The Wheezydor - my custom humidor project

[Fatshotbud]

Nice touch!

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[BTWheezy]

Living on the edge!  Skipped the prototype for the front panels...went straight to (hopefully!) the finished product.   After some internal debate on what type of joints, I went with #10 biscuit joints on mitered corners. There are a couple other joint options that would be stronger in the long run, but these doors will have limited use, and I was feeling lazy.  A good solid biscuit joint, ample glue, and careful clamping...should be good to go.  

And you can never have too many clamps!

 

[BTWheezy]

And for the college football fans...what a day!  Had The Big Game (Michigan v. Ohio State), then The Iron Bowl (Auburn v. Alabama) on the shop TV.  Basically watched football AND made progress on the Wheezydor.  And The Apple Cup is next (University of Washington v. Washington State). Great day for rivalry games in American football.

 

What are the big sports rivalries that you live for?

 

 

[Customsfan]

Very nice design 

5 hours ago, BTWheezy said:

 

[Fatshotbud]

And for the college football fans...what a day!  Had The Big Game (Michigan v. Ohio State), then The Iron Bowl (Auburn v. Alabama) on the shop TV.  Basically watched football AND made progress on the Wheezydor.  And The Apple Cup is next (University of Washington v. Washington State). Great day for rivalry games in American football.
 
What are the big sports rivalries that you live for?
 
 

My TT Red Raiders beat brother in-law's Tex Long Horns - YES!
Sorry Wheezy.... Never used biscuits but heard they are pretty solid?

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[Martin_F]

What kind of glue are you using?

Any worries about humidity or odor?

[BTWheezy]

@Fatshotbud Yeah, biscuit joints are super easy and very strong.  You do need a biscuit cutter (a specialized power tool) but when you need it, you need it.  It was one of my early investments as a woodworker, and they’ve never let me down.

@Martin_F Using the wood shop standby Titebond 2.  Zero concerns about odors or strength. Once it dries, I think it’s essentially inert.  Use with confidence.

[Fugu]

On 22.11.2017 at 11:12 PM, BTWheezy said:

As a woodworker focusing on precise measurements, fractions of an inch are an epic pain in the ass.

On 22.11.2017 at 11:12 PM, BTWheezy said:

Brought all boards to 13/16 of an inch

You may just say RG 52... or call it Edmundo thickness....

Great project, enjoying it. Thanks for sharing!

[PigFish]

If you are lining those cabinets, I would be extracting the existing mounting screws before lining and making sure that you have tagged the studs when reattaching! By your thoroughness you are likely doing this already, but I just thought I might toss it out there!

-Piggy

[BTWheezy]

@PigFish Hey Piggy...good suggestion, especially with the minimal amount of info I’ve posted about structural details.  Our minds think alike...?

I actually installed these bookcases using French cleats, of which I’m a big fan. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_cleat

There are no screws used to secure the cabinet to the wall.  It just hangs there.  When an old timer cabinet installer showed me how to do French cleats properly, it was like a cave man seeing fire for the first time. As I think about it, I haven’t used anything else since then (to hang cabinets).

@Fugu A creative suggestion!  The dimentions of the cabinets are 2 1/8 Churchills x 3 1/4 Churchills! 

[BTWheezy]

Glue is dry...time for trim-to-fit.  Using a crosscut sled to trim for length...using rip fence to trim for height.  Crosscut sleds are accurate as hell, and super safe. Use them when you can (if you have one).

Am I in the ballpark?

[BTWheezy]

Yep!  Math was pretty good this time.  Cleaned up the rough edges, and they fit pretty well.  This will be an interesting cabinet door fit.  I’ve always made doors with a reasonable amount of clearance to the cabinet frame (maybe 1/8” on all sides). But for a humidor, I want it as snug as possible, for obvious reasons. Sailing uncharted waters here, but I’ll figure it out when I get there...I hope!

 

 

[Fatshotbud]

Great so far - curious for glass & glass install route you will be taking

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[Martin_F]

Looking great so far! And thanks for the info.

[KGM]

Love the drawer design!

[BTWheezy]

Busy day.  After trimming the doors for a rough fit, I started on the drawers.  For as small as they are, there are a lot of pieces, and a lot to consider when building them.  I won’t bore you guys with details, but there was a lot of noodling today.

