I am looking for a moisture meter. They come in all different price categories and types, some with pins, some without etc. I know that usually you get what you pay for, but what to look for when buying and using moisture meters ?
I intend to use it to determine when my wood is dry enough to start working it, and to check wood at the lumber yard !!
I found this from Lee Valley. Any one got experience with it ? www.leevalley.com/wood/page.asp?page=32548&category=1,43513,45788&ccurrency=3&SID=
Thanks for your input, Ole
…. I Love the smell of sawdust in the morning….
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Click on the Advanced Search button near the top of the left hand frame. In the Find Messages pull down menu, select "containing the exact phrase." Type Timber Check in the text box. Click on the Search button. The search found ten messages when I ran it just now.
none.
solid wood construction should allow for wood movement. best thing is to find out what the RH levels are for your area....get the averages per month. wood moisture levels don't fluctuate quickly and it takes a week or more of difference in RH to affect the MC in the wood.
is the yard climate controlled? yes....assume the wood is on the drier side. no? assume the wood is on the wetter side ('course, this doesn't hold true so much in really arid climates). just about any lumber you purchase should be dry enough to work. let it acclimate to your shop for a few weeks if you want. stickered is better than simply stacked. if you buy green wood from a sawyer, you need to learn how to dry lumber. I know many who successfully air-dry lumber without any moisture meters.....
You do know that to use pin-type meters, you should cut off a foot or so of the board and then check the moisture at the fresh cut?
if dead set on a moisture meter, I'd suggest you investigate the pinless type meters.....
Ole, I'm in process of making the same decision. Have been concerned about the pinned meters because the lumberyard people aren't likely to appreciate me putting holes in their stock. However, when I buy at the lumberyard (generally a hardwood specialist, not a big box or construction-oriented place) I've been able to count on the wood being well-dried, and I just stack it in the shop for a couple weeks before using it.
To get a good foundation in choosing a moisture meter, I'd suggest you find a copy of FWW #156, which has a review of MMs that also goes a long way to explaining the different types. The Timbercheck appears to be a good little unit for its price range. If you can round up a little more $$ you might want to consider the Delmhorst J-Lite ($125). It's very user friendly, and you can later add a hammer probe to it, enabling you to test thicker lumber such as 8/4. This is the direction I'm headed in.
http://www.delmhorst.com/products_wood.html
If you want to see a large selection of meters, try:
http://www.moisturemeterstore.com/wood_moisture_meters.shtml
I think their prices might be a bit high, but at least you can review what's available.
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Another proud member of the "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)
Ole,
Don't waste a lot of money on one.. the condition of the battery is far more important to it's accuracy then what brand or type. I use mine all of the time and it's several years old and enjoyed a tough life still works flawlessly.
I was told that LIGNOs is the standard of the industry so that's what I bought.. I bought a mini-lingos and I think it was about 60 bucks but it's been a few years I bought mine from www/sevencornershardware.com and yes they do mail order.
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