When is Wood Moisture Stabilized?

[Jeff Wright]

I live in Florida and have an air conditioned shop in my 2-car garage. I buy my hardwoods from a local lumber company in the rough. The lumber sits outside at the lumber yard.

I typically bring the wood home and put it in my shop wood rack, check the moisture level at that time, and then check it again each week until it is stabilized. Once stabilized (i.e., the moisture meter typically reads a steady 10%), I figure the wood is ready to be worked. (Frankly, I'm surprised the wood moisture reading does not change from the initial reading very much, if at all; I would have thought the moisture level sitting outside in my Florida environment would give a reading far higher than what would show once stored in the air conditioned shop for some weeks. Maybe my meter is inaccurate or I am using it incorrectly?).

Do any of you approach this issue differently?

[tony strother]

Evening,
AC is not really effective at reducing wood moisture, more effective at keeping it at a constant level....
The fact may also be that due to your local, the minimum moisture content you may see will be around 10%....Best thing I have found is to place the wood in an environment, for a couple or more weeks, that is as close as possible to the one it will eventually end up in as its intended form....this usually ensures a closer match and less chance of changes....

Tony ...

[lou sansone]

I don't live in FL, but kiln dried wood should be in the 6% range.
my wood is stored both in my shop and a separate building. in the summer it will get up to ~ 12 -13 %. if I move it into my heated shop it will get back down to ~ 8% after a few months ( 4/4 material cherry, walnut, maple, etc ). The real problems are when you try to work with wood @ 12% and then bring them into a heated house in the north where they will move back to 6%. I use all the best practices when constructing my furniture, but if I try to work with wood that wet, I still end up with problems. if you can be assured that the life of the piece will be around 10 % then everything is fine.

Lou

[Jeff Wright]

Thanks for your comments Joe and Tony. How accurate have you found your moisture meters? I have a new Lignomat model Mini Ligno S and it seems to give variable readings if I insert the probes into a piece of wood a couple times within a few minutes.