Moisture meter: 4 pins and/or wood type settings any good?

[McAldo]

I have a bunch of green wood and very little dry one. After some mishaps with cracking (great opportunity to try inlaying I guess) and end grain lids not fitting anymore, I am experimenting with partial hollowing to hasten seasoning. I am leaving some outside for a few days before bringing them in the house, and others I just wrap in newspapers and store in a cupboard, to see what difference that makes.
I read a few threads here about moisture meters and I understand most people go for a cheap one, because after all it's more about testing when water content stabilizes indoor, than knowing the exact content.

Still, I was wondering, is there any advantage getting one of those models with 4 pins, or one with softwood/hardwood settings?
Actually 4 pins might be more a pain than anything if testing by tapping two nails in the wood, but anyway..

These are the two models I had in mind:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006 ... sc=1&s=diy

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/4-Pin-PRO-Dig ... 35cdeb8d9f


Thanks
Aldo

 

[sometimewoodworker]

I got this one
http://dx.com/p/4-point-digital-moistur ... ouch-19283
It's a 4 pin, it's main uses are to let me know if the wood I'm buying is green or seasoned ( in Thailand it's not clear which you will get) then to know when it's finished seasoning. Gross percentages or small changes is what I use it for. I've no idea if it is accurate and don't need it to be, just consistent and it is.

 

[winemaker]

That's interesting cheaper in the USA like most of the craft stuff, if it was not for the postage we would save a lot of money :x

 

[chipmunk]

I have one of these and it's pretty useful to give an indication of moisture content. It's not precise because it depends on one conversion irrespective of the timber species - but it doesn't really need to be precise IMHO.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Mini+Moisture+Meter/p55818

Jon

 

[NikNak]

Hi Mr Aldo


I have the exact same jobby as the ebay one you've listed... 'cept mine came all the way from Chinaland (a few years back)

Like the others have said, it'll give you an indication of the 'dryness / wetness' of the wood due to a singular calibration being used for all wood types.

It's not bad as a gadget in the shed, but have to admit mines got the most use as a dampness tester in friends houses / flats due to plumbing 'issues'.

If you've got a tenner burning a hole in your pocket then grab one.... :mrgreen:

Oh.... word of warning tho.... when not in use take the battery out, as i found that chucking it into a box with my other gear was just enough to 'press' the on/off button totally flattening the battery...


Nick

 

[CHJ]

I have a couple of cheap items:-
This pattern which I used for several years on a daily basis:-

And for a year now the item recently available from Aldi UK.

Both agree on moisture readings in the 10-20% range.
The Aldi one has become my user 90% of the time as being more convenient and easier to read.

For turning I find if they indicate below 12% it's safe to turn, if it's below the scale it's safe to segment.
But you must check internals of similar sample by sectioning if looking for very low levels.

 

[McAldo]

Thanks everybody for all the advice!
I am glad that it doesn't need to be precise, as I understand that makes the price levitate considerably, and in the end I really just need something to test that moisture content has stabilized indoor.
I never considered that wood for segmented pieces should be very dry, but of course it makes lots of sense, thanks for pointing that out!

 

[McAldo]

I have one of these and it's pretty useful to give an indication of moisture content. It's not precise because it depends on one conversion irrespective of the timber species - but it doesn't really need to be precise IMHO.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Mini+Moisture+Meter/p55818

Jon

Just placed an order for this, thanks Jon.
Out of curiosity, do you find temperature relevant at all when measuring?
I see the device can measure air temperature as well, and some of my wood is stored in the shed with no heating, so I was wondering if that makes a difference when comparing between readings.
I remember the higher the temperature, the higher the resistance, which makes for quite a difference when measuring salts in water solution. Kind of 2% per degree variation. But not quite sure how that translates when measuring moisture in wood

 

[CHJ]

Do not worry your head about such small details, you will not ever be able to detect such small variations in your home workshop conditions with such devices. The individual wood species and the speed that it reacts to local conditions as you move it between shed and house will be far greater.

We are not operating in laboratory conditions and those are what you will need to be able to be anywhere near detecting the parameters you refer to.

Turning on the lathe and any subsequent sanding can change the moisture content as much as 10% by virtue of the centrifugal forces and heat generated.

 

[McAldo]

Thanks Chas, I'm glad it doesn't really make a difference.

 

[Noggsy]

Out of necessity to find a suitably-sized blank for a Christmas present, I turned a sycamore or maple blank I got from a local tree surgeon. The trees were taken down in March this year and I was concerned that it would deform out of all recognition and I was quite looking forward to explaining to my Dad why his Xmas fruit bowl was oval and that the splits were to keep the fruit fresh through improved air flow. Anyway, turns out it moved less than most kiln-dried blanks I've bought.

I've put a moisture metre over it (kindly borrowed from a friend) and it's showing 11.5 %, so I put this over the other blanks and they are 15-22%. I'm going to get a moisture metre exactly like the one I borrowed as somehow it makes the wood drier

Seriously though, do you think cutting it in March after the cold winter meant that there was less sap in the tree? The blank was about 4" thick and I was expecting it to be around 25-30% moist.

 

[CHJ]

Winter or very early spring harvested wood will always have considerably less natural moisture present than summer or early autumn gathered stock. The tree will have shut down its moisture transport system to help protect itself from frost damage.

 

[Noggsy]

Thanks Chas, thought it must be something like that.