Introduction
If you’re looking for a more personal way to store your cigars, then maybe a humidor is what you need. The first step to making your own humidor is preparing the wood and glue up. After that, you’ll rout grooves and rabbets in order to make sure that no air can escape from your box during shipping (which will help keep moisture in). Then it’s time to cut grooves for the splines and gluing up everything together before re-sawing the veneer on top of everything else!
Step 1: Prepare the wood and glue it up.
In this step, you will prepare the wood and glue it up.
- Prepare the wood: You need to prepare your wood by sanding it smooth, cleaning it with alcohol or acetone if necessary, and then staining (if desired). If you’re using a hardwood species like cherry or mahogany that has been used for years in cigar boxes as well as other products made from these materials, then there isn’t much need for preparation since no chemicals have touched them at all. However, if this is not true for your material selection then please refer back here so we can make sure everything is ready before moving forward with construction!
- Glue up: Once prepared properly and sanded down nicely (2-3 hours), apply some glue evenly over each piece of wood making sure they are flat against each other before clamping them together tightly with clamps until dry overnight at least overnight depending on how fast things go when applying pressure onto things like clamps which prevent any movement during drying process after application but don’t take too long either because otherwise wait until next day before checking again because sometimes even though everything looks good enough now might still need another coat tomorrow morning prior starting new batch project off using same method described above except instead using different kind altogether; namely liquid nails which offer better adhesion power than standard paper type screws so don’t worry about losing anything during installation process unless done incorrectly first time around since everything else should work just fine once cleaned up properly after removing dust particles left behind by previous applications.”
Step 2: Rout grooves and rabbets.
To rout a groove for the spline, you’ll need to make a rabbet on the lid of your humidor. You can use either a router table or handheld power tool with straight bits that have slots in them for cutting grooves, or you could use a combination of both methods by using an appropriate straight bit and then adding on a rabbeting bit as well. It’s up to you!
Step 3: Cut grooves for the splines and glue them up.
- Cut grooves for the splines and glue them up.
- Use a rabbet plane to cut the grooves on each side of the box. The rabbet plane will create a groove that runs parallel with its blade, so you can use it as an easy way to cut straight lines without needing a special tool like an oscillating spindle sander. You can do this by clamping down one side of your molding while holding it steady with clamps or weights on all other sides, then using your rabbet plane on both cuts at once until they’re deep enough (about 1/16″). If you don’t have access to such machinery, just go slow and test frequently!
- Cut slots for your splines: This step is optional but highly recommended if making multiple boxes out of the same molding material because it makes assembly much easier later on; skip this step if only making one humidor from scratch! It’s pretty straightforward though—just take some time with a saw or handheld jig saw before cutting out each slot yourself (make sure they’re wide enough not too close together). When done properly these slots should be perfectly centered vertically within their respective alcoves so no excess wood is left behind after assembling everything together later on..
Step 4: Re-saw the veneer and attach it using a vacuum press.
Re-sawing the veneer and attaching it using a vacuum press is the final step in this project. Use a circular saw to cut off any excess wood, then use your vacuum press to attach the veneer by applying pressure from several angles. Be careful not to overdo it with your vacuum press; you want to avoid damaging or warping any of your materials!
Step 5: Size the veneer, then sand everything.
Once you’ve determined the size of your humidor, you’ll need to cut the veneer for it. If you’re using a miter saw and want to make sure that your cuts are straight, I recommend cutting at an angle on each side of the box so that when they meet up in the middle they’ll match perfectly.
Once you’ve cut out your pieces and attached them together with glue or screws (I used hot glue), it’s time to sand everything down! Sanding off any bumps or blemishes will ensure that all of your parts fit together nicely when finished. You can also use a belt sander if this isn’t enough; just remember not too much though as we still want some rough edges here!
Step 6: Glue on the trim, then sand it flush with the box.
You can use a vacuum press to glue the veneer on the box. This will allow you to see if it’s even and level before sanding it down.
Once the glue is dry, use your belt sander to remove any sharp edges around the joints. Then, using a random orbital sander (or palm sander), remove all of the remaining burrs from inside and outside of your humidor box.
Finally, take both sides and sand them flush with each other using an oscillating disc sander—this will give it that nice finished look!
Step 7: Glue in the divider, then finish everything.
At this point, you should have a box that is ready for use. If you’ve finished the project and your humidor is looking great, it’s time to let things cure. You can either leave them alone in their original containers or store them in a safe place until they’re ready to use.
If you’re using an unfinished wood finish on your humidor, let it dry out before using it as there may be some shrinkage that occurs with drying times depending on how thickly applied (I would recommend using two coats). One coat will suffice if all else fails; however, I would suggest waiting until after three weeks before opening up so as not to risk damaging any of your hardware!
Step 8: Make the lid, then install the lid and hinges.
Make the lid
- For this step, you’ll need an acrylic paintbrush and some primer. It’s best if you have access to a surface that can be painted on or varnished, such as a large piece of plywood or even just butcher paper. You also need a piece of scrap wood as well as some masking tape (which we’ll use later).
- Paint both sides of your lid with two coats of acrylic white primer. Let dry completely before installing hinges and finish them off with either spray lacquer or clear nail polish.*
Install hinges: I used 2″x2″x1/2″ pine boards cut into 3 pieces each so they’d be easy enough when it came time for installation later on down below!
Conclusion
Now that you’ve finished your box, it’s time for the fun part! You can fill it with all kinds of good stuff (and you can even smoke in here if you want to). If you don’t want to go through the hassle of building one yourself, there are companies like Woody Veneer who will custom-build a humidor just for your needs. Either way, we hope this post gave you some insight into how easy it is to make an awesome DIY humidor from scratch. GO NOW TO LUMBUY.COM FOR MORE INFO.
