Moisture meter- which one?

[blackrodd]

The Chimney sweep has just swept our 3 chimneys, and suggested that 'Er indoors gets me to buy a moisture meter to check the logs we use in the Rayburn, etc.
I recall some mention of these recently, can anyone please recommend one?
Is the Maplin's any good?
Thanks and regards Rodders

 

[CHJ]

I have two basic units, either of which should be more than good enough for your log needs.

This one http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-md ... ture-meter, which I used for several years.

And one of these from Lidl/Aldi which is my current user of choice.

The former has a habit of eating batteries if you are not careful, always removed mine when not in use.

 

[RogerS]

Rodders, can I ask why he is suggesting that? TBH those surface reading meters can give you all sorts of random results...surface moisture will give a false reading, for example. If he is concerned about the moisture content then your best bet is to develop a relationship with a reputable guy and stick with him. We've done that for years now and always get very good timber that has been felled and cut for several years.

If you really want to know if it is not very 'dry' then do the cheek test. Split one of the logs and hold it up to your cheek...you can soon tell by the feel, coldness of it as to whether or not it's reasonably dry. Mind you, be prepared for some strange looks from the neighbours!

 

[CHJ]

TBH those surface reading meters can give you all sorts of random results...surface moisture will give a false reading, for example. .

Anyone with a bit of common sense would not check logs from long term storage surface but from freshly cut or split surface.

 

[Beau]

Not sure what the latest version is like but my old Protimeter has been faultless for the best part of 20 years. Be aware that some of the cheap meters can give iffy readings. I know of a chap claiming he can air dry logs down to 6% in the UK according to his meter :lol:

 

[CHJ]

.. I know of a chap claiming he can air dry logs down to 6% in the UK according to his meter :lol:

Then he must be finishing them off in the slow oven of his AGA or the like. :lol:

I've got some winter felled timber over two years in storage and still between 20 & 30%

I often oven dry my small section pieces to below 8% once they have reached 12-15% naturally, and yes I have checked my cheapies against a fancy species corrected stupidly expensive device and the differences were no more variable than seen in differing sections of the same sample.

So for wood burner logs I think any of them would be more than adequate.

 

[Beau]

..

I've got some winter felled timber over two years in storage and still between 20 & 30%

Get it split and into a well aired storage and you will have it dry in less than a season.

 

[CHJ]

I've got some winter felled timber over two years in storage and still between 20 & 30%

Get it split and into a well aired storage and you will have it dry in less than a season.

But I would have to glue it all back together again for my projects, and I've already got a storage/drying shed full of that sort of section.

(take a look at bits and pieces below)

 

[RogerS]

TBH those surface reading meters can give you all sorts of random results...surface moisture will give a false reading, for example. .

Anyone with a bit of common sense would not check logs from long term storage surface but from freshly cut or split surface.

True. But then not everyone is as clever as you.

 

[CHJ]

True. But then not everyone is as clever as you.

Thanks for the sarcasm? Roger, much appreciated, more down to a life of doing rather than talking about it, than any prime intelligence levels.

 

[blackrodd]

Thanks for the replies folks. Roger S, Regarding the need for a possible inaccurate MM, My thoughts exactly,
'Er indoors usually dries out split logs in the oven too, and we burn the appropriate variety of "Black Gold" as well
As read on here recently, This is why I sold all 22 volumes of The Encyclopedia Brittannica, She knows everything!
Thanks and regards Rodders

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I have two basic units, either of which should be more than good enough for your log needs.

This one http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-md ... ture-meter, which I used for several years.

And one of these from Lidl/Aldi which is my current user of choice.

The former has a habit of eating batteries if you are not careful, always removed mine when not in use.

I also have that Lidl one and spent much of last week using it in anger as I'm doing a spring clean of the wood store. My goodness I hadn't realised just how much I've accumulated through my hording/harvesting. More than I can turn in 3 lifetimes!

