how dry is too dry? (wood moisture content)

[Mike Putnam]

I have just aquired a good amount of 4/4 cherry a quick check of the moisture content on a frieds meter (anolog delhmorst) gave no reading. will this wood come back to life 6-8% moisture content? right now I have stored it in my basement 70 degrees 50% RH. any idea how long that might take? days?weeks?years?

thanks
Mike

I guess a meter will need to enter my collection sooner rather than later.

[Russ Buddle]

I did not know wood could be too dry. In my 20+ years of working in the lumber and cabinet industry, this is the first time I have heard of this.

[Howard Acheson]

I would suspect the moisture meter. All wood has some moisture content unless is has resided long term in zero humidity.

Letting it acclimate to a relative humidity of 50% will result in the equibrium moisture content of about 8-9%. How long it takes is dependent on the starting point of its current moisture content.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I have read (I tend to use this disclaimer a lot) that wood that is too dry has more of a tendency to splinter and tear out - some moisture keeps it from being as brittle. Did you check something else with the meter you used to see that it was working OK?

As a rule of thumb most people let wood acclimate to the conditions where the piece to be made from it will be for a couple weeks. I suppose if you built something like a wide panel and it took up enough moisture you could get warping or blow miters out on table edges, etc.

I don't know how much wood you have but it would acclimate faster if you stick it rather than have it dead stacked. Hope this helps.

[thomas prevost]

I'd be checking the meter you used. In 30 years I have never seen a kiln get wood below about 4%. It just don't happen.

[Ian Abraham]

I'd be checking the meter you used. In 30 years I have never seen a kiln get wood below about 4%. It just don't happen.

For sure, to get wood below 4% you have to use an oven or microwave and really mistreat it.

I would check the MC by using a microwave oven and digital scales. Weigh a sample, then gently microwave it untill it stops loosing weight. Then it's at 0% and you can work out what MC it started at.

Cheers

Ian

[Mike Putnam]

thank you for the input... new meter on the way (one of my very own) went with a lignomat ED so guess all is on hold till the new meter arrives, sounds like it won't be here for the weekend. bummer oh well lots of other work to be done as well.