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+-- Thread: Moisture meter (/showthread.php?tid=7360707)
Moisture meter - RustyN - 02-04-2021
I was thinking of getting a moisture to help figure out when my rough turned bowls are ready to finish turn. Does anybody here do that and if so what meter do you use?
RE: Moisture meter - SteveS - 02-04-2021
In general I wait for wood to dry before using it as 95% of my work is segmented and will not tolerate dimensional changes well. So, I do use a Canadian made pinned meter I got from LV years ago to check MC for the wood I have milled from local trees.
RE: Moisture meter - iclark - 02-04-2021
(02-04-2021, 05:14 PM)RustyN Wrote: I was thinking of getting a moisture to help figure out when my rough turned bowls are ready to finish turn. Does anybody here do that and if so what meter do you use?
Most affordable moisture meters don't really tell you how dry the rough-turned bowl has gotten because they only measure the near-surface moisture.
I use a kitchen scale to weigh the green bowl and write the date and weight on the paper bag that I put it in to dry.
Weigh the bowl (or bowl in bag) occasionally and write the new weight on the bag along with the date.
When the weight stops decreasing, it is dry.
Kitchen scales and postal scales are much less expensive than a good moisture meter and do a better job for this application. JMHO
RE: Moisture meter - humanrace - 02-05-2021
I use Iclark's method, but I bought a scale at an auction when a local research lab sold off excess inventory. It measures as little as 1/10 of a gram. I got a deal, but I also have to deal the the occasional, "Oh, I know what you're selling" comment from visitors. I immediately know what they've been "doing."
RE: Moisture meter - MichaelMouse - 02-05-2021
(02-04-2021, 05:14 PM)RustyN Wrote: I was thinking of getting a moisture to help figure out when my rough turned bowls are ready to finish turn. Does anybody here do that and if so what meter do you use?
Since I use a mortise at the bottom, I go by the measured cross versus along grain difference. When the difference reaches 1/8", it's ready to final turn. No scales or dates for me anymore. When it was the rage, I weighed every week, like the BIG names recommended. But with a dozen roughs a weekend, it became a tiresome chore.
Note that if you use this method, and you're in a hurry, you don't want to sit the rough on its bottom on the shelf, but stand it on edge in a rack.
RE: Moisture meter - Wildwood - 02-05-2021
Whether buying or harvesting and processing your own bowl blanks an inexpensive digital mail or kitchen scale will definitely serve you well.
Ideally you want your bowl blanks to be at EMC for your area before final turning & finishing. Weighing weekly or monthly to find bowl blanks will tell you wood has stopped losing moisture content.
Already said most inexpensive pin nor pin less meters do not penetrate enough to give accurate reading. Consumer grade meters useless on freshly cut down trees full of moisture above 70%. Have to spend small fortune for a meter that will.
Back when Lowes sold a General Pin MM for less than $10 became the darling of messages boards. Lowes does not sell same model today. Got along just fine without a MM for years and seldom use that MM today. The meter is pretty accurate, found it could read difference in am & pm changes in wood. Pretty close to relativity humidity chart for my area.