Wood moisture meters

[deker]

So, I beirfly started looking around at moisture meters since I figure that having one would be a useful thing. There's a pretty wide range of prices...Can anybody tell me if the $25-35 digital readout meters one finds on ebay are any good? For $25-35 I can justify it. Any more than that and I just start figuring I'll make sure I wait an extra long time on questionable pieces of wood.

Thanks,

-d

 

[butcher_block]

if there ok make sure to bring it up here and le me use it too
i m still not sure if the wood i have is ready to send out
butch

 

[Alpha Knife Supply]

I checked the Harbor Freight and they were off by 6%-8%. :thumbdn:

The least expensive accurate moisture meter I've found is:

Mini Lignomat

We've been using the Mini Lignomat for 7 years and it is still going strong.

Deker, long drying times don't mean anything. Different types of wood take different amounts of time to dry. Most maple we put in our kiln is at 6% in about six weeks. We had one eucalyptus burl took more two years to get below 20%. We have some snakewood that has been drying for more than 10 years and it is still over 12%.

 

[howiesatwork]

The trouble with moisture meters is there are none that state what the specs for the meter are.
Calibration does seem to be a not talked about issue, as even the most expensive models list the specs as "accurate".
They may be repeatable, or have .1% readability, but none of the manufacturers will tell you if they are accurate to even ±10% of indication...:grumpy:
Then there's the pin type vs. pin-less type measurements in making dual depth measurements...another long story, indeed.
Chuck, are you making the show down here this year?
I promise to bring you some wood...
Notice I didn't say "give you", but "bring"..., but I do mean gratis...

 

[deker]

Butch:

If I get one you're on the list Of course I just ordered my gas forge from Darren today, so that's more $$ out the door for now....

Chuck:

Thanks for the info! I suppose it's more like $100 rather than $25 then huh? bummer

-d

 

[David Loukides]

I checked the Harbor Freight and they were off by 6%-8%. :thumbdn:

The least expensive accurate moisture meter I've found is:

Mini Lignomat

We've been using the Mini Lignomat for 7 years and it is still going strong.

Deker, long drying times don't mean anything. Different types of wood take different amounts of time to dry. Most maple we put in our kiln is at 6% in about six weeks. We had one eucalyptus burl took more two years to get below 20%. We have some snakewood that has been drying for more than 10 years and it is still over 12%.

I have been interested in a moister meter also.
I just purchased a new lignomat Mini at Tools Plus on the web. It was 89.99 plus 6.50 shipping. Thanks for the help Chuck:thumbup:
Dave

 

[Alpha Knife Supply]

The trouble with moisture meters is there are none that state what the specs for the meter are.

You nailed the problem! The only way I figured out how to determine if a moisture meter is accurate is to compare it with other meters on the same piece of wood. Most of the expensive meters will be have close to the same readings. I also compare my moisture readings with Mike at WSSI. So far we match.

Are you making the show down here this year?

We will be at the show again this year. BAKCA is one of our favorite shows. I'm looking forward to talking with you again. :thumbup:

Deker, I was hoping the Harbour Freight model would work but every meter we checked was bad. They did not even match each other! The good part about buying a good moisture meter is you will have a tool that will last for years.

 

[deker]

Deker, I was hoping the Harbour Freight model would work but every meter we checked was bad. They did not even match each other! The good part about buying a good moisture meter is you will have a tool that will last for years.

So here's a question for you Chuck. In your testing, though the meters were off by 6-8%, were they consistant in their degree of error? I'd be fine comparing to a known good meter and just compensating...

-d

 

[howiesatwork]

A problem I see with some of the more inexpensive ones is the lower limit they will measure.
If it won't measure below 10%, it's not much use to check to see if wood is at 6%...
There is a way you could calibrate one.
You need a semi-wet piece of wood, an accurate scale to weigh it, and a way to reduce the water in it in increments - all the way to bone dry...
Measuring it at all steps in the drying process, and recording weights and readings, it could be done, but it would take a long time.
You can't just remove some water and then read it.
It would have to be sealed up to equalize the water content through the wood at each step, as wood drys from the outside to the inside...
Add in that measurements are weighted for different wood species and I'm not gonna do it...
I have been calibrating equipment since '69 and I would not like to do it...
See you there, Chuck!

 

[Alpha Knife Supply]

In your testing, though the meters were off by 6-8%, were they consistent in their degree of error?

I was hoping that the HF moister meters would be consistent, but they were way off. The way we tested the meter was to take two pieces of wood into HF. Before leaving our house we tested both blocks and wrote the percentage on the blocks. One block was high in moisture and the other was low. At the store we used the blocks to test the meters. Some meters were good or close on the high end and off at the low end and visa-versa. We would not find a single meter that measured a consistent amount high or low.

If I remember correctly we tested 8 meters.

 

[deker]

We would not find a single meter that measured a consistent amount high or low.

If I remember correctly we tested 8 meters.

Bummer

-d