Originally Posted by
Cigarbear
I keep my wine and my cigars in the closet of my music room so I wasn't concerned with how it looked. I did confirm that the ply doesn't have the formaldahyde glue. The carcass is 48" x 34" x 24" and there's a small shelf about 12" from the top. I really needed to get it done and don't have any furniture experience so, rather than mess around with rabbits or mortise/tenon joints I used butt joints and ton of screws. The wood had cupped a little and I don't have clamps long enough to glue. I spaced the screws about 1.5-2 inches apart to ensure as tight a seal as I could. Then I sealed the joints with silicone aquarium caulk. To attach the door I cut about a 3" wide section off the door slab and attached it to the front like I did with the top, sides and back. I used cabinet hinges on the exterior, so no mortise to bother with, and hung it as tight to the front piece as possible. There's a little give in the hinges but not so much to be a problem. At least not yet
I let it sit open for a bit to let some of the moisture go after sitting in my shop for so long. After a couple days I closed it up with a couple pounds of beads and a hygrometer to see where it would settle. After about 10 days it was sitting at about 67% on the shelf and 70% in the lower section. I emptied my coolers and humis last weekend and it's stayed steady at 65%. At this point, I have a fan going on the shelf and 4-4.5 lbs of beads. I have another 2 lbs of beads waiting for more distilled water and I may end up getting another fan for the bottom. It's 19.6 cubic feet so 6 lbs is a bit more than necessary but the bigger the buffer the better. That's why I want to line the interior with luan. It'll still buffer the humidity at $11/4x8 sheet vs $200/4x8 sheet of spanish cedar. I found a poster on another board who used oak ply without any lining and didn't experience any humidty problems or bad flavors imparted to the sticks. Mine is already losing the oak smell and picking up the tobacco scent. I have pics but left my thumb drive at home. I'll post some this weekend hopefully. It's big enough that I could sit in it quite comfortably prior to adding the shelf
Todd
Todd,
I thought I send you a URL where you could get 4x8 Spanish cedar for $78.00
It will always be a battle a day between those who want maximum change and those who want to maintain the status quo.
~ Gerry Adams
). Rather than spend the hundreds on the commercial stuff I can prolly scrounge enough from the local B&Ms. The other question is how soon could I use it? That's to say, if I can't find/afford enough cedar to fully line the interior can I start using it before I get it completely lined? I know the cedar helps keep the beetles out and helps maintain the humidity but I have a bunch of boxes in addition to whatever I can get to line the walls. Clearly unpacking the humi to add more cedar lining is far from ideal. The only other concern I can see would be warping and/or expansion at the joints. If I seal the interior surfaces with a heavy coat of polyurethane that seems like it would keep down the absorbtion into the walls.
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Luan isn't the preferred species but is a close second as far as hygroscopic properties. It doesn't impart the same smell but I have a bunch of boxes and a few random pieces of spanish cedar I had used in my cooler for shelves. With the ambient humidity around 50-55% and the interior holding at 65% without the lining, I'm confident it'll maintain well enough. Summer is always the hardest of course so I may change my tune in a couple months 
I can't even imagine what mine will end up when the pass arrives... 
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