Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project

I’ve been dreaming about cabinet humidors since I bought my first cooler about 3 years ago. I don’t have a big collection and the coolers in the basement have served me well, but I was recently presented with a unique opportunity that was too good to pass up.

My brother-in-law is taking a fine woodworking course and one of the second year requirements is to build a commission piece. We’ve spent the last few months designing and construction should start next week.

It’s basically a large armoire style cabinet with upper and lower doors separated by two external drawers. I’m using solid black walnut with walnut burl for the door panels. I went with the Accumonitor system for humidity control with two 260 btu thermoelectric cooling units. For lights I have some LED light strips that will be activated by a door switch.

I’ve included an original concept sketch we did few months back. We’ve made some small changes but the general idea is the same. I’ve enjoyed seeing some of the other projects so I thought I would post some construction photos as things progress. Just a warning; it will probably take 3-4 months to complete.

Any comments/suggestions/questions are welcome.

Jon

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Pretty cool looking. Sounds like fun!

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Looking forward to seeing the progress. :tu

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Nice... keep us posted for sure... I will be looking for a way to cool my cab come spring time so I might ask you how yours ends up working out. :D

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Be sure to account for the thermoelectric sinks generating a lot of condensation inside the cabinet from the moisture in the air. IE you don't want that running down the sides of your cabinet or getting things wet directly.

I gave a similar project some thought a while back, and ended up adding a small drip tray immediately below the TE sinks made of some PVC cut lengthwise with end caps to form a small (1" pipe) gutter. I added a T coupler at one end and a step-down adapter to a piece of 1/4" food grade tubing that ran down the back corner and allowed me to direct the constant condensation drip back into the humidifier reservoir.


Other side things I would think of include adding some duct-work in the back corners (cover it with panels) that would allow you to wire two slow speed 120mm PC fans: one blowing air up to the top of the cabinet, one blowing air down to the bottom (with 1"-2" holes on an interval to allow air to circulate out and around the cigars). I decided that would be the most efficient way to move air around constantly to ensure even humidity. The other idea I had was a "false back" to the cabinet with large holes in it, behind which were fans blowing air around to keep it moving, but I ultimately decided ducting the corners was more space-efficient, and presented less problems should I ever need to make modifications or repairs.

AC outlets are almost a must-have unless you plan to wire the whole cabinet into one board and PSU and make the cabinet an actual appliance. My original idea used a 25' heavy guage outdoor extension cord that I cut one end from. I had planned to wire it to a junction box, where I would wire out two outlets on the inside, and then attach a high-efficiency, low-noise PC power supply to run the temperature control, thermoelectric system, and fans inside the unit.


Of course, time restraints meant I never got farther than some plans and drawings I did up years ago. Pity, I would have liked to finish that project.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Thanks for your post. I’ve obviously given this a lot of thought.

To deal with the condensation I’ve got a collection tray that will be mounted directly below the cooling units. I was going to add a length a tubing with some type of valve so I could drain the tray as needed. Depending on how much condensation is produced and how often I need to drain the tray I may look at other options.

For circulation I’ve left a 1”-2” gap between the shelves and the front and back of the cabinet. I have 4 small fans that will cycle on and off to circulate the air. I still need to find a timer that will let me adjust the on and off times. One of the reasons I went with the Accumonitor is the 4 separate humidification units that can be located throughout the cabinet. Between that and the fans I think should be okay.

I have a 24V DC power supply for the cooling units and a 12V for the lights, fans, and humidification. I plan on using a single AC plug-in that will go to a junction box and supply the DC power units.

Hopefully you find the time to finish your project one day.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

The side, top, and bottom panels were pressed up this week.
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=662
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=660
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=661

Here's a few more pictures:

96 board feet of spanish cedar
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=656

Walnut burl veneer for the door panels
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=657

Accumonitor and cooling units
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=659

Lights: LED light strips, dimmer switch, relay, and magnetic door switch
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=658

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

This looks like a great project... I'm looking forward to seeing it as it progresses. Keep up the good work! :ss

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Wow what a great project. It definately looks like you know what you're doing. Cant wait to watch this one being built!

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

I'm really looking forward to seeing this one. Looks like it's going to be a very nice humi.

That veneer for the doors is beautiful.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

I have to bookmark this one, it could be a classic.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Very nice! :ss

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

looking good!

