Knowledge You Can Build On — Est. 1998
Moisture meters
Jim D.
>I have been looking at moisture meters. More for a rough guage sence I am not a professional and do use a scale for weighing. I see them anywhere from around 50 bucks to several hundred.
My question is, how acurate are the cheaper meters with "snake bite" pins? Are they a total waste of money or do they give a fairly accurate reading?
Jim D.
Re: Moisture meters
Pete in Holland, MI
>If you're trying to determine dryness of turnings, by a scale off ebay for $25.
I have a moisture meter of the contact type. Does not use the pins. It can get a feeling on wood moisture up to about 3/4" deep, and do it thru finishes. The pin type is, as I understand, good at the surface. My Wagner brand cost about $140 when bought about 8 years ago. I think all will have a conversion chart that needs to be checked when different spiecies of wood are needed to be checked. Both are set up for boards. My contac unit is useless on a surface of a bowl. My 2 cents.
Sam's Club $50
tdaniel
>Digital postal scale at Sam's cost under $50. When the wood quits loosing weight it is dry provided you are weighing it in an atmosphere similar to where the bowl would be displayed. In my area 11% is as low as it will go in an un-air-conditioned area. The pin type meter that McFeeley sells works and is about $59 but the above is better.
TD
Re: Moisture meters
Bruce in N.B. Canada
>Jim, Fine Woodworking did a product review on moisture meters in 2002. Try and get you hands on a copy of the May / June issue. They reviewed ten or twelve models both pin type and pinless. They didn't manage to convince me that I should have one unless I can find one at a yard sale, cheap, so I continue to use my old mechanical postal scale, which seems to do a fine job for me.
Regards Bruce
