provides a source of moisture in the box. Most humidifiers are extremely simple. A sponge-like material,often florist's foam, is contained in a plasticor metal vented case. Because moisturefrom the humidifier falls, I attach the humidifier to the center of the lid for the mosteven distribution.To help the humidifier stay put, I seal thecedar right behind it with lacquer. Evenwith the humidifier at the top of the box,the bottom will be more humid. If youleave cigars in your humidor for a longthe need to mess with distilled water because mineral deposits that would otherwise clog the humidifier can be washedout. Many humidifiers do not come apartfor cleaning.Before you put any cigars in your humidor, it's essential to season it first. After I fillthe humidifier, I put a cup filled with wetpaper towels in the closed humidor. It willtake a few days for the box to reach 70%moisture content.To monitor the humidity level of yourhumidor, you can attach a hygrometer(available from Woodcraft Supply, P.O. Box1686, Parkersburg, WV 26102; 800-2251153) to the bottom of the lid in the sameway that you did with the humidifier. Remember that dial hygrometers are rarelyaccurate. The feel of the cigar is always thebest measure of a properly functioning humidor. A good cigar should feel soft but notspongy or crunchy.Rick Allyn used to make guitars, but nowdesigns and builds studio furniture andhumidors. He attended the College of theRedwoods. He lives in Twin Falls, Idaho.Careful withthat bevel angle.It determines therate the humidorloses humidityand receives freshair. A humidorthat is openedfrequently shouldhave a tighterfitting lid.

More than one wayto store a stogieLast year, the United Statesimported 293 million cigars fromits southern neighbors, an all-timerecord. This year, that numberwill probably double. Like therecent stock market, this cigarboom may be the result ofirrational exuberance. But in itswake, a huge demand for finehumidors has followed—a boomin its own right and a windfall towoodworkers. Though there arethousands of plain, manufacturedboxes on sale everywhere, a fewwoodworkers have been makinghumidors that display the finestcraftsmanship and imagination. Afew that we've found are shownon these two pages.Strother Purdy is an assistanteditor of Fine Woodworking.

1. Humidor table by JamesGray—Eastern walnut, wenge,tagua nut, red gum eucalyptusand Spanish cedar; 36 in. high by20 in. wide by 44 in. long. Photo:Lee Fatherree2. Ruhlmann-style humidor byFrank Pollaro—Amboyna burl,ivory and Spanish cedar;in.high by 10 in. wide by 15 in. long.3 & 4. Forbidden by WendellCastle—Jelutong, lacewood andSpanish cedar; 58 in. high by72 in. wide by 20 in. deep. Photos:David Mohney5. Humidor by Ken Frye—Pearwood, madrone burl and Spanishcedar; 6 in. high by 9 in. wide by12 in. long. Photo: Craig Cook6. Newporter by John Goff—Cuban mahogany and Spanishcedar,in. high byin. wideby 17 in. long. Photo: Kevin Halle

From Getting Started in Woodworking, Season 2 By AsA Christin Y ou can thank Mike Pekovich, Fine Woodworking's art direc-tor, for designing this simple but stylish bookcase. He took a straightfor-ward form--an oak bookcase with dado and rabbet joints--and added nice pro-portions and elegant curves. We agreed that screws would reinforce