Question
I'm looking for a moisture meter for:

1) Double checking my kiln operator, so that when he gives me my lumber back at 6%, it is indeed at 6%.
2) Making sure my air drying piles are drying evenly, so that they enter the kiln at as close to the same MC as possible.
3). Getting a reading on billets I buy from time to time, of exotic woods. I slice some of this into pen blanks now, and have no idea if they are dry or semi-dry.
4) Taking readings on my lumber that came out of the kiln eons ago, to see at what rate it's regaining moisture.

Any recommendations?

Forum Responses
(Sawing and Drying Forum)
From contributor D:
Some pin meters cost more, as they have scales that read higher than 30%. The ones that read only below 30% are less expensive and fit the bill on everything you need except checking the air drying. Pinless meters don't usually read over 30% and pin meters are not really accurate over 30%, but they are useful for what you need. The next question is how far into the wood do you need to go? A simple pin meter that sticks pins in sort of like thumb tacks costs about $150 less than a meter with ram-in electrodes. Stick with Lignomat, Delmhorst for pin meters and Wagner for pinless. We have tried them all and these are the best backed and most reliable we have found over the years.

Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?

KnowledgeBase: Knowledge Base

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Air Drying Lumber

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Kiln Operation

KnowledgeBase: Woodworking Miscellaneous



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