Replies

1. 
   Jimma | Jan 16, 2005 01:30am | #1

   It isn't the meter so much as it is the trending mosture content from one reading to another -- say, week to week. You can do OK with a cheap meter if you're just trying to watch for equilibrium in your work space and compare new stock with some that's been in your shop for a while. I have a Lignomat pin-type meter which set me back about a hundred bucks, but you could look around on line for cheaper ones that would serve the same purpose.

2. 
   forestgirl | Jan 16, 2005 03:24am | #2

   There are plenty of moisture meters out there for under $100 that would work fine.  Woodcraft, Harbor Freight and one other company (Lee Valley?) have MM's that sell under $40.  Would work fine for following the trend in a given stack of wood.  The model I'd like to get, down the road, is one that you can add a cable-connected deep-probe to when you need it.  Delhorst, I think?  Must be the J-4, don't know if the J-lite will do the same thing.

   My impression is that the more expensive ones are better at giving you specific numbers for different types of woods, including exotics.  Some have the calibration built in, some come with charts.  The sturdiness of the case can be important.  Ease of use.  Pinless is great if you're going to be poking around the lumberyard, and they don't want holes in their stock.  If they don't care, though, a meter with a probe at the end of a long cable enables you to reach far into a stack and take a reading.  Seems like in using a pinless, you'd want to take more than one reading, just to make sure the first one isn't off.

   Wood Magazine, Oct. 2000, has a review.  I think FWW did one awhile back too, but don't have the date. 

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
   Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>)