moisture meter

[jack dempsey]

I intend on purchasing a moisture meter. I know there have been discussions here in the past but thought I would get advice/opinions on what people are currently recommending in both pin and pinless. Thanks, Jack

[Kevin Jenness]

Delmhorst and Lignomat are major makers of both types of meters, Wagner also makes pinless. I prefer pins as I can measure a moisture gradient, but it does leave holes. My Delmhorst analog meter requires making temperature and species corrections to the meter reading. They have digital models that automatically make those corrections and store readings for statistical purposes.

[Warren Lake]

my Delmorst went down but they have been the ones ive seen in the lumber companies sitting besides the oven where they also dry stuff. Sounds like we have the same one Kevn the slide hammer and pins that go in 5/16 then long pins that go in deep ive never used. Mine packed it in after 30 plus years and could not get a schematic so have a friend looking at it to see if he can figure it out. This the reminder of why I have two of so many things. Meter was well cared for and perfect till recent.
Yeah temp and species settings. Its a bit complicated. I always felt on my model the battery area was too tight and putting stress on the circuit board. Which one do you have Kevin this is an RDX-1

[John Pendery]

I like my Wagner meter. After about 15 years it started acting up and eventually stopped working. I sent them the broken meter and they sent me a brand new one free of charge

[Warren Lake]

thats good service,

I likely got 35 years on mine before an issue. Wont be getting a free replacement. It was costly back then and havent checked prices yet. We had the WMS show recently and I didnt see any on display. All of the shows are down compared to past still was a very good show.

[Kevin Jenness]

my Delmorst went down but they have been the ones ive seen in the lumber companies sitting besides the oven where they also dry stuff. Sounds like we have the same one Kevn the slide hammer and pins that go in 5/16 then long pins that go in deep ive never used. Mine packed it in after 30 plus years and could not get a schematic so have a friend looking at it to see if he can figure it out. This the reminder of why I have two of so many things. Meter was well cared for and perfect till recent.
Yeah temp and species settings. Its a bit complicated. I always felt on my model the battery area was too tight and putting stress on the circuit board. Which one do you have Kevin this is an RDX-1

Warren, I have had a J4 with a slide hammer for about 25 years. https://www.delmhorst.com/moisture-meters/j-4 Have you asked Delmhorst if they can repair yours? I agree about the battery leads.

[Warren Lake]

Yeah the whole lead thing seemed an issue and I have to wonder if they didnt have a short as so compressed in there. I did ask Tom I think the owner for a schematic and that didnt happen. Meter was always perfect and needed. Even now like to know what this silver maple is im burning. Im not pressured right now to have it working so okay thanks on mentioning the leads we are thinking the same,. i even asked him if batteries are different sizes and he sent me some of what they used but they measured the same as what I have. Will see if my friend can sort of reverse engineer it. Id rather get it repaired and also get a new one to have two. Logic says maybe the technology has improved.

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[Terence McGee]

Hi Jack, I've had great luck with the General Tools pinless meter. It gives instant readings without damaging the wood, and has different settings for various species. But if you want the most accurate readings by penetrating the wood, the Lignomat SDM38 is top-notch. It has long, thick pins that can get deep into boards. But, it's a bit pricier though.

In the pinless category, General and Wagner make quality options under $50 which I've also used before.

[Jonathan Jung]

I got my Lignomat SD on eBay in excellent condition for about $110. After about 5 years it's still great. I don't understand why anyone would want a pin meter. Every slab I've seen that's got pin meter marks in it isn't dried properly in the middle of the length.

[Kevin Jenness]

I got my Lignomat SD on eBay in excellent condition for about $110. After about 5 years it's still great. I don't understand why anyone would want a pin meter. Every slab I've seen that's got pin meter marks in it isn't dried properly in the middle of the length.

I guess your point is that using a pin meter only on slab ends will not verify complete drying on a slab whereas a pinless meter would allow for checking the center of a slab without leaving marks, which is a good thing. I like my pin meter with a slide hammer because it allows me to check for a moisture gradient in a sample or a place that will be unseen or cut out from a piece, or check a piece too thin or with too small a section to get accurate results with a pinless meter.

I have a Wagner pinless unit but rarely use it as I find it gives less consistent results when I compare it to what I know the equilibrium moisture content of a piece is given the environmental conditions it has been stored in. I attribute this to the fact that pinless meters determine the specific gravity of wood compared to a standard for each species, but many samples diverge from that standard due to growing conditions. Both types of meters have their place and I know many folks rely on their pinless meters, that is just my experience.

[John TenEyck]

I have both a pin (Ligno) and pinless (Wagner) moisture meter. I use them both, but more often the pinless, because I can check the MC at 1/4 and 3/4" depth, which allows me to check if there's a large gradient, and also allows me to determine the average MC of 6/4 and by extrapolation up to 8/4 or a bit more.

Lumber coming out of my drying kiln almost always has a gradient. I'm looking for an average of 7%, and the pinless meter allows me to determine the average w/o having to cut a foot off a piece. In my shop, I'm more inclined to use the pin meter, if I use a meter at all, since I'm cutting the lumber to rough length anyway.

If I could only buy one meter, it would be the pinless because it's more versatile if you don't want to cut the board or put holes in it. I don't find much discrepancy between my pinless and pin meters.

John

[jack dempsey]

Thanks for all of the replies. I have gathered that there are multiple meters and multiple price points. I primarily will use the meter in the shop. Looking forward to getting one soon to check some red oak lumber I have had setting in an unheated outbuilding. Again, thanks for the advice. Jack

[Jim Becker]

Late response, but mine is an old and basic Wagner. There are actually some pretty powerful options available these days. For workshop use, I favor pinless, but if I was cutting and drying lumber, the Delmhorst with multiple pin measuring points would get the nod. (for a much larger investment, of course)

[John TenEyck]

Thanks for all of the replies. I have gathered that there are multiple meters and multiple price points. I primarily will use the meter in the shop. Looking forward to getting one soon to check some red oak lumber I have had setting in an unheated outbuilding. Again, thanks for the advice. Jack

IIRC, Hoadley suggests that lumber stored in an outbuilding will have a MC about 2 - 3% less than air dried wood based on the average outdoor RH for your location. I take wood out of my kiln at 7% and put it in my storage shed. In a few weeks it's usually at 9 - 10%. The typically EMC based on RH for my area is 12 - 14%. I'd say Hoadley's estimate is pretty good.

It is always good practice to bring lumber into your shop to let it acclimate to the MC of your shop before using it. A moisture meter will help you determine how long that will take. Daily weighing of a sample board works just as well.

John

[Jimmy Harris]

To me, it depends on what you need from the moisture meter. Are you drying wood yourself, or are you buying dried wood and just letting it acclimate to your shop? Are you buying S4S wood? Or are you buying rough sawn lumber? Are you buying exotic tropical woods or locally grown hardwoods and/or softwoods? If you answer all of those questions, then usually the best moisture meter will present itself. There really isn't a perfect solution that will cover all possible needs, but most moisture meters will tell you what you need to know, if you know how to work them.