# How to make a Cigar Box



## lge77 (Mar 22, 2017)

Do you enjoy a good cigar? Have you ever thought about building your own cigar box? Cigars come in many different shapes and sizes. Although there are names for each cigar shape and a general size range, there are no precise standards and a “robusto” might mean a 5”, 6” cigar or something in between. Before you build a cigar box, you should measure the cigars you like to smoke.

In this article, let’s assume you want to build a 2” x 8” x 10” cigar box. That’ll hold just about any cigar, but you can adapt the dimensions to suit your needs. Start with a solid wood like Spanish cedar. Mahogany, walnut and other hardwoods are also good choices, but Spanish cedar has a pleasant smell and is the most common material for cigar boxes. Pick up a small piece of Luan plywood for the bottom.

Buy S4S lumber if you can. It’s surfaced on all four sides, so it doesn’t need to be jointed or planed. Get 1x3 boards if they’re available, otherwise you’ll have to buy bigger boards and rip them to width on the table saw. For the top, buy a piece that’s at least 8” wide, or purchase two smaller widths and glue them together. Spanish cedar is usually available in wide boards, so you probably won’t have a hard time finding an 8” board.

Cut two 8” pieces and two 10” pieces from the 1x3. These are the sides, front and back of your cigar box. Rip the wide board for the lid to 8” and crosscut it to 10”. Cut the plywood bottom to size (7” x 9”). Use a dado stack in the table saw or a ¼” diameter router bit to cut a ¼” wide, ¼” deep dado for the bottom into all the pieces from the 1x3. It should be about ½” up from the bottom of the assembled box. Make sure to cut this dado on the inside face of each board. It’s a good idea to mark the face of your boards before you route them so that you know which faces you want for the inside of the box.

Now route a 3/8” wide by 1/8” deep rabbet in the top edge of the front, back and sides. When the box is assembled, this rabbet will be on the inside and the lid will fit into it. Place the lid face up on your bench and route a matching rabbet around all four edges.

There are many different ways to join the box parts, including box joints, dovetails and lock miters. Some of these joints can be time consuming and difficult to set up, but screws and hardwood plugs work just as well. You can make plugs out of any material with our three-piece plug cutting set. Predrill the cigar box sides for #8 screws, and then drill a 3/8” diameter counter bore about ¼” deep. If you want the plugs to match the rest of the box, cut eight plugs out of Spanish cedar with the 3/8” diameter plug cutting bit. For a more interesting look, make the plugs out of ebony. The dark wood provides a nice contrast to the cedar.

Glue and screw the two sides to the back, and then slide the bottom into the groove and attach the front. Glue the plugs in place and sand them flush when the glue has dried. Place the lid on the box to check the fit. You can sand the lid or make the rabbet bigger if it’s too tight. Sand and finish with varnish. To jazz up your cigar box, add brass hinges and round over the top edges of the lid. Keep your cigars fresh by adding a humidor, or tack a damp sponge to the inside of the lid.

Tip: As an alternative to screws and plugs, you can use biscuits or dowels.


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

First off, it's a humidor. Spanish cedar should be used on the inside, left unfinished, to season the cigars and help control the humidity level. It should not be used as the outside of the humidor. Too soft and not much to look at. 
Here's what a good working humidor looks like. Canary wood on the outside, Spanish cedar interior. Holds 100 -7" x 54 cigars. I don't use the humidifier shown on the underside of the lid anymore, Boveda gel packs work great and take all the guesswork out of keeping the humidor at the proper level of humidity. It's 12" x 16" x 6".
Mike Hawkins


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## del schisler (Aug 22, 2010)

firehawkmph said:


> First off, it's a humidor. Spanish cedar should be used on the inside, left unfinished, to season the cigars and help control the humidity level. It should not be used as the outside of the humidor. Too soft and not much to look at.
> Here's what a good working humidor looks like. Canary wood on the outside, Spanish cedar interior. Holds 100 -7" x 54 cigars. I don't use the humidifier shown on the underside of the lid anymore, Boveda gel packs work great and take all the guesswork out of keeping the humidor at the proper level of humidity. It's 12" x 16" x 6".
> Mike Hawkins


i have made a few and you must use Spanish cedar in the inside of box


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## firehawkmph (Dec 12, 2009)

del schisler said:


> i have made a few and you must use Spanish cedar in the inside of box


Reread my post Del, that's exactly what I said.
Mike Hawkins


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## NickTheGreat (Jul 25, 2014)

First post from an account. No pictures. Smells like something that was copy and pasted from the Internet. Probably never built anything out of wood before, and probably never even smoked a cigar before. 

Likely just a spammer. They show up a LOT on this forum.


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