Using a moisture meter

Home » Knowledge Base » Knowledge Base Article





	Today's Sponsors: Granite Road Great Lakes Kiln Drying Association Great Northern Lumber Greco Manufacturing GreCon Green Forest Products GUHDO Hanson and Leja Lumber Company CIM-Tech Clear Lake Lumber CNC Auto-Motion CNC Parts Dept. CNCROUTERSTORE.com CNT Motion Systems Colonial Saw Construction Programs and Results Construction Recruiters COOLwoodworkingstuff.com Copemaster Cordes Machine Country Saw & Knife, Inc. Courmatt International Inc. CP Adhesives CraftMaster Manufacturing CSH Custom Service Hardware Inc. CTD Machines Custom Woodworking Business Cutlist Plus D.S. Brown Machinery Dancer Logging Delle Vedove USA, Inc. Delmac Machinery Group Delmhorst Instrument Co. Delta Denray Machine DeVilbiss Diehl Machines Dispoz-A-Blade Diversi-Tech DMC DODDS Don Hall & Associates Donald Dean and Sons Doucet Machineries Inc. Downdrafttable.org Durable Wood Products E.W. Tooling Inc. Eagle America Eagle Machinery and Repair Co. EasyCoper Tool Company ECabinet Systems Edge-It Edgebanding Electrophysics Elias Woodwork & Manufacturing Elkom North America Endeavor Hardwoods EnRoute WOOD ETemplate Digital Measuring Eterna Lighting ETK International Eurosoft, Inc. EX-FACTORY Excel Dowel and Wood Products Inc. ExpressSander.com Extrema Machinery FastCap Finish Systems FlexiCAM FORDAQ Forest City Tool FormWood Industries Freeborn Tool Company FS Cruing FS Tool Outlet.com Fuhr International Fuji Spray Furniture D Cube G&M Woodcopy Lathes Gabbiani Machine Gary M. Katz Glue Machinery Corporation Goby Walnut Products

WOODWEB DISCLAIMS any and all RESPONSIBILITY and LIABILITY for the accuracy and application of the information below. Readers agree to evaluate the significance and limitations of the information provided, and accept full responsibility for the application of this information. Read More ...

Would you like to add information to this article?
Interested in writing or submitting an article?
Have a question about this article?

Using a moisture meter How and where to use a moisture meter. November 14, 2001

Question
What surface is the best one to measure moisture content of lumber -- a face, an edge, an end? If you drive pins into the wood, will these "snake bite" holes eventually go away?

Forum Responses
What MC do you want to know? The maximum is in the core. The average is about 1/4 deep. Face is most often used; edge can be used.

Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor

You have to know if you have a US style moisture meter or European style. European moisture meters (Gann, etc) are calibrated to read across the grain and US meters are calibrated to read along the grain. Across grain readings are impossible from the edge. I verified this some time ago with Gann (German). Both Lignomat and Delmhorst told me their meters are calibrated for readings along the grain.

At very low MCs (under 12% MC), pin orientation will not affect the readings. When going into the lumber from the edge, go at the thickness midpoint if you want the core, and use the 1/4 points for average values.

Gene Wengert, forum technical advisor

The snake bites will never go away.

Have you reviewed the related Knowledge Base areas below?

KnowledgeBase: Lumber and Plywood

KnowledgeBase: Lumber & Plywood: Storage

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: General

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing

KnowledgeBase: Primary Processing: Air Drying Lumber