moisture meters?

I picked up one of the cheapo 2 pin meters from Amazon, and it works well. Obviously if you have wood that's been cut/split/stacked for a couple of years, the "need" for one is arguably not there. But, if you're a curious Type A, obsessive compulsive like me, you like to know anyway. :lol:

Its mixed. Some people say they are a waste of $$ if you give the wood the right time it will season right and you dont have to bother checking. I think I am in the same boat as you, first year burner, and have a wood supply but question what is going to really be dry enough to burn. I am a techno geek, and I buy random tools and electronics like women buy clothes and shoes. So if I only use it for this first year so be it, but I want to be able to do some experimenting and have a baseline for next year to say "ok this is what 20% moisture looks and feels like, and thats how it burns" So when my wood is stacked in my basement I can pick and choose for this first year and make my less than perfect scenerio as good as I can. I ordered my meter from Harbor Freight about a week ago so hopefully it will be delivered by the time I get home from this "military/business" trip I am on in 2 weeks.

I'm a woodworker. I have a lignum I have used for over ten years. I need to make sure the moisture is a the right level to build and finish furniture. If you buy a POC you can guarantee it will meet it's cost expectation. Buy a good tool, even if it is a little more. I don't regularily check firewood, but if I am out buying limber or splits, it's in my pocket. I use with "thump" test with firewood, but if in doubt, or the seller is a little too confident about the dryness, "Oh it's ready to burn. Cut it last fall and it's be drying for six months" I have to prove them wrong. It may seem small potatoes, but I have used it to check for water damage in studded walls, boat bottoms, and vintage auto wooden frame inserts to name a few.

If you are new and unsure, it could be a good investment, for better woodburning.

I am glad to have mine. It has helped me understand which species dry quicker, and helped me diagnose smoke spillage and temp output problems. Probably won't use it forever, but definately helped with the learning curve.

I think for the $20-$30 price you can't beat it. I scrounge most of my wood, either dead and down from local forests or from private parties who don't want their wood. Therefore, a lot of the time I don't know how long the wood has been down. So while I could just split and stack it and wait a year, it's nice to know what's ready to burn NOW and what's not. I've also been surprised many times since getting my meter--wood that I thought was not ready was, and wood that I thought was ready wasn't.

Lastly, I like experimenting with various drying techniques (i.e. Holf Hauzten, N-S stack orientation vs E-W, etc) and it's nice to be able to KNOW what wood storagedrying ideas are working the best.

NP

They work well and are a great tool for the newer (or lazy) wood burner. I will mention that I bought a cheapo from HF and the fact that it only goes up to 35% is kind of annoying. If I ever buy another, I'll make sure I shop around for one that reads a larger % of MC.

I bought a cheapo 4 pin unit, probably on ebay. I'm glad I have it. It gives results that are informative.

I use one in the shop, and like most electronics, bought it when it was pretty spendy. For 30 bucks or so, I wouldn't lose much sleep. I've tried mine on firewood, but don't think it was really accurate. You would want to split a piece in half to read the core rather than the outside. If your wood is all from the same source, it is not likely that a few pieces would be much drier than others. A couple percentage points difference is not going to help.

Most wood will burn, fresh cut, if you give it enough air, don't expect much usable heat, or try to damper it down.

If you find a wood dealer with MANY cords of wood, you might be able to find some that is left over from last year, but a load at their choice, delivered, is not likely to be.

It takes some experience, but here are some indicators to look for:
Newer firewood has a fresh smell, older dryer wood, less.
-break off some loose splinters, dry wood will break off with a crack.
-rap the end on a hard surface, dry wood will have a ring tone, wet will be more like a thud
-look for cracks on the ends of the wood, hairline fine, short cracks tend to indicate fresher cut wood, look for full length cracks that reach from the center of the core to the bark. As moisture leaves wood, the wood shrinks and collapses, good cracks and plenty of them are a good indicator.
Compare the two pictures.
If you are comparing green wood to green wood, all this will help little, and you will be splitting hairs.
Obviously there are exceptions to these rules, as I'm sure somebody will point out, however if you combine them, you will have a pretty good idea what to look for.