Which Moisture Meter???

[Martin Penning]

I want to buy a moisture meter, but don’t know which one to buy. If anyone has a recommendation, I would appreciate it!

Thanks
Martin

[Sid Matheny]

I got a General at Lowe's a few years ago for about $15 but think it is around $30 now. It is a pin meter and reads within 1 or 2 percent of my neighbors $400 meter.

[Martin Penning]

Thanks, Sid!

[Joe Meirhaeghe]

I have a Wagner pinless one, I can't remember the model # but I really like it.

[Martin Penning]

Thanks, Joe!

[Kyle Iwamoto]

I got a General also. Couldn't pass up the sale. It has more range than my Mini-Lignomat, which costs a lot more. Mine is the old LED type. That alone is the reason I got the General. Thinking I could use that for the really wet wood. (I do wonder why I even care if the wood is 32% now that I can read that). It always reads the same as the mini Ligno. My $0.02.

[Bill Blasic]

Like Joe above I have a Wagner pinless and it works very well.

[Dean S Walker]

Martin, it really depends on what your measuring and how accurate you need it to be. I have been using one called a timber check. It is based on red oak and comes with a chart how to disseminate what "maple" for instance would be. If you measure maple and it reads6% it might be 8% but the chart will get you there. This was just an example. I researched these when I purchased this one several years ago and at that time this was the only one that was made for hardwoods that was in an acceptable price range for me. Most of the ones at the local hardware like Lowes etc are for softwood and I have no ideal if they come with a chart. Anyway, I have had very good luck with mine and I certainly would recommend it. If you haven't ever used one of these read the instructions, they are useful. Measure your wood in several places and take an average. I feel mine is accurate and much less math that using a multi meter. I think I purchased it a highland wood working.

[Jeffrey J Smith]

If your looking to determine moisture on thick blanks, I find it makes more sense to use weight as a measure than meter readings. Meters typically don’t read deep enough, and you’re going to turn most of that away in the second turn. An inexpensive digital scale does a great job and is used for other jobs in the shop like mixing the right volume of epoxy, etc. I do have an inexpensive pin type moisture meter that I got several years ago - it does match the readings of a friends more expensive meter, but its seldom used. Works great as a stud finder though...

[Martin Penning]

Thanks, Kyle!

[Martin Penning]

Thanks, Dean. I will read the instructions !

[Martin Penning]

Thanks, Jeffrey. I did planned to use it with thick blanks, but my immediate use was to measure the MC of wood that I want to turn to make peppermills. I want to give them as gifts for Christmas and don’t want them to move after they’re done!

[Dean S Walker]

I make several mills a year. I turn them true an divide them, then drill them. I generally turn a tenon on the knob end I then check the moisture on the tenon. If it’s too high I stack it back together and put it in a paper bag with the shavings and seal the end grain. It generally will go ahead and dry in a couple months. This happens more than not on exotic pieces that have been in wax.
It is true that the meter only goes so deep but that is why you measure it in several places.

[Reed Gray]

I just bought a new wood stove, and they included a moisture meter in the bag of goodies I get for free with the purchase... As near as I can tell, the brand name is 'Moisture Meter'.....

robo hippy

[John K Jordan]

I want to buy a moisture meter, but don’t know which one to buy. If anyone has a recommendation, I would appreciate it!

Thanks
Martin

Two basic types, pin and pinless. I use a Wagner pinless. Google will show the differences, here is one link: https://www.wagnermeters.com/moistur...oisture-meter/, or some short notes from my understanding:

Pin type: measures the moisture between two sharp pins pushed or driven into the wood. Advantages: quick, cheaper (usually), can work with irregularly shaped wood. Disadvantages: features at the surface can affect the accuracy; doesn't measure very deeply in the wood.

Pinless: uses an electric field to measure the moisture further under the surface (mine claims 3/4"). Disadvantage: needs flat area on the surface. Advantages: can be much more expensive and potentially more accurate.

Both types are good for rough approximation of the moisture in wood at the surface or slightly below the surface but not in the middle of a thick blank. Fortunately, when wood has been drying for a long time the internal moisture gets distributed all through the wood so the very middle is often not too far off from the reading at the surface. As with many things, you generally get what you pay for.

If you need to know the moisture content with accuracy, the Oven Dry method is the best. It requires cutting a small section out of the middle of the wood and heating with an oven, weighing precisely until the weight no longer changes. Not too useful for a big turning blank.

One method to check the air drying progress on a blank is to weigh it carefully with a precision scale. Over time (every month or so, depending on the size of the blank and the type of wood), repeat and write down the weight. When the weight quits changing the blank has reached equilibrium. This doesn't tell you the actual moisture content, just that it's as dry as it's ever going to get in that environment. In many parts of the country, that means between 10 and 15% moisture in unconditioned spaces, lower in air conditioning/heat.

You might describe your intended use - small spindle blanks, big bowl blanks? Blanks for end grain boxes? Boards from the sawmill, limbs or firewood?

JKJ