The Lidl one is actually pretty good for a broad brush, generic reading. For example, timber that was felled in the last month, it reads off the scale (literally). Timber that was felled a year ago and has been in dry store in my garage....cut open with the bandsaw and tested on fresh interior wood was in the 30% region and most stuff less then 3" thick that was 2 years or more old was around 12-15%. Only kiln dried wood that I've bought from wood yards etc tested below 12%. Those results match exactly with roughly what I'd expect and so I've learned to trust the little thing and for under a tenner, I find it a genuinely useful little addition to the armoury. Remember that with any form of wood use for combustion, you don't need precision. The Lidl one is a classic example of the fact that now and then, the parade of generally excrement on sale in the cheapie stores is actually good value and worth buying.

 

[Eric The Viking]

... Those results match exactly with roughly what I'd expect and so I've learned to trust the little thing and for under a tenner, I find it a genuinely useful little addition to the armoury. Remember that with any form of wood use for combustion, you don't need precision. The Lidl one is a classic example of the fact that now and then, the parade of generally excrement on sale in the cheapie stores is actually good value and worth buying.

I think you've hit several nails squarely there, Bob.

Moisture meters - any of the resistance measuring pronged type are likely to be wildly inaccurate, as the biggest change in resistance will be at the interface between the prongs and the wood, determined by how hard you push, whether the wood has bark, how soft it is, and so on.

There are other ways of doing it, which will give a truer reading, but they're more expensive to make. Even then you'd need consistency of technique, and some way to calibrate your real-world results to the predicted ones.

Using a meter as a rough guide ought to be very helpful. I agree about Lidl too - I've had several good tooly buys from them (and occasional duffers, thankfully cheap ones though).

My main wood store is the attic of the house - it's well ventilated, but freezes in winter and cooks in the summer. I've often wondered what effect that has, and whether it causes shakes and warping.

I don't have a moisture meter though - perhaps I should indulge.

I've wondered in the past about experimenting with a high-imepdance DMM and home made prods, to see how measurements might vary. Has anyone tried that?

E.

 

[No skills]

From an aquarium background (stop laughing ) I would say that repeatability is more important than outright accuracy. Having had some very expensive measuring equipment and some cheap and cheerful stuff I found that both ends of the spectrum can be crap. The equipment that will give you a repeatable measurement on the same test subject is the one to be trusting rather than something 10 times the prices that can't give 2 same answers on one subject
So if a 10 pound meter gives repeatable results (even if it's a constant 3% high or low for example) then it's good enough for the job.
If you ever get the chance to check it against a well calibrated expensive meter then that's the icing on the cake and you can determine how high or low it constantly reads, and go home pleased that you didn't spend £500 or whatever on that one.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Your loft isn't ideal Eric because of the extremes in temperature you mention but lets face it, the wood was likely free or low cost (time and chainsaw fuel) to harvest so we're going to lose some to splits and that's just life. I've become very philosophical about this in my old age.

There are two measures I take if the wood I've harvested is valuable (rare species or amazing figure for example like burr walnut). First I paint ( I use pva personally) all over and not just the ends. it slows down the drying but (I hope) reduces its split probability. I also leave the logs oversize by 6" on either side if there's enough wood at the cutting the tree stage, assuming that will be wasted to splits. My rule of thumb is I cut the tree to the length of it's diameter plus 6 or even 8" of "spare" at either end. That way you get maximum flexibility from it. it could yield the biggest sized bowl blank ie the full diameter or it could be further sub divided into appropriate spindle blanks.

I should also add that of course you should split the log to remove the pith too since this is where the greatest variation in the rate of moisture loss occurs, facilitating the greatest risk of splits.

But the bottom line is its not an exact science and you will lose loads to splits, its just life with the wood sprites. Taking the measure above, reduces the risk but nothing eliminates it.

I'll take a few snaps later because I've literally spent a week clearing out my log store and milling them into blanks. Only another about 20 tonnes to do :shock: