Moisture Check

[lukem]

So i was at the local harbor freight today picking up a torque wrench that was on sale, and found the much talked about moisture meter by accident. Hmm...$12. So i got one.

Came back home...skin reads 40%...workbench reads 5%. Split my 1.5 year seasoned cherry...8%. Split some 9 month seasoned hedge...15%. Split some one year seasoned red oak...25%.

Seems fairly inline with what i would expect.

 

[Woody Stover]

one year seasoned red oak...25%.

Was that from a live tree (OakZilla?) I got some dead standing that was split at the end of June and was then upper 20s. I'm going to dig into the stack soon, split some, and see if I can burn it now. Splits toward the top of the stack seem fairly light, compared to what they were...

 

[lukem]

This was a different oak score...i checked a couple pieces of black oak and they were nearly the same. These were live trees when cut. I just finished oakzilla a few weeks ago.

I checked a chunk of red elm that was dead when cut this spring and it read 6%.

 

[smokinj]

So i was at the local harbor freight today picking up a torque wrench that was on sale, and found the much talked about moisture meter by accident. Hmm...$12. So i got one.

Came back home...skin reads 40%...workbench reads 5%. Split my 1.5 year seasoned cherry...8%. Split some 9 month seasoned hedge...15%. Split some one year seasoned red oak...25%.

Seems fairly inline with what i would expect.

Only time I trust one...I use my fathers once in awhile to check slabs, but I know he got a small fortune in it.

 

[lukem]

I know it isn't accurate. Mostly got it for comparison of what i know is dry to all this oak i have that i have no idea how dry it is. Just gives a general idea.

 

[Woody Stover]

I checked a chunk of red elm that was dead when cut this spring and it read 6%.

6%? That seems too low for our EMC here. Your Cen-Tech claims 2% accuracy. I am befuddled...

I found some more down Red Elm, off the ground, no bark, that looks about like the stuff I just got that was 14-18%. I think some of this will go to SIL's in round form, to burn slower in her leaky Fireview. A lot of the stuff I took her this Summer was split too small. But I like the color and grain of the Red so much that my wood hoarding disorder might compel me to keep some of it. :smirk: