Second Humidor

Did you ever have one of those projects that started with a good idea (at least on paper), but one obstacle after another rises up to make you question your skills? This is one of those boxes.

After struggling with how to make the lid, the box itself sat around the shop for a year. Then I finally said “what the heck, it’s only wood” and pushed on with the lid. Bad choice. The mitered picture frame perimeter was a challenge ‘cause all of my tools are second hand or hand-me-downs that make tight miters a difficult task. Then the first panel just looked awful. Which I couldn’t understand – it looked so good on paper! So then the box and the buggered-up lid sat around the shop for another year.

So, I fixed the double hung window in my son’s room and I removed the piece of wood he’d been using to prop the window open. It had some interesting waviness to it, but a significant twist. When I got it planed flat it was beautiful and I thought about the lid. But it wasn’t big enough so I ripped it and reassembled it with some judicious use of mahogany from the box scraps to make a “leaded window” effect and coved the edges to mirror the underside of the lid frame. So now it has the aspect of a window looking at rippling waters. And the groove in the lid nicely houses the lip of spanish cedar and gives a satisfying sound not unlike closing a car door. So far it’s been easily holding 72% humidity here in bone dry Central Oregon.

It’s also my first attempt at using wipe on polyurethane and I will never go back to brushing on poly! Finished it off with a brown paper bag rub-down and it is as smooth as a baby’s butt!. I may have to take up smoking cigars so I can fully appreciate this gem.

Thanks for looking and for your constructive criticism.

-- Steve O in Oregon