Full on Humidor Build--Planning Stage, Brainstorming Input Needed

[Hurltim]

So I have a few projects left on my honey-do list but I am in the planning/early development stage and I am looking for any and all input ya'all may have. Total free-thought time. 

• I haven't chosen a size yet. 
• It will be insulated. I priced out VIP insulation...not cost effective at all. Most likely Rigid Foam board.
• Design will be pretty damn similar to the one I saw here that had rosewood veneer and mahogany. You know, the one we all drool over. It's simple, clean and more modern.
• Still thinking that an armoire conversion might be the way to go.
• I would love to do a PigFish fully automated system.
• I will stick with veneer for the most part except for door trim and other areas. Solid wood is just too pricey unless I get a band saw ans re-saw my own lumber. Baltic Birch plywood (3/4-1/2") with 3/4" Spanish cedar lining. 
• No glass doors. All wood.

Looking forward to hearing your input!

[joeypots]

http://www.aristocrathumidors.com/

Browsing around Bob's site should give you some good ideas.

[garbandz]

"Still thinking that an armoire conversion might be the way to go"

build a slip in unit with a foam shell,will isolate armoir and minimize impact.

glass inner doors might make it tighter,and make display more fun....

 

[RijkdeGooier]

Or use the armoire as storage for tupperdors?

 

 

[Hurltim]

3 hours ago, garbandz said:

"Still thinking that an armoire conversion might be the way to go"

build a slip in unit with a foam shell,will isolate armoir and minimize impact.

glass inner doors might make it tighter,and make display more fun....

 

Funny you mention this. I have been trying to figure out how to do thick insulation in the sides and top. If you look at that awesome humidor posted here that I am modeling it after, those sides have some pretty serious insulation. Ideally, you want edge to edge insulation with the seams taped or sealed, When you go to line the inside with spanish cedar, what do you screw to? Any type of adhesive for gluing foam to plywood is going to be stinky. I'm not real fond of the idea of the shelves mounting to panels that are friction fit. Maybe I am just being paranoid.

   If I build the whole thing myself rather than a conversion, then I can shoot screws from the outside shell, through the foam and into the spanish cedar. That way you won't see any screwheads on the inside and I can bondo the screwholes on the outside and veneer over it. 

[Hurltim]

I'm not opposed to glass, I just figure staring at a bunch of boxes isn't going to be much fun unless you are a cigar nut like us

[Hurltim]

3 hours ago, joeypots said:

http://www.aristocrathumidors.com/

Browsing around Bob's site should give you some good ideas.

Yeah, love his humidors. I am trying to ballpark my sizes to his to get an idea of storage capacity. The baltic Birch comes in 60 by 60 sheets (a 4 by 8 sheet is well over a hundred bucks) so I am a bit limited in height but I can always set the whole thing on a kick panel pedestal like the rosewood and mahogany one. It would add a good storage space for the electronics too.

[SloppyJ]

Outgrowing the wineador so soon?

[garbandz]

If you build it right you will not need to screw thru the armoire,just slip it in.

it will sit inside just fine.

concerning the cedar lining,I would not waste the $$.

the cigars will not be in contact with the walls or floor, put in some cedar shelves and be done, spend your time on making a good seal and your temp controls.

 

[Hurltim]

14 hours ago, garbandz said:

If you build it right you will not need to screw thru the armoire,just slip it in.

it will sit inside just fine.

concerning the cedar lining,I would not waste the $$.

the cigars will not be in contact with the walls or floor, put in some cedar shelves and be done, spend your time on making a good seal and your temp controls.

 

I wouldn't screw through the outside if I do the armoir conversion. Friction fit all the way. If I miter the joints the panels shouldn't move and the shelves would press the panels against the insulation. Not ideal but it would work.

If I re-saw the spanish cedar, the price isn't too bad. I can get two 3/4" boards on a re-saw or 3 if I drop it down to 1/2" Poplar is a good and cheap secondary wood. If I re-saw poplar, I can get the price way down to 1-3$ a BF. 

Spanish Cedar isn't the greatest wood to work with either. Very soft and lot's of tear-out. It re-saws like a dream but she warps a minute later. 

Good points garbandz!

[garbandz]

thinking about moisture in the house,a loose friction fit maybe?

for the cedar,use cabs,smaller footprint,more vertical capacity........

you can fit a lot of pcs in a 50 count Mag 46 cab...

[Hurltim]

In the spring through summer it stays 40-60% rH. In the winter, it's dryer than a popcorn fart out here.

I can do a friction fit and good snug-fitting shelves should keep them in place. If I make them adjustable like Bob's with shelf pins, the sides might bow a little but I can live with it. I just have to supress the A@#l Retentive gene.

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[Hurltim]

Since the sides aren't really touching the cigars, it might be cool to do a moasic of cigar box lids instead.

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[PigFish]

I have been wanting to pitch in on this thread for a long time now.

I have always wanted to build a modular humidor kit. In this way I could ship the humidor to far away lands and it would be far more affordable giving some people that cannot get a premium pre-built humidor a chance to score one without the high cost of shipping a huge container.

I have had many, many ideas, none at the top of my head today. I even have some CAD files somewhere when I started sketching out concepts.

Unlike most people I prefer solid surface materials. I find no reason to have wood in a humidor. Wood outside is very nice of course, but affinity for wine coolers reflects my desire for solid surface materials inside, and the efficiency for how the Chinese build the enclosure. When I went about designing my kits, I thought, why reinvent the wheel?

It has pros and cons of course.

If I hop back to the data logger some of you might remember this experiment. I took some random settings and programmed my test humidor and then later, I just changed them back.

So I have to ask anyone considering such a project, what are your goals in making the project, and how do you want it to work?

So for me, I don't start with a parts list, I start with the goal for a finished product and what I want from a performance perspective. Next (for me anyway) is if I intend on a 'one-off' or do I intend on the prototype as a test bed for a product for sale. What will make the product better than others, what will it cost, how will I package it, etc...

I am obsessed with humidor performance so that is my ultimate desire, to build something that someone else cannot or does not build. Then of course there is the goal to build something better than I did last time. And typically, since everyone wants bigger, how can I build bigger and keep the price down.

All the technical aspects come after I have examined the goal.

I don't know if it helps or not, but that is a part of my thought process.

My next goal is building a new humidor on a 100 bottle plus wine cooler. It is the logical progression for me.

Cheers! -Piggy

[Hurltim]

On 9/17/2016 at 11:32 AM, PigFish said:

I have been wanting to pitch in on this thread for a long time now.

 

Cheers! -Piggy

I have been waiting Sensei

I am really leaning towards your system for controlling rH and temp or something very close to it. I am going to give my money to somebody it may as well be somebody I respect. You are vehemently "Anti-self promotion" and I get that but you are pretty damn good at what you do. 

RE: Modular--Have you looked into extruded aluminum framing companies like 80/20? There is a company called Salamander Designs that makes aluminum framed A/V cabinets that are completely modular. I am building an A/V cabinet similar to those once I finish my center channel. 

RE: Impervious interior surface: I have thought long and hard on this. I think you are totally spot on with a solid surface in the interior--one less variable to worry about. I look at it this way: You have two choices: 1) Make it traditional style but totally automated (It is much easier to re-sell "traditional" if I want to build a bigger one later) or go the classy refrigerator route. Both have their good and bad points. I was looking at converting a large wine cooler like KoolR models. There is one on CL right now for 750 that holds 250 bottles. That would be the one I would investigate. Most of the larger ones are pretty expensive but if you look at the larger humidor models, they are still cheaper. If you could keep the conversion price down to say 1K, I think you would be close to a winner.

 

 

[Hurltim]

I think veneer wise and solid wood, I am leaning towards zebrawood and tropical walnut for the sold wood elements. 

 

 

[backbone]

That would look really nice!

[PigFish]

... zebra stripes don't line up... Bad form! -LOL

Have used 80/20 many times, was actually using their CAD plugins for a time until they made a mess out of my layers...

The only problem I see with a large cabinet style humidor is the means by which you will decide to cool it. There are package units such as BreezeAir (sp?) but just understanding how the unit will affect airflow, overshoot, condensation and leakage will be a project all to itself. In fact it would likely be a benefit to build a mockup of the unit in place just to test it and data log it.

It really depends on what one wants as an end result. If one wants furniture that looks good and is second rate storage, or first rate storage that looks good!

Testing is a big part of whatever you build to store cigars (MHO). It all depends on what you are after.

Cheers! -R

[Hurltim]

I feel you can make it work well and look good if it's designed and built well.
RE: Cooling: I agree that cooling is the biggest problem. My 1st idea is to skip the peltier and it's design flaws and install a compressor from a used fridge/chiller to utilize it's dehumidification benefits. I was planning on building a pedestal under the main chamber out of 80/20 to house heating/cooling/fans etc. This way heating and cooling could use the same entrance into the humidifed chamber.

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[Hurltim]

I feel you can make it work well and look good if it's designed and built well.
RE: Cooling: I agree that cooling is the biggest problem. My 1st idea is to skip the peltier and it's design flaws and install a compressor from a used fridge/chiller to utilize it's dehumidification benefits. I was planning on building a pedestal under the main chamber out of 80/20 to house heating/cooling/fans etc. This way heating and cooling could use the same entrance into the humidifed chamber.

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