HUMIDORS - PART THREE
This is part 3 of a three part series by
woodworker Norman Pirollo about "Designing and Building a
Humidor".
Please visit this site http://www.fineboxes.com
for more information on humidors, jewelry boxes, and
a great woodworking course on CD that was designed and written by the folks at
White Mountain Design.
Installing the inner liner box of Spanish cedar involves milling Spanish cedar
down to ¼ " thick pieces which
form the liner. The top and bottom of the inner box are simply edge glued pieces
of 4 or 5 " wide Spanish cedar
approximately 11/2" long. You can either purchase the Spanish cedar in a
4/4 or 8/4 thickness and resaw
and surface it yourself down to ¼ ", or purchase it ready-made. The sides
of the inner box are mitered into
the corners at a 45 degree angle. The important point when inserting the inner
liner sides is to leave a 5/16 "
lip above the surface of the outer box edge. This is used to create the air and
moisture seal. This lip will have
a small chamfer on its edge to enable the top lid to open and close easily. The
steps are as follows, the hinges
are removed, the bottom is inserted first, with a 1/16 " clearance on
either side to allow for expansion and
contraction, then the mitered sides and back are inserted. It is not advisable
to glue any of these pieces in,
except for a small strip of glue along the middle of the side and back pieces.
This is to allow for wood movement
of the cedar. Once you have completed these steps, you should be able to close
the lid on the box and feel a
nice seal being formed.
The next step is to install the Spanish cedar into the top. The procedure is
similar, except that the small side
portions are glued into place along the middle of the individual pieces. The
edge glued inner top of Spanish cedar
is inserted and the four pieces are glued in. The Spanish cedar side, front, and
back strips are approximately
½ " wide if all other measurements were followed. A handy tip is to create
wider pieces for the lower box sides,
back , and front, and to use the cut-offs to line the inner top of the box. This
will ensure that the pieces are
the exact length, and the 45 degree mitered corners are accurate. If you do it
this way , you will quickly realize
that this technique is excellent and time-saving. It is important to leave the
correct clearance for the lip which
rises 5/16 "es from the lower box.
Also allow for the side, back, and front pieces to expand and contract - a
1/16" gap is sufficient between the
bottom box lip and the lid pieces. You might want to finish sand the interior of
the box with very fine sandpaper
at this point. There should be a nice, snug fit when closing the lid now. You
can re-install the hinges and test
to see if the lid closes and opens correctly. You can also build a separator for
the inside of the box. This is
essentially a strip of Spanish cedar which is snug fit into the middle
separating one side from the other.
Make sure to allow enough clearance for the hygrometer and humidifier when
closing the lid.
The next step is finish sanding and top coating the exterior of the box. After
sanding progressively to 320 grit,
you can either use a penetrating oil finish, lacquer, varnish, or finish of your
choice on the exterior. When finishing,
it is best to remove the hinges, place the lid over the box in a closed position
and go crazy finishing. If you have
used a figured wood for the top, you might want to use a penetrating oil finish
to highlight the figure. It is also
more convenient to apply the finish with a brush if you do not have access to
spray equipment. I use many ,
light coats of lacquer, with rubbing in between coats to develop a very clear,
glossy finish. The inside of the box
is not to be finished, since this would defeat the purpose of using Spanish
cedar. The inner edges can be finished
before inserting the Spanish cedar. The inside corners of the outside box should
be coated with finish to retard
moisture from permeating the wood.
The final step is to reinstall the hinges, and install the hygrometer gauge and
humidifier unit.
Both these units are installed into the inner lid of the box. The gauge is
usually above the humidifier.
The hygrometer gauge can be purchased at either Woodcraft or Lee Valley Tools,
and is available in two
different diameters. You can mount this gauge into a square block of Spanish
cedar for a decorative effect
or velcro it to the inside lid. If using a wood block, epoxy it to the inside of
the lid. The humidifier unit can
be purchased at the larger cigar stores and Woodcraft Supply. It is important to
purchase the correct size.
The capacity of the box determines the size of the humidifier. Humidifier units
can be expensive or economical.
They almost all work on the same principle. There is a small sponge type
material inside, which absorbs and
releases water into the box at a pre-determined rate. These humidifier units are
typically mounted with velcro
or magnets into the inside lid of the box. The humidifier must be easily
removable to replenish with water.
The principle behind maintaining the humidity in this box at 60-72% is achieved
through the effect of the
humidifier unit, the cigars, and the Spanish cedar. We effectively create a
stable , sealed environment.
The cigars and Spanish cedar interior also assist in the process, by absorbing
and releasing moisture.
Once the box is completed, all you really need to do before stuffing it with
cigars , is to climatize it.
All this means is raising the interior humidity level to approximately 60- 72%.
This is achieved by placing
a small container with a wet sponge into the box and letting it sit with the lid
closed.
Of course the humidifier unit will also have been charged with distilled water
at this point. After a few days,
the interior should be at the normal humidity level, and your cigars can move
into their new home. You can
also remove the container with the sponge. You should periodically monitor the
humidity levels in the box,
and replenish the humidifier unit accordingly. Adding four felt pads to each
corner of the bottom of the box
is also a good idea, to prevent marring of table tops.
END OF PART THREE
Purchase all your humidor parts and hardware at: