Hi everyone, wondering what types of woods are acceptable to be used in a humidor besides spanish cedar.

I've heard mahogany is good too, specifically honduran mahogany. Are any types of mahogany ok, like African Mahogany? My local home depot can order 4x8 plywood sheets of african mahogany versus my having to order spanish cedar plywood sheets from the east coast incurring hundreds in shipping costs (i live in so cal)

Also is 1/2 inch plywood suffficient, i read in some other places actual spanish cedar hardwood planks are preferred, but wanted to make sure spanish cedar or mahogany plywood are ok.

thanks for any advice
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Mahogany plywood is a veneer. It'll generally be a thin slice of mahogany over a pine or birch core. No plywood is any good for building any part of a humidor.
Any type of non-aromatic lumber is okay for building the actual humidor, but Spanish Cedar is used as an aromatic lining to impart flavor to cigars. That's non-negotiable and not a place where you can cheap out.
Good humidors cost a lot of money. The materials and hardware cost a lot of money. Buy, by far, the biggest cost is the time that goes into building them. If you have the skill to build a humidor, there's no amount of money you can pay for material that does not leave you at a great big bargain.
Shop a little, you'll find Spanish cedar at a reasonable price. I use Goosebay Lumber.
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Are you looking to line a humidor? If so, plywood seems overkill. The lining of a humidor doesn't actually need to be very thick. I actually brought this subject up a few months ago. 1/4 inch is common, but 1/8 inch in thickness is sufficient.

You may want to research hardwoods retailers in your area instead of going through Home Depot. You can buy online as well. Spanish Cedar is definitely the most common solution. I think you can use Teak as well, but have no first hand knowledge or experience with using teak in a humidor.
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Just a thought...
http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?p...8&site=ROCKLER
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Both solid planks and spanish cedar veneer plywood are available at most specialty wood retailers like Rockler and Woodcraft. There should be one within reasonable driving distance. :-)
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Isn't Spanish cedar sought after for its natural passive humidification (with low aromatics) properties? As in thicker is better to a reasonable point?
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thanks guys, rockler doesn't carry it amy more and woodcraft special orders it too from another vendor. there are two exotic hardwood vendors that have spanish cedar hardwood planks at about $10-15 per boardfoot

looking to line the inside of a triangle shaped cabinet/walk in that is 8 feet high x 6 feet x 6 feet.

here are options that i was thinking of for the finished product.

1. african mahogany plywood walls and spanish cedar shelving

2. spanish cedar plywood walls with spanish cedar or african mahogany shelving

3. spansih cedar hardwood walls with shhelving.


walls costs (needing about 120 square feet)
african mahogany 3/4 plywood $3.50 per square foot
spanish cedar 1/2 plywood $ 5.50 per square foot
spanish cedar hardwood $ 10 per square foot

I guess costs being the biggest faactor here vs. how much spanish cedar do i really need to get that smell. it will be pretty packed with boxes. My first choice, costwise, would be african mahogany plywood with all solid spanish cedar shelving.

also wanted to see if any adverse affects using spanish cedar plywood walls vs. hardwood. I know its basically a just a really thin veneer on plywood, and wasn't sure if the base layer plywood or glues would affect the humidor aroma's? what is typically used as a base? pine?

tks again for any advice.
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thanks mattso for the rockler link, i guess when i called woodcraft and rockler i was asking for the spanish cedar plywood. local places around here sell 6-8 inch planks x 8-10 feet high x 1 inch think for about 10 bucks a boardfoot is the cheapest i found. i think that comes to about the same price as rockler, no shipping and its a bit thicker. and would be easier to install for walls since they are longer boards. thanks again. though.
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With that large of area I personally think you would be fine with Spanish cedar veneer walls and solid Spanish cedar shelving. That's how I would do it.
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thanks for the input shilala, i may have to go hardwood spanish cedar for walls and wondering if hardwood african mahogany is an option for shelving as they carry that at home depot as well.
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Regardless of what you decide, sounds like a really fun project :-)
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If you're doing a walk-in, spanish cedar for the walls and shelves would be excessive. You would be fine with the mahogany with cedar shelves.
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I've read Woodcraft is a good supplier of 1/4 and 1/8 inch SC lumber. I also read these guys offer great pricing for DIY walkins : http://www.woodprojections.com/walk-in%20humidors.htm. I found this supplier of 1/4 SC lumber at $5.99/sq ft: http://www.woodworkerssource.com/hum...r_Spanish.html

Per Scott's post I would steer clear of anything ply. Go with 1/8 inch thick lumber to cut costs. FWIW, make sure it's kiln dried or you may have sap issues.
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Honduran mahogany is different from African mahogany. I do not know if they are interchangeable. There are a couple of threads on walk-in humidors. From memory most use veneer for walls and planks for shelving. :-)
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I would imagine as long as the space you have already is air tight you just need to worry about humidification and then build boxes/buy boxes of cedar if you wish to have that smell. There are better ways to seal a space then using the cedar. My understanding is the cedar does give some humidification help but not much. The big part is getting that space air tight and humidifying it. Good luck sounds like a great project.
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Just use Lauan (Luan) wood to line the thing and spansh cedar for the shelves. I did this with a walk in a few years ago and it works like a champ. Can be found at Lowes and HD for very little cost.
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found this interesting thread on the jc newman cigar forum regarding "spanish cedar vs. honduran mahogany"



Bob StaebellFebruary 14, 2002, 06:36 AM
padron7,
I have found it to really be a matter of personal preference.

Most of the cabinet humidors & conversions that I have done use Honduran mahogany for the lining. It's actually a veneer on an MDF core. (be careful of luan mahogany--much of it is imported from countries that still allow use of high VOC adhesives that can have an unpleasant aroma when humidified) Spanish cedar is used for drawers, shelves, trim, etc.

The rationale for using mahogany over spanish cedar is simply that when all the cedar from the boxes is combined with the surface area of the interior (if done in cedar) one can get an overpowering cedar aroma on the loose cigars stored.

That being said, some people prefer their cigars with a strong cedar "nose", in which case cedar lining is preferred.

Visually, the two are in the same "family" & can actually be difficult to distinguish sometimes.

The best source for materials is a wood supplier from the yellow pages close to you. That is the first place I would check. Save you freight, etc & allow you to hand pick your wood.

Cheers,

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arlinFebruary 14, 2002, 08:55 AM
I mix Spanish Cedar and Mahogany in the Humidors I make. Spansih Cedar has been known to occasionally 'bleed' [ooze sap or pitch from its pores] and I avoid its use where the cigars can come into direct contact with the interior wood.For example I make the trays [or drawers] of Mahogany. Typically I make the liner of the base and the floor of the base of Spanish Cedar for its aroma [and also where it is concealed behind the trays] and the underside of the lid in Mahogany [so if there is bleed it won't be offensive to the eye].

I take as much care as ANYONE in buying quality woods and seasoning them before use, but 'bleed' in Spanish Cedar is a risk no matter!

The use of Spanish Cedar may have economic roots, that have been 'hyped' by folks seeking to profit from Humidor making. Mahogany has been used in FINE humidors for quite a while, and has FUNCTIONALLY the same properties as Spanish Cedar regarding moisture retension and useablility over prolonged periods in a moist environment.

It is much more economical to line a humidor with furniture grade veneer Mahogany rather than either Spanish Cedar Veneer or SOLID Spanish Cedar. Also lining with SOLID woods must address woods inherent 'movement'. And as Bob wrote above "a veneer on an MDF core" is quite workable, and also MUCH SIMPLER and EASY.

I have made Humidors BOTH with and without Spanish Cedar, both as tabletops and cabinets. There seems to me to be NO ABSOLUTE RULE, & as Bob also said "I have found it to really be a matter of personal preference". We are in agreement on this!

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smitttyFebruary 14, 2002, 10:05 AM
Wouldnt even begin to get into the Spansih Cedar versus any other type of wood discussion. However, if you need a resource for Spanish cedar, try Wall Lumber in Mayodan, NC. You can ask for Randall. They ship anywhere and their prices are incredibly low. If you give him measurements he will cut to size. Randall has built humidors for local stores so he is not only a good resource for the wood, he is a good resource for humidor know-how

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padron7February 14, 2002, 04:37 PM
Thanks to everyone for the great info...Rich

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patiobumApril 30, 2002, 05:05 PM
cabinet topper. <IMG SRC='/cf4/images/smiley/smiley05.gif' BORDER=0 WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=15>

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blazzerApril 30, 2002, 07:-)8 PM
According to the magazine "American Woodworker", Feb 2000, Spanish Cedar, Cedrela mexicana or the lesser expensive Cedrela ordorata has one advantage or Mahogany from say Honduras: The beetles which use tobacco to lay there eggs cant stand the spanish cedar but have no problems with the mahogany. This was in the Q&A section on page 10, just in case anyone wanted the reference.

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padron7May 1, 2002, 10:35 PM
I've been deployed to Korea For a while now so this project has been on hold. The cabinet was delivered about a week before I left, as you can imagine I'm ready to get home and work on it.. I'll keep you all posted. Rich

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Dave75061May 3, 2002, 10:-)0 AM
Bob, Arlin, what is mdf board??

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arlinMay 3, 2002, 11:04 AM
MDF= Medium Density Fiberboard a synthectic materail made from powdered [otherwise waste]products and MOSTLY glue!

In comparison to natural wood, MDF will not 'move' [expand and contract]and is a preferred medium/building material by many commerical [for profit] cabinet shops.

Bob........

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PadronNutMay 3, 2002, 11:48 AM
Hey Arlin. In Memphis, we are seeing much more African Mahogony than Honduran Mahogony. Do you know if the African has similar moisture retention properties and could be used as a replacement for Honduran Mahogony? Also, what do you think about spanish cedar's anti-tobacco beetle properties that blazzer speaks of above? Thanks.

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Bob StaebellMay 3, 2002, 06:58 PM
PadronNut,
You will find that African Mahogany is very similar to honduran mahogany in expansion characteristics as well as moisture properties. The grain is a bit more open than H.mahogany & coloration a bit darker. It does seem to have a somewhat different aroma than h.mahogany, at least when we cut & sand it, so some may not consider it quite as neutral in aroma as h.mahogany.

Arlin is correct that MDF is used where movement is undesirable. There are many different grades of MDF that all seem to fall under the name. MDF is not the same as the large flake board that is commonly used in low end production furniture.

A high quality MDF with small particle size & high strength binder is used most frequently on high end furniture ranging from humidors to very expensive tables, furniture, cabinets as a stable substrate of furniture grade veneers.

You will even find MDF on the lids of one of Arlins ebony humidors.....it seemed per my suggestion to be the only thing that would hold the ebony stable......

cheers,

Bob Staebell
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The point I was trying to make with the home depot mahogany ply is that it's not mahogany at all. It's simply pine or birch plywood with a mahogany veneer over it. The veneer is very thin.
You can actually buy rolls of veneer to cover any type of core wood you're working with.

If you look at Bob's statements in the thread you reposted, he says, in so many words, much what I've always felt. Too much spanish cedar is too much spanish cedar. It's very easy to have too much, it seeps sap, makes a mess, sucks to work with, is not a structural (load bearing) material, and it's very easy to go overboard.
An oak or cherry walk-in with oak or cherry shelves would be divine.
The cabs contain plenty of cedar to impart the proper amount of cedar essense to cigars.
If a brother wants more spanish cedar smell in the humidor, one could easily rip lengths and affix them below shelves, or hide pieces out of eyesight.

Let me bring that idea into context for you...
If I have a 2" thick piece of Spanish Cedar 8" wide and 24" long sitting in a closed shed for a week, EVERYTHING in that 12'x20 shed will smell like spanish cedar for the rest of my life.
Take that same piece of cedar and move it to a 25'x25' shop 3 years later, one that has a garage door that is open most of the time, and EVERYTHING in that shop will overpoweringly reek of cedar in no time.

A person needs to be very, very careful with how much spanish cedar he uses in a project. If I wish for every single cigar I own to taste of nothing but cedar, it's very easy to do. To find a proper line, an amount that's pleasant to the nose and pleasant when smoking, that's where experience comes into play, and it goes a long, long way.

I don't like to work with veneers, I like to work with solid woods and hate mdf. It creates challenges. Whereas I used to make a lot of parts and pieces out of cedar, I've found it's best to line one area with a thick slab than to line all areas with a 1/64" veneer. The slab will never lose it's essense whereas veneer will over time.

Just be careful and err on the side of caution. You can always add cedar later, but if you build it into the structure, you can never get rid of it.
You could honestly build an entire humidor with NO spanish cedar, then add a baseboard molded of solid spanish cedar, and that would create enough cedar stink to last until the end of days.
Your cabs and dress boxes already have enough cedar to take care of the cigars. :-)
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very prudent post, Shilala. I think most people overestimate the positive flavor enhancement of Spanish Cedar. I for one can't stand it. Keep in mind the Cuban cabs will impart a different aroma then what you would get with the solid SC that you would get from a supplier. A lot of people might not detect the difference and if you are one of those, then maybe it's not that much of a concern.

I've had good success with solid birch in my stand-up humi and a friend has lined his walk-in with Russian Birch, which is used in cold food display case. I can say that after nearly a decade, the birch has a neutral effect and is extremely stable in that environment- as a closed small volume box, YMMV.

Finally, I've had very, very favorable results in aging loose sticks in a solid mahogany lined desktop. Overall, that would be my number one choice. Keep in mind I'm not a cabinet builder, only basing my opinion on medium term (10+ years) storage experience.
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I also vote for mahogany....it has perhaps better characteristics for cigars than the vaunted spanish cedar.
I have said it too many times here, but my opusx box is the best re-purposed cigar box that I own. It was a double
corona box so it fits all the long, slim panatelas I store in there and keeps them absolutely perfect in condition.
Best box I use for long term storage BY FAR. And while I don't know what they do THESE DAYS, they used
hondiran mahogany for their boxes in those days when the Opus was a new cigar.
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