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Update:

The top and bottom and side panels were glued together yesterday so it's starting to take shape.

Here's one of the side panels
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=775

Top and bottom with the curved front
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=776

Cabinet being glued together
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=777

Front view
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=779

Side view
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=778

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

That is AWESOME!

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Wow.

That thing is going to look amazing with a finish on it.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Wow, it's shaping up to be a good looking cabinet! I wish I had woood working skillz. I can't wait to see the finished product!!

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Looking great :ss

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

SWEET!!!! That thing is going to be awesome. Thanks for the updates.....keep them coming.:ss

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Looking good! :D

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

This is going to be awesome!! keep us updated.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Looking great! Wish I was able to build something of that caliber!

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

That looks really sweet!!

Mike :)

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

That looks very amazing. Let me know if you ever want to commission one for me ;)

Can you tell us more info about the TE units. Cost and purchase location?

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Thanks for the interest and feedback. I’ve seen his other pieces and I know he does amazing work but I’ve never seen the construction process. I had no idea how much work was involved in building something like this. I don’t know if seeing the progress makes the waiting easier or harder.

The cooling units are from INB Thermoelectric, but I got the entire humidity and temperature control system from Matt at Avallo Humidors. Since I was starting from scratch and didn’t really know what I was doing I liked the idea of having a complete ‘kit’. I added the lights, a timer for the fans, a float switch for a low water indicator light and a second power supply. You can get the cooling units directly from INB for about $250/unit.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Great work on that so far... I've Subscribed to this thread so i don't miss anything! :ss

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Looking awesome!!! PLEASE keep the pics coming. I would love to see pics of you shop too... :ss

Pip

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

That is looking good. I can't wait to see the finished product. Nice Work.:tu

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Very cool project! I look forward to seeing more :D

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Great looking cab so far. What about insulation for the cool air?

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

I'm going to use 1.5" thick rigid insulation. At first I was worried about the loss of storage space but I would rather have it function properly and lose a little space, especially since it's about 4 times the size I currently need.:)

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Incredible build!

Where did you purchase the spanish cedar if you don't mind me asking? a specialty wood shop or did you get it off the net?

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

What a WICKED project... I'm dying to see the finish project.

Thanks for all the great info.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

I'm in Canada so there's not a lot of options. I went with http://www.amwoodinc.com. My BIL who is doing the woodworking has used them in the past on other projects and highly recommended them. I found places in the states that were cheaper but once I figured in the exchange rate, extra shipping and brokerage fees it wasn't worth it.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

The frame work for the drawers and the base went on this week.
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=870
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=871

The timer for the circulation fans came in last week. It's a repeat cycle timer with external potentiometers to adjust the on and off times. The on time is adjustable from 3 sec.-5 min. and the off time from 1-100 minutes.
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/pictur...&pictureid=872

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

That wood work is looking good!:tu

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Very nice, I wish I had the skills to do that kind of work. And better yet, I wish I had the finished product in my house!

Mike :ss

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Sweet project! Keep the pics coming and thanks for sharing this.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

to the OP: any updates?

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

This looks absolutely stunning! It also looks really well built and very heavy! I cannot wait to see more.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Nothing new has been done over the holidays. The Spanish cedar lining and shelves are going to start next week. I'll keep the pics coming as things progress.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Sweet deal, we look forward to seeing and hearing more! Thanks for the reply:ss

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

a very nice piece of furniture that I am sure can be passed down thru the generations, or if your like me -- you'll take it to your grave!! :r :r

keep those pictures coming.. :tu

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Man that's looking sweet!

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Looks like this is going to be one beautiful cabinet. Is the front curved? It's a little hard to tell from the picture.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Yes, there is about a 2" curve in the front. That was Dave's idea (my brother in law that is doing the woodworking). He said he wanted a challenge, go figure.:)

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

That is going to be sweet.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Hey Jon,

Now that I know you are relatively close by ( only 400 miles away ), I'm dying to see the finished product in person this summer...

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Hey Rudy, anytime. The cabinet should be finished some time in March so if you're out this way stop by for a smoke and check it out.

Re: Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project
 

Hey Jon...

It better be BOLTED DOWN... or it's going to enjoy a trip to the coast... :ss:ss:ss:ss