For rookies...how to use a moisture meter

[Intheswamp]

Split a piece of wood, round or split. Stick the prongs carefully but firmly into the fresh split side of the wood. Using the prongs anywhere but on a freshly split side of the wood will give you very different results. I hope that some of the guys with some education/experience will add to the thread on how to actually interpret the readings in regards to species, meters, etc.,. But, in the mean time here is a short, albeit unprofessional, photo essay on moisture readings......

(This also lets me use a new toy and get a record of where I'm presently at with my mc. The new toy is a General MMD4E.)

The volunteer...a nice looking split of water oak. Been split probably a grunt over a month...probably never said a harsh word to anybody whether round or split....a really nice young split.

Moisture reading of a none freshly split side of the volunteer...the volunteer is looking a tad nervous. WOW Looks like a nice moisture reading...that sucker's ready to put out some serious heat

Let's look a little further, though, to be sure...let's check the end grain on both ends. WOW Another great moisture reading Yesireee, this woods gonna flame up at the mere sight of a match...dry, dry, dry... What a proud young split there

Ok, lets check towards the ends of the split but this time on the freshly split side and see how it looks. Uh-oh, looks like the moisture content is kinda high, that wont' burn very good. That young split is beginning to look a little worried, maybe he's not aged enough...

Those last two meter readings must of been a fluke, surely that volunteer water oak split isn't *that* wet. Here we go....dead center on the freshly split side. WHOAAA! That sucker oughta be dripping water out of it Probably would pop, split, and sizzle, smoking up a storm and just be a regular pain in the butt to try to burn. Looks like that young volunteer needs a good bit longer in the wind and sun! Gotta check'em on the fresh split side

The management of Ugottabekiddin Photo Essays thanks you for your participation and hope you enjoyed the photos. No live water oak splits were injured in making this photo essay. Names were changed to protect the innocent. Your mileage may vary.

Ed

 

[oldspark]

Works on a fresh cut end also, I get the same reading on a new cut as I do on a new split. Nice job with the pictures!

 

[CodyWayne718]

Works on a fresh cut end also, I get the same reading on a new cut as I do on a new split. Nice job with the pictures!

I've never tried a fresh cut end, I always thought the friction from the saw would have play in the reading.

 

[shouldntbesocomplicated]

Very Nice and informative

 

[oldspark]

Works on a fresh cut end also, I get the same reading on a new cut as I do on a new split. Nice job with the pictures!

I've never tried a fresh cut end, I always thought the friction from the saw would have play in the reading.

There was a discussion about it a while back so I went out and tried it on several pieces of wood and found the reading the same on every piece of wood as long as it was a fresh cut and a fresh split. Works nice for rounds from a dead tree that you might want to burn as quickly as possible.

 

[Intheswamp]

Glad ya'll enjoyed the essay. Oldspark, I'm indeed figuring on using that meter on some dead standing pine. *Plenty* of pine around to burn...but I'm shooting for oak and pecan.

Ed

 

[muncybob]

Nice write up....I did about the same thing last year(our 1st yr burning wood) just to "educate" myself along with what I've read here from much more experienced burners.
Conclusion was the same as yours and matches basically what veteran wood burners here have had to say. About the only times I use a meter now are to check the mc of freshly bucked logs just to see what the starting point may be and from time to time I'll check what should be seasoned wood(based on #months it's been split/drying) just to confirm it's good to go. Once in awhile I'll pull a split from the pile that just seems to be a bit heavy...so I split it again and put the meter on it but thus far what I thought was seasoned(less than 20%) has been OK so maybe sometimes the wood is a bit more dense(sorta like me)?
I have not yet burned any oak...and appears it will be at least another 12 months before I do, unless pin oak dries quicker than 2yrs.

 

[Woody Stover]

I have not yet burned any oak...and appears it will be at least another 12 months before I do, unless pin oak dries quicker than 2yrs.

I've got some Shingle Oak that was split (pretty small) in June, that I'm burning now. I've had a little water come out of the end of a couple on occasion, but most of them light up well, usually not even hissing.
From what I've gathered here, Red Oak is the slowest-drying.

 

[muncybob]

I have not yet burned any oak...and appears it will be at least another 12 months before I do, unless pin oak dries quicker than 2yrs.

I've got some Shingle Oak that was split (pretty small) in June, that I'm burning now. I've had a little water come out of the end of a couple on occasion, but most of them light up well, usually not even hissing.
From what I've gathered here, Red Oak is the slowest-drying.

I split the pin oak much smaller than our usual cherry splits just so it would dry a little faster. Once the ice and snow melt I'll be checking them with a meter to see where they stand at 6 months drying time, they started out at 38+%. Before this last snowfall we had spring like weather and a few days of extremely windy conditions to help with drying.....funny how now when it's sunny/windy I first think of "hmm, this will be good for the wood stacks" before I think of "hmm, what can I do today to enjoy this weather"

 

[WoodpileOCD]

.funny how now when it's sunny/windy I first think of "hmm, this will be good for the wood stacks" before I think of "hmm, what can I do today to enjoy this weather"

It's a disease, I tell ya.. All wood all the time. Everything relates to the woodstove somehow or other. ;-)

 

[free75degrees]

This is why I make my splits very small when I know they won't have enough time to age. It's easy to get the edges dry, and the smaller the splits, the more edges you get. Since small splits burn faster and hotter I end up keeping the fires smaller and adding wood much more often, but the extra work is worth for the better efficiency I get due to the lower moisture content.

 

[cygnus]

To find the highest reading on a split I like to check behind the bark. Dig the pins in there really good to get to the wood. That's the last area that will dry so it tells me the upper end of what I'm dealing with. If the split reads 15% but behind the bark is 40% it's a no-go since the MC increases through the middle and will have a good deal of wood more than 20% at the center.

 

[gpcollen1]

Save the money on the meter and pay attention to the wood. You should be able to tell by when you split it, how heavy it is or how it looks. If you must split the wood to tell, just a quick look or sniff should tell you what you need to know...

 

[Danno77]

Save the money on the meter and pay attention to the wood. You should be able to tell by when you split it, how heavy it is or how it looks. If you must split the wood to tell, just a quick look or sniff should tell you what you need to know...

with all due respect, how on earth do I plug your data into my woodpile spreadsheet? lol.

 

[oldspark]

Save the money on the meter and pay attention to the wood. You should be able to tell by when you split it, how heavy it is or how it looks. If you must split the wood to tell, just a quick look or sniff should tell you what you need to know...

Very cheap and a nice tool to have, I was cutting wood when some of you were crapping yellow and I still like it (moisture meter not crapping yellow). Sometimes I cut dead wood and I like to know how wet it is.

 

[WoodpileOCD]

Save the money on the meter and pay attention to the wood. You should be able to tell by when you split it, how heavy it is or how it looks. If you must split the wood to tell, just a quick look or sniff should tell you what you need to know...

with all due respect, how on earth do I plug your data into my woodpile spreadsheet? lol.

A woodpile spreadsheet. Sounds like Woodpile OCD to me. I'll have to add that to my definition. :gulp:

 

[Intheswamp]

Save the money on the meter and pay attention to the wood. You should be able to tell by when you split it, how heavy it is or how it looks. If you must split the wood to tell, just a quick look or sniff should tell you what you need to know...

with all due respect, how on earth do I plug your data into my woodpile spreadsheet? lol.

A woodpile spreadsheet. Sounds like Woodpile OCD to me. I'll have to add that to my definition. :gulp:

The big question is....Can I get a copy of that spreadsheet, Danno? :cheese:

 

[Intheswamp]

Save the money on the meter and pay attention to the wood. You should be able to tell by when you split it, how heavy it is or how it looks. If you must split the wood to tell, just a quick look or sniff should tell you what you need to know...

Very cheap and a nice tool to have, I was cutting wood when some of you were crapping yellow and I still like it (moisture meter not crapping yellow). Sometimes I cut dead wood and I like to know how wet it is.

Not sure if you saw the thread, but I cut some wood off of a ~9 month old clear-cut (I thought it was older than that)...I split a round of the barkless oak (well, it did have bark on it but it was easily knocked off) and the percentages were in the mid-40's. I split a 6" round that had some good sized weather splits running with the grain, bark falling off and it also sounded *very* sharp when slapped together....moisture reading on them was also in the 40 percent range! One thing that should have given away the fact that they were very wet was how *heavy* the round were

Clear-cut wood.

Ed

 

[nelraq]

I use a Timber check moisture meter from http://comproteccanada.com

This meter is very accurate and is used mainly by furniture and cabinet makers. It costs about $85.

The website has some very interesting material in it; including a Species Adjustment Table and a Wood Temperature Adjustment Table.

The meter is calibrated for Red Oak at 20 degrees celcius ( 68F).

None of this material is applicable to firewood, unless your readings are coming in at around 20%.

Have a look - it`s an interesting bit of reading!