Rough start to drawers.  I’m doing a two-drawer unit per bookcase. Total of 4 drawers.

 

[BTWheezy]

Next, milling all the pieces for the drawers, in bulk. Instead of solid wood for the drawer structure, I chose to leave gaps to promote air circulation. That’s why there’s a lot of strips of wood, as opposed to a bunch of wider boards.

 

[BTWheezy]

Sanding all the things. Not my favorite part...boring, noisy, and dusty. And makes the hands numb.  But it’s important for best results. The cedar is nice because it’s such a soft wood, you can go straight to 220 grit sandpaper, the final grit needed.  Any scratches are easily and quickly removed cuz soft.  The walnut on the other hand is a hard wood, and required the 100-150-220 grit progression.  Sand all surfaces, change to next finer grit, sand it again, then change again, then sand again.  Ugh.  And did I mention it’s boring? ?

 

[BTWheezy]

All pieces are sanded to 220 grit, and now spritzed with water to raise the grain one final time, and left to air dry, before a final sanding in the coming days. Not concerned about distilled vs. tap water at this stage. The shiny surface is just water on the pieces that I spritzed just before the photo.

 

[BTWheezy]

@Fatshotbud Yep, the glass installation in the doors is something that I’ve been thinking a lot about, and I think I’ve got a slick solution. But I won’t know if it will work until I get the Blum Aventos hinges, after which I can take all the dimensions into account. I’ve never used those particular hinges -  I guess they call it a “lift system” - so I’m waiting until I get them in hand to see for myself. 

In any event, I’ll take a few different pics for clarity.

[Fatshotbud]

[mention=558]Fatshotbud[/mention] Yep, the glass installation in the doors is something that I’ve been thinking a lot about, and I think I’ve got a slick solution. But I won’t know if it will work until I get the Blum Aventos hinges, after which I can take all the dimensions into account. I’ve never used those particular hinges -  I guess they call it a “lift system” - so I’m waiting until I get them in hand to see for myself. 
In any event, I’ll take a few different pics for clarity.

The advert on hinges read as a good choice for what you're doing. Doors shouldn't slam but will they pull in for good seal?
Good luck - I will be hanging in the wings

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[BTWheezy]

1 minute ago, Fatshotbud said:

The advert on hinges read as a good choice for what you're doing. Doors shouldn't slam but will they pull in for good seal?
Good luck - I will be hanging in the wings

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A good seal is on my mind as well. I’m thinking about making a mechanism like the ones they use on airplanes to secure your tray table in its upright and locked position. But yeah, not sure what will be needed until I get them.

And in case you guys hadn’t noticed, I really like the problem solving aspect of projects.  Some people like crossword puzzles, some like Sudoku...I like building stuff in the shop. I’ll probably have too many humidors in the coming months, but that means more 24:24 to fill them up!

[Fatshotbud]

A good seal is on my mind as well. I’m thinking about making a mechanism like the ones they use on airplanes to secure your tray table in its upright and locked position. But yeah, not sure what will be needed until I get them.
And in case you guys hadn’t noticed, I really like the problem solving aspect of projects.  Some people like crossword puzzles, some like Sudoku...I like building stuff in the shop. I’ll probably have too many humidors in the coming months, but that means more 24:24 to fill them up!

I could help you out with surplus humidors Your craftsmanship looks great! I haven't done anything on the level of your projects for over 15 yrs. Lost all my tools to The Female Antichrist and that was that

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[moteyi]

Looking good. Have you considered using something like an aquamac 21 lip seal mounted in the carcase to give an airtight seal for the door? Not sure if they are available across the pond but guess you must have something similar. Only issue would be that it is easier to machine the groove before assembly.

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[BTWheezy]

For those who’ve kept an eye on this project, yes it’s been quiet of late.  I was in Vegas this week for work, which is its own special form of hell. I’ve been to Vegas probably 30 times, and I’ve settled on 2 nights as my tipping point...4 nights, not so much.  I digress...

Goals for this weekend are to get finish on the cabinet door frames, build/refine the drawers for smooth operation (cue Sade), and hopefully get the cedar lining perfectly fit.

While I was gone, the Aventos lift system arrived, and the tempered glass arrived.  Both look awesome.