Cooled Cabinet Humidor Project

I’ve been dreaming about cabinet humidors since I bought my first cooler about 3 years ago. I don’t have a big collection and the coolers in the basement have served me well, but I was recently presented with a unique opportunity that was too good to pass up.

My brother-in-law is taking a fine woodworking course and one of the second year requirements is to build a commission piece. We’ve spent the last few months designing and construction should start next week.

It’s basically a large armoire style cabinet with upper and lower doors separated by two external drawers. I’m using solid black walnut with walnut burl for the door panels. I went with the Accumonitor system for humidity control with two 260 btu thermoelectric cooling units. For lights I have some LED light strips that will be activated by a door switch.

I’ve included an original concept sketch we did few months back. We’ve made some small changes but the general idea is the same. I’ve enjoyed seeing some of the other projects so I thought I would post some construction photos as things progress. Just a warning; it will probably take 3-4 months to complete.

Any comments/suggestions/questions are welcome.

Jon
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Pretty cool looking. Sounds like fun!
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Looking forward to seeing the progress. :-)
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Nice... keep us posted for sure... I will be looking for a way to cool my cab come spring time so I might ask you how yours ends up working out. :-)
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Be sure to account for the thermoelectric sinks generating a lot of condensation inside the cabinet from the moisture in the air. IE you don't want that running down the sides of your cabinet or getting things wet directly.

I gave a similar project some thought a while back, and ended up adding a small drip tray immediately below the TE sinks made of some PVC cut lengthwise with end caps to form a small (1" pipe) gutter. I added a T coupler at one end and a step-down adapter to a piece of 1/4" food grade tubing that ran down the back corner and allowed me to direct the constant condensation drip back into the humidifier reservoir.


Other side things I would think of include adding some duct-work in the back corners (cover it with panels) that would allow you to wire two slow speed 120mm PC fans: one blowing air up to the top of the cabinet, one blowing air down to the bottom (with 1"-2" holes on an interval to allow air to circulate out and around the cigars). I decided that would be the most efficient way to move air around constantly to ensure even humidity. The other idea I had was a "false back" to the cabinet with large holes in it, behind which were fans blowing air around to keep it moving, but I ultimately decided ducting the corners was more space-efficient, and presented less problems should I ever need to make modifications or repairs.

AC outlets are almost a must-have unless you plan to wire the whole cabinet into one board and PSU and make the cabinet an actual appliance. My original idea used a 25' heavy guage outdoor extension cord that I cut one end from. I had planned to wire it to a junction box, where I would wire out two outlets on the inside, and then attach a high-efficiency, low-noise PC power supply to run the temperature control, thermoelectric system, and fans inside the unit.


Of course, time restraints meant I never got farther than some plans and drawings I did up years ago. Pity, I would have liked to finish that project.
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Thanks for your post. I’ve obviously given this a lot of thought.

To deal with the condensation I’ve got a collection tray that will be mounted directly below the cooling units. I was going to add a length a tubing with some type of valve so I could drain the tray as needed. Depending on how much condensation is produced and how often I need to drain the tray I may look at other options.

For circulation I’ve left a 1”-2” gap between the shelves and the front and back of the cabinet. I have 4 small fans that will cycle on and off to circulate the air. I still need to find a timer that will let me adjust the on and off times. One of the reasons I went with the Accumonitor is the 4 separate humidification units that can be located throughout the cabinet. Between that and the fans I think should be okay.

I have a 24V DC power supply for the cooling units and a 12V for the lights, fans, and humidification. I plan on using a single AC plug-in that will go to a junction box and supply the DC power units.

Hopefully you find the time to finish your project one day.
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The side, top, and bottom panels were pressed up this week.
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Here's a few more pictures:

96 board feet of spanish cedar
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Walnut burl veneer for the door panels
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Accumonitor and cooling units
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Lights: LED light strips, dimmer switch, relay, and magnetic door switch
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This looks like a great project... I'm looking forward to seeing it as it progresses. Keep up the good work! :-)
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Wow what a great project. It definately looks like you know what you're doing. Cant wait to watch this one being built!
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I'm really looking forward to seeing this one. Looks like it's going to be a very nice humi.

That veneer for the doors is beautiful.
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I have to bookmark this one, it could be a classic.
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Very nice! :-)
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looking good!
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Update:

The top and bottom and side panels were glued together yesterday so it's starting to take shape.

Here's one of the side panels
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Top and bottom with the curved front
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Cabinet being glued together
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Front view
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Side view
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That is AWESOME!
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Wow.

That thing is going to look amazing with a finish on it.
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Wow, it's shaping up to be a good looking cabinet! I wish I had woood working skillz. I can't wait to see the finished product!!
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Looking great :-)
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SWEET!!!! That thing is going to be awesome. Thanks for the updates.....keep them coming.:-)
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Looking good! :-)
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