Moisture Meter Help

[Bryguy]

The recent NH snow storm has provided me with a bounty of green wood for turning. I'm looking for recommendations for a n affordable (<$50) moisture meter I can use for bowl and pen blanks.

 

[wolf creek knives]

Check out either home depot or Lowes. I've heard they have them there but haven't confirmed it. Another place is a wood burning stove store. I picked mine up at one for around $35.00 and it reads down to 1%. Good luck on your quest.

 

[monophoto]

Bought mine at Harbor Freight, but I've seen them at Ace Hardware.

Bit of advice - don't read any particular significance into the numerical reading on the meter. Instead, use a piece of wood as a reference, and compare the reading on the reference with the wood you expect to turn. I keep a scrap of wood just for this purpose, but some people just use the edge of the workbench. The key is that the reference will stabilize to the ambient humidity in the shop. You can't get any drier than that - even if you use a kiln, when you bring the wood into the shop, it will quickly stabilize to whatever the ambient is in the shop. So having a standard reference will tell you when the turning stock is as dry as it is going to get in your shop.

 

[Monty]

The recent NH snow storm has provided me with a bounty of green wood for turning. I'm looking for recommendations for a n affordable (<$50) moisture meter I can use for bowl and pen blanks.

General Tools makes several for under $50.