Moisture Meters - Are they worth the expense and effort?

[Steve Mathews]

I've been thinking of getting a moisture meter and researching the various types and manufacturers. The variation in prices and probably quality are surprising. Since my intended use is for woodturning wouldn't a tracking of weight be just as effective?

PS I just pulled a block of wood from storage that was my first attempt at preparing a bowl blank from green wood. I covered the entire blank with wax. Needless to say it was just as green as the day it was prepared. Duh

[Dennis Ford]

I can only speak for myself. I paid $10 for the moisture meter that I use. I have not attempted to verify its accuracy but have verified that it is repeatable and that the results match my expectations for air dried stock. I don't use it much for turning stock but for only $10, it has been worth that cost.
IMO keeping blocks wet until they are turned is preferable to drying them as blocks. I have much better results from drying rough turned bowls than from drying blocks and then turning them.

[Bill Bukovec]

I have a Mini ligno meter and I think it's worth it, especially if you start with green wood. I rough turn my bowls green and dry them for a year. You don't need a meter in this case, but if you wanted to do a final turn sooner, you can get an idea of how dry your wood is.

I'm glad I have a meter. I use it for flat work as well.

[John K Jordan]

I've been thinking of getting a moisture meter and researching the various types and manufacturers. The variation in prices and probably quality are surprising. Since my intended use is for woodturning wouldn't a tracking of weight be just as effective?
PS I just pulled a block of wood from storage that was my first attempt at preparing a bowl blank from green wood. I covered the entire blank with wax. Needless to say it was just as green as the day it was prepared. Duh

Search for recent threads that discussed this in detail.

I use a pinless meter. Mine is a Wager 220 and not cheap but I'd hate to be without it. https://www.amazon.com/Wagner-MMC220.../dp/B000063XI9

Note that none of them will give you a perfect moisture reading every time but I suspect you're just after a good idea.

The wood will still dry through wax even if waxed all the way around but will take longer if you use a heavy coat of paraffin. If you use a coat of Anchorseal on the end grain it will not significantly increase drying time. To judge moisture content without a meter tracking as you mentioned is a great method - simply weigh the blank (after sealing) and weigh it again periodically. I put a piece of masking tape on the blocks and write the weight in grams and date each time I weigh. Since I have 100s of blanks drying I don't weigh or mark each on but just one or two typically sized blanks from each batch. I do write the species and month/year I cut the blanks on each one so I won't be confused later.

drying_IMG_5757.jpg

You didn't say how big the blank was and how long it has been drying. Bigger takes longer and some species take longer than others and everything depends on the temperature and relative humidity. Log-sized chunks may not be dry in decades. The Dogwood and Persimmon I'm turning now has been air drying since 2006, the Bradford pear since 2008. Blocks of each up to 4-5" thick are nice and dry now. Smaller spindle blanks sometimes dry in a few months.

Look into refrigerator or freezer kilns for a cheap home-made way to dry things. Read about microwave drying if you are in more of a hurry. Twice-turning bowls, boxes, or almost anything is a good way to use wet wood.

JKJ

[Alex Zeller]

I have an inexpensive General pinless. For blanks I think it would be useless on any blank more than 2" thick as it only reads about 3/4" in depth. The pin style don't even read that deep. While I do use it I find that using a scale is much more accurate. The problem with the scale is time. Unless you are drying in a mircowave you have to wait days (or longer) between measurements to know if the bowl is still drying. Also you have no clue what the end weight will be so you really have no idea how much moisture is left. Which is what I use my moisture meter for.

[Kyle Iwamoto]

Is the end result to know when to final turn your bowl? I made a fridge kiln. Google will produce lots of hits. Uses a single light bulb for heat. (40/50/75 watt) Bottom line, cost me around 50 bucks, including an indoor/outdoor remote humidity meter. I did manage to get an upright freezer free. When the humidity in the kiln stops going down, I increased the wattage in the bulb. You don't need the meter. It takes a week or so for each bulb.
To answer the original question, I have a mini Lignomat and a new General meter. The new General is digital, more range than the Ligno (which is why I bought it) and from using both on the same wood, just as accurate IMO. I did use it to follow the fridge kiln, but found out it is unnecessary. I just wait a week or so, swap lights and in 3 or 4 weeks, they dry.

[Doug Hepler]

I thought a moisture meter would be useful when I lived in a humid climate, to see the MC of "air dried" wood. Now I live in Denver and the only time I use it is when I'm drying green lumber, including commercial turning blanks. They arrive with a variety of MC. I would not testify that I need it, but it is often very convenient.

Doug

[John K Jordan]

One thing about pinless meters, those I'm familiar with need a flat spot no smaller than the sensor pad on the back to press against or the reading will be way off. Not much good for rounded bowl blanks or rough turned bowls.

JKJ

[Brice Rogers]

I just use a scale and weigh the piece. When the rate of weight loss goes essentially flat, it is about as dry as it is going to get. In fact, I've seen that during periods of higher humidity that the weight may actually go up by a slight amount. To me, that suggests that the piece has essentially reached an "equilibrium" moisture content with the environment.