Humidor lining question

On the boxes I have built I cut the cedar to about 1/8” thick. I’m sure there are some that cut Spanish cedar thicker than 1/8” but I haven’t seen it 1/4” thick. Doesn’t mean you couldn’t. IMHO, the oxidation that will normally occur in any wood will tend to decrease the ‘aroma’ regardless of it’s thickness. A good example is with aromatic red cedar (not used in cigar boxes) – regardless of the thickness, once the outer surface oxidizes somewhat, the aroma tends to dissipate significantly.

On gluing the cedar prior to assembly, again IMHO, I would only consider it if I knew that a complete cedar wood-to-wood ‘sealing’ contact is achieved. In other words, if the gluing process results in a gap between two pieces of cedar, this could degrade the expected performance of the cedar. Cigar afficionados are very particular about the performance of the cedar.

-- Sam

Hi Jon, my experience is limited but I just finished my first humidor about a week ago and did the same research I am sure you are doing. I used 1/4” and I found many others did as well. It is also convienant as I can find good and flat 1/4” Sp cedar at my hardwood store.

I cut and fit my cedar last and did not use glue…just a good pressure fit. (with one exception…I glued in the lid piece so that it would always stay tight in the lid. I also left a 1/16 gap on the long side of the lid and floor piece to allow for expansion. This gap made gluing the lid piece a must.) I was unsure if glue was the way to go for everything else so I decided on pressure fit so I could see how it reacted and I can always glue in later if I feel it necessary. Some worry about the odor of gluing in the liner but that was not really one of my reasons.

Your method of laminating the cedar to the base wood is interesting…The biggest downside I can see is that you lose the ability to create the lip seal with the cedar liner. This is what creates a seal to keep the humid air in. But as I’m sure you’ve read…you don’t want it completely air tight. The lip seal allows some exchange of air but is not “drafty”. You could build this lip into the sides but I would guess that it might be trickier to get a good seal the way a “liner lip” can easily produce. That being said, I like design challenges, and your method is an intriguing idea…:) What about differential expansion of the joined woods? That could cause another issue…but I don’t have the experience to know for sure.

Here is another 2cents..even though you didn’t ask for it! :) ...When it came time to put the finish on I struggled for a few days deciding whether or not to put finish on the inside (ie the surfaces that would eventually be covered with sp cedar.) I decided not to and I am glad I did. I did not like the prospect of Poly odor being stuck inside the box. I finished the edges of the bottom and the lid but not this inside facing surfaces. Time will tell if that was the right move but I am not worried about it.

That is my 2, well I guess 4, cents…

Good Luck! can’t wait to see it!

Greg

-- If, in your life, you attain the means to help; you incur the responsibility to act.