One of one

How we build the Cedar Cigar Box

Twenty-four steps from board to box — the same bench order every piece follows in our Atlanta shop. A living-room cigar box on mid-century lines — an aromatic cedar body that keeps the leaf breathing, banded and lidded in walnut with visible joinery at the corners. Solid brass hinges and clasp, left unlacquered to age alongside the cigars inside.

Materials: Aromatic cedar · Walnut · Solid brass hardware
Finished size: 12 × 8 × 5 in
Price: $425

Design & stock

Drawing bench — step 1 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 1 of 24 · Drawing bench

Confirm dimensions, wood species and any metal or fabric detail against the customer request. Sketch the cut list.

Lumber rack — step 2 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 2 of 24 · Lumber rack

Pull the boards. Read grain and figure, mark the show faces, and set aside off-cuts for accents.

Miter saw — step 3 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 3 of 24 · Miter saw

Rough-crosscut boards to length plus 2" so they can move before final milling.

Sticker rack — step 4 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 4 of 24 · Sticker rack

Sticker and rest the rough stock 24–48 hours so internal tension settles before milling.

Milling

Jointer — step 5 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 5 of 24 · Jointer

Flatten one face, then joint one edge square to it. Mark the reference faces.

Planer — step 6 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 6 of 24 · Planer

Take even passes off both faces to final thickness. Light final passes to avoid tear-out in figured woods.

Table saw — step 7 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 7 of 24 · Table saw

Rip to final width off the jointed edge. Use a splitter and a fresh blade.

Crosscut sled — step 8 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 8 of 24 · Crosscut sled

Cut to final length with a stop block so matching parts are identical.

Joinery

Bandsaw — step 9 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 9 of 24 · Bandsaw

Resaw book-matched panels or veneers and cut any curved parts to the line, leaving a whisker.

Router table — step 10 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 10 of 24 · Router table

Cut grooves, rabbets and dados. Climb-cut a light scoring pass first on brittle exotics like ebony.

Mortiser / domino — step 11 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 11 of 24 · Mortiser / domino

Cut mortises and tenons or floating-tenon slots. Check each joint for square.

Dry fit — step 12 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 12 of 24 · Dry fit

Assemble with no glue. Check diagonals, seating and reveals. Adjust with a shoulder plane, not force.

Assembly

Glue-up — step 13 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 13 of 24 · Glue-up

Glue in stages with cauls and clamps. Wipe squeeze-out wet, check for wind and square before it sets.

Flush trim — step 14 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 14 of 24 · Flush trim

Trim proud joints with a router or hand plane, working with the grain direction.

Shaping

Router / trim router — step 15 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 15 of 24 · Router / trim router

Ease edges with round-overs or chamfers. Keep the profile consistent all round.

Hand plane & scraper — step 16 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 16 of 24 · Hand plane & scraper

Refine surfaces with a smoothing plane and card scraper to leave a burnished, sanded-flat-free face.

Inlay & hardware — step 17 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 17 of 24 · Inlay & hardware

Fit brass, steel or fabric details. Test-fit dry, seat with epoxy or fasteners, clean the shoulders.

Sanding

Random orbit sander — step 18 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 18 of 24 · Random orbit sander

Work 80 → 120 → 180 grit, vacuuming between grits. No skipped grits.

Hand sanding — step 19 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 19 of 24 · Hand sanding

Raise the grain with a damp rag, let dry, then hand-sand to 220 with the grain. Break every edge.

Finish

Step 20 of 24 · Finish room

Apply the spec'd finish — food-safe oil and beeswax for kitchen pieces, hardwax oil for furniture.

Cure rack — step 21 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 21 of 24 · Cure rack

Build coats with cure time between each. Buff the final coat once fully cured.

QC & pack

Inspection bench — step 22 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 22 of 24 · Inspection bench

Check dimensions, joints, finish sheen and hardware. Sign and date the underside.

Photo corner — step 23 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 23 of 24 · Photo corner

Shoot the finished piece for the customer's bench diary before it is wrapped.

Packing table — step 24 of building the Cedar Cigar Box

Step 24 of 24 · Packing table

Wrap per the order — signature gift wrap and card if requested — box, insure and record tracking.

Your own piece, photographed as it is made

Once you order, this same 24-step list becomes your private build page — and the shop adds real photos of your piece at each step as it moves down the bench.

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