Anyone Use A Ryobi Moisture Meter?

[John McClanahan]

I noticed that Home Depot now sells a moisture meter made by Ryobi for $50. I was wandering if anyone has one of these and if so, what do you think of it?

Thanks,
John

[Josh Reet]

Didn't know they made one. Can't find it on the HD site, but here it is on Ryobi's site:

http://www.ryobitools.com/catalog/accessories/electronic_hand_tools/E49MM01

Here's a mention of it by the Wood magazine guys as part of a list of new Ridgid/Ryobi tools:

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=163252927170

[John McClanahan]

I failed to mention this is a pinless meter. It can also be used for measuring moisture content in walls.

John

[Josh Reet]

For the money, and the fact that you can pretty much return ridgid/ryobi stuff for 90 days for any reason, if I had a friend with a good moisture meter, I'd buy one at the local HD just to test it out.

But I don't actually have many woodworking friends local to me.

[John McClanahan]

I don't know anyone with a good meter, either. If I bought one, I would have to trust its readings as being accurate.

John

[Michael Schwartz]

I might head up to home depot some time next week and see if I can buy one of these. I will compare its readings to my timber-check and post results.

[Dave Lehnert]

I might head up to home depot some time next week and see if I can buy one of these. I will compare its readings to my timber-check and post results.

That would be great. Let us know what you find.

[Harold Burrell]

I might head up to home depot some time next week and see if I can buy one of these. I will compare its readings to my timber-check and post results.


Man, I love this place...

[Barry Vabeach]

You can actually do your own checking if you have a digital scale - this video shows the process pretty clearly http://www.viddler.com/explore/victorygasworks/videos/5/

I tried to find a manual of the Ryobi to see if it dealt with different species of wood, but no luck at the Ryobi site.

[Josh Reet]

I tried to find a manual of the Ryobi to see if it dealt with different species of wood, but no luck at the Ryobi site.

The manual is linked to on the Ryobi page I posted above. The direct link is here:

http://www.ryobitools.com/product_manual/file_url/487/E49MM01_817_trilingual.pdf

The manual says it has 4 modes:

-Wall (for drywall)
-Masonry
-Hardwood
-Softwood

[Barry Vabeach]

Josh, thanks for the link to the manual - I looked in support and could not find it. Looking at the manual, I am guessing this won't be of much use to woodworkers - it seems more oriented to carpenters doing rehab of moisture damaged wood. The manual says its accuracy is plus or minus 3%, in contrast, the Electrophysics pinless models claim accuracy of 1% - the CT12 was rated by FWW as best value at $112. I haven't used one , but the FWW article said you would need a chart to determine the precise moisture content of a species, the Ryobi doesn't have a chart, I guess because that isn't the intended market.

[Chris Friesen]

The other thing to consider is that the Ryobi is only good for a depth of half an inch so you'd generally have to measure both sides of a board. For comparison, the Electrophysics ones start at 1", and Wagner ones are generally 3/4".

As a side note, does anyone else think the Electrophysics meters just scream "1950s"? :D

[John McClanahan]

Thanks for the replies. At this point, I don't think I will run out and buy one just yet. Other thoughts on this are still welcome.

John

[Barry Vabeach]

Chris, the Electrophysics scream Heath Technologies to me, IIRC the name of the company where you could buy electric meters and such either put together or as a kit.

[Mark Crenshaw]

I just read the specs on the Ryobi meter. My impression of this meter is that it's more for home inspection...checking for moisture in basements, attics, walls, crawl spaces. It measures 1/2" depth and it's only accurate to +/-3%. The "Caution" I saw in the manual states "These measurements are for reference only. Always consult a professional before beginning any repairs."

For me, the wood I use for guitar making needs to be in the 6-8% range. So a reading of 8% with this meter could be as high as 11% or as low as 5%. There are meters out there with 1% accuracy that are close to this price range. I would opt for one that has closer tolerence.

Here's a link with this one at the same price but +/-1% accuracy...I've seen it on Amazon for $40.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/sonin-digital-moisture-meter-50218.html

My 2 cents.

Peace,
Mark

[Eddie Darby]

I haven't used one , but the FWW article said you would need a chart to determine the precise moisture content of a species, the Ryobi doesn't have a chart, I guess because that isn't the intended market.
You just need to make your own chart with the woods you work the most, then post your results along with others on this forum.

[Eddie Darby]

I just read the specs on the Ryobi meter. My impression of this meter is that it's more for home inspection...checking for moisture in basements, attics, walls, crawl spaces. It measures 1/2" depth and it's only accurate to +/-3%. The "Caution" I saw in the manual states "These measurements are for reference only. Always consult a professional before beginning any repairs."

For me, the wood I use for guitar making needs to be in the 6-8% range. So a reading of 8% with this meter could be as high as 11% or as low as 5%. There are meters out there with 1% accuracy that are close to this price range. I would opt for one that has closer tolerence.

My 2 cents.

Peace,
Mark
What matters most is the consistency of the reading.
If you measure a piece of wood, and not much changes in an hour or so, and you get the same measurement again, then you can adapt this 'tool' to your work since it consistently reads the same.
If it is not consistent, then nothing will help.
You just need to chart your wood for each type, and do a weighing, along with a volumetric calculation one time. The calculation will give you the 'actual' and the meter will give you the 'relative'.
Now you will know how the meter relates to your work conditions. Consistency then takes over for all the rest of the same types of wood.

[chuck beck]

Well, I'm not past the fun stage, but I'm not disappointed. It works well and is a very good reference point, which is what I needed more than ultimate precision. I kinda figure that -+ 3% is fine for use by the same person, in the same environment over a period of time. I have a lot of air dried that I put some heat to after rough milling and this seems like it will be that quantitative reference I am interested in.

[Josh Bowman]

Josh, thanks for the link to the manual - I looked in support and could not find it. Looking at the manual, I am guessing this won't be of much use to woodworkers - it seems more oriented to carpenters doing rehab of moisture damaged wood. The manual says its accuracy is plus or minus 3%, in contrast, the Electrophysics pinless models claim accuracy of 1% - the CT12 was rated by FWW as best value at $112. I haven't used one , but the FWW article said you would need a chart to determine the precise moisture content of a species, the Ryobi doesn't have a chart, I guess because that isn't the intended market.
Not trying to change the subject, but does anyone have the CT12 by Electrophysics? I've been toying with buying one for some time. It's $112 plus $15 through Ebay where they sell them. I emailed them and they said the only inconvenience was you had to take the reading and go to a chart. I figure for someone that only occasionally needs one, this could be good.

[John Coloccia]

I just read the specs on the Ryobi meter. My impression of this meter is that it's more for home inspection...checking for moisture in basements, attics, walls, crawl spaces. It measures 1/2" depth and it's only accurate to +/-3%. The "Caution" I saw in the manual states "These measurements are for reference only. Always consult a professional before beginning any repairs."

For me, the wood I use for guitar making needs to be in the 6-8% range. So a reading of 8% with this meter could be as high as 11% or as low as 5%. There are meters out there with 1% accuracy that are close to this price range. I would opt for one that has closer tolerence.

Here's a link with this one at the same price but +/-1% accuracy...I've seen it on Amazon for $40.

http://www.opticsplanet.net/sonin-digital-moisture-meter-50218.html

My 2 cents.

Peace,
Mark

I have a pinned Delmhorst for this. I don't even bother doing any of the conversions. When I stick it in a nice chunk of maple, push the button, and the needle is off the scale low, I feel good about using it in a neck :)

I've had a couple different types of meters, and I have to say that the pinned meter with the analog scale is, to me, by far the most useful.

[Curt Harms]

For woodworking, 3% is quite a bit. For construction, home inspection etc. 3% is probably fine. I have a mini-Ligno which seems pretty good.