I know this is only tangentially related to CNC work, but you’ll probably have thoughts. I stumbled into some rough sawn maple at work accidentally. No clue if it is 5 months old or years old. Do any of you have a good recommendation for a wood moisture meter?
I see Rockler level stuff at $130 and a couple at $300+. There’s also a million in the $15-40 range. That would fit nicely into a Father’s Day gift. Do any of you know of one that has worked for you, or are they all worthless at that price point?
Even a cheap one will get you into the ball park. The trick for any moisture meter is to take samples in multiple places and average them out. If you take a reading on the end grain of the board it will likely be low because that is where the moisture escapes first. On the face close to the ends and several in the middle will give you a good indication.
They make meters that are thousands but do you need to use an expensive one for a couple of boards. I have a cheap one but it hardly ever gets used. It is important to know moisture content but at some point if t he boards are years old it is irreverent. Take the boards home and let them age in your garage for a year and spend the money for a meter on something else. But if you are impatient then get a cheap one and average. Dont just take one reading and conclude that is correct.
One more alternative to a meter is to simply weigh the boards. Weigh them periodically and if they are dropping in weight they are drying. If they are stable they are likely as dry as they are going to get in the environment they are in.
I bought this moisture meter September 2020 for $48 to use on some cookies that my son cut out of a tree that we removed because it was too close to a power line. He says, “So I could make something out of them.”
Apparently, it is really good at finding moisture from leaks in walls, but it also gives numbers for hardwood and softwood. I was interested in relative numbers anyway, and for that it works really well.
It has a “pad” on the back for the measuring area of about 1.5" x 1.5", but they do make one with pointed pins, too. It is very rugged feeling, and I’m not going to test that part out!
It can read the levels up to 3/4" (19mm) deep into the surface with a broad measurement range of 0 to 53% for softwood, 0 to 35% for hardwood, and relative readings for wallboard, drywall, and masonry.
It mostly just sits there on my tool shelf and has not run the 9V alkaline battery down. That’s a plus for me, too. Recommended.
