Humidor building lesson

[Humidor Minister]

For those of you planning on building your own humidor let this be a lesson.
When building a humidor, one of the most important things to consider is wood movement. Wood is a powerful thing. If you don't allow for movement or you try to frame a top made from solid wood, you may encounter a situation like this. This is a box of Partagas signature series 160's I had put away. The box came from Florida to me here in the Arizona desert. My humi was too full to put the box in so I took the cigars out and had set the box aside. This is the effect of our dry climate. Even though the top piece of wood has a stretcher perpendicular to it, it still curled up like a dogs tongue. I hope this helps prevent someones project from turning into a disaster. Happy building.

 

[Kid Montana]

What prevents this? Moisture sealing lacquers? Pressure treatment?

 

[Mr Peat]

What prevents this? Moisture sealing lacquers? Pressure treatment?

If you are not going to keep a box like this out of a humidor, take it out and place weight on it. As much as you can within reason. Say like 20 lbs plus. Reason is pretty obvious. As the wood dries, it will keep it from warping. Anyone that has dealt with a lot of cigar boxes have learned this lesson at some point or another. I learned a long time ago back in the 1990's that a cigar box out of a humidor will warp if weight isn't placed on it as it dries.

 

[Humidor Minister]

This goes for any kind of solid grained wood. Also when building a humidor with dry wood then introducing high humidity. In the case of Spanish Cedar a weight might reduce the chance but most likely won't eliminate the problem. Wood expansion and contraction can bend wood or even break joints. It's a hydraulic effect in a sense.
I've seen some people build beautiful humidors using a solid wood panel framed with an accenting wood. Problem is, when that panel in the center swells up, it's going to go somewhere. If the mitered corners of the frame are a locked joint, the lid will warp. If the mitered corners are just glued, it'll blow it apart at the corners. This is why you see a lot ov veneer used to build humidors. The veneer is applied to a substraight that is stable in humid or dry conditions. The main thing is to consider wood movement when building a project where humidity will be introduced.
Here's a link to a wood movement calculator. This can help with a project and also give you an idea of how much movement you can expect.
http://www.woodworkerssource.com/movement.php

What prevents this? Moisture sealing lacquers? Pressure treatment?

If you are not going to keep a box like this out of a humidor, take it out and place weight on it. As much as you can within reason. Say like 20 lbs plus. Reason is pretty obvious. As the wood dries, it will keep it from warping. Anyone that has dealt with a lot of cigar boxes have learned this lesson at some point or another. I learned a long time ago back in the 1990's that a cigar box out of a humidor will warp if weight isn't placed on it as it dries.

Finishes can slow down the process but won't stop it. Using a solid base like waterproof MDFwith a veneer over it is the best way to prevent movement. If you are building a desk top, even 1/32nd of an inch can show.