Wanting to build a humidor...I have a few questions

[Brutus2600]

Well, I've searched high and low, and I can't find a humidor that fits what I need. I want to put it on my countertop in the kitchen near my liqour cabinet. Because of my cabinets, it can't be higher than 17". In addition, the space I want to fill is about 30" wide and 15" deep. I'd like two glass panel doors to put my sticks on display too. Pretty specific, right? Well because of that I haven't found anything to suit my needs, so I decided to build my own! I have a little bit of woodworking experience and have all the needed tools at my disposal. I however do have a few questions for you woodworking BOTL's out there

I don't want anything crazy fancy, I don't have the money to spend on rare/beautiful wood, but I don't want it to look cheap either. What wood should I get that would have a nice finish to it that's not too aromatic and wouldn't ruin the cigars inside? I plan on lining the interior with spanish cedar and using spanish cedar trays, so I'm not sure how much the exterior wood would really matter. I have a local woodworking store that has a very nice selection of woods, so I should be able to find whatever wood is suggested.

Next question, I'd like two rows of angled trays for singles, with a little room at the bottom for boxes. Is there a good source to purchase trays or should I try to make my own?

Last question (for now at least, haha), how should I make the doors air-tight? I've seen some humidor repair threads where weather stripping was used, but I just wanted to see what options were out there

Thanks for the input guys! I'm hoping to get this project done soon as my current small desktop humidor is bursting at the seams with cigars, haha. I'll post all sorts of pictures too

[captain53]

I would see about getting Waxingmoon to build me one, he turns out some really nice custom humidors.

[Brutus2600]

Yeah...I've seen some beautiful humidors that the guys have built here, and I'd be honored to have one of those in my house, but this has kind of turned into a combination of "can't find what I want so I'll make it" and wanting to have something that I built with my own two hands. I can be stubborn sometimes, haha

[The Poet]

Cherry should be a nice hardwood choice, and not overly expensive . . . like, say, mahogany. But if that's too dark for your decor, you might consider ash.

What color wood do you like? Sometimes you can go to your local hardwood supplier and go through there stack of soft Maple and find curly maple. The figure in the wood starts to show when the log is being cut a certain way. It runs around 3.00 to 4.00 bucks a board foot. If you like dark woods, check out Walnut. Cherry is a nice wood too but it will darken considerably over time. If you want trays, I build them but the cost Spanish Cedar around here is around 7.00 to 8.00 bucks a BF alone. PM me if you like. I do build nice trays though. I do Mortise & tenon joints for longevity.

As far as a seal goes, I like making a groove in the frame before I miter the corners. Then after assembling the door, I use a foam tape that slightly raises out of the groove. This way its not too thick and has a clean look to it.

[Brutus2600]

Awesome, thanks for the advice guys. I'll see what my local shop is charging and then go from there.

[shilala]

I bet it'd look awesome if you matched your humi with your cabinets.
It shouldn't be tough to do...

[GWN]

It's very rewarding to build your own. Mine is far from perfect, but I'm happy with the result. Kinda like catching a trout on a fly you tied yourself.
The only thing that jumped out at me about your original post was the location. On the kitchen counter with glass doors would have me concerned about temperature swings and condensation, depending how the sun hits it.

[Brutus2600]

Originally Posted by GWN

It's very rewarding to build your own. Mine is far from perfect, but I'm happy with the result. Kinda like catching a trout on a fly you tied yourself.
The only thing that jumped out at me about your original post was the location. On the kitchen counter with glass doors would have me concerned about temperature swings and condensation, depending how the sun hits it.

That was actually a concern of mine, but the sun never directly shines on that area. The corner of the kitchen is about the most consistent temp in the house too. I keep my current humidor there and I've been pretty satisfied so far.