Gave my MM to my friend yesterday as i wasnt that happy with it. Had four different settings for different density woods. Whats everyone else using? Looking for something on the cheap. My old one. Dont use one a lot, more so for satisfying my curiousity.
I use the cheapie Harbor Freight one. I’m typically burning 3 years seasoned wood so the mm for me is just to cure my curiosity. I’m sure it’s not a quality unit.
Hey Brad , I have the same one you had. Always wondered how accurate it really is. I figure if I check wood and it is going down that's good , but not sure if numbers are that accurate? I just use it for a rough estimate.
Me too, dont use it much but i think it's more then good enough for firewood use. Bttenkiller tested one compared to an expensive unit used for furniture making and said it was fairly accurate.
I think moisture meters are pretty much useless for testing firewood and are a waste of time and money. They are designed for boards not 8” thick pieces of firewood. Sorry to be “that guy” but I’m grumpy today,
One good use I can see is if you buy “ seasoned” firewood and you measure the moisture of the firewood when it’s delivered to use as a bargaining chip to the delivery driver.
You guys nailed it, buying "seasoned" wood and dead standing. Sometimes i like to monitor how the drying process is going. IMHO it has never gave me an inaccurate reading.
Those Dr meter ones are kinda pricey at $50. That said, they get tested against the really expensive ones that are a few hundred dollars and they give the same reading. I like mine. buZZsaw BRAD I like the Ryobi phoneworx one that uses your phone. Plug it onto the headphone jack and then your phone is the display. Like 20-25 bucks at home Depot.
That's what it really only needs to be for our use. A MM is still the only way of knowing the actual MC of wood. Otherwise you're just making an educated guess, based on how long it's been drying.
I paid $13 for mine on Amazon, now it could be a complete knock off of the real Dr. Meter I wouldn't have a clue I was just buying a cheap one and just happened to be Dr. Meter.
Brad I use one by general. Lowe's about $20. bear 1998 and I compared his and mine and they were only about 1% difference +/- in readings. I forget what brand his is.
I will own one as long as I’m able to process wood. Ive had mine prove me wrong to many times. I have the dr meter. I’m 4-5 years ahead but I still like knowing what the moisture is.
They are designed to measure the moisture content of a specific cellulosic material often referred to as 'wood', whether that wood be in the form of a board or a split open log. Some have a switch to also be useful to measure drywall.
Most masonry is inherently porous. Concrete is often painted with a sealer on the outside where it will come in contact with soil as a moisture barrier so the concrete walls won't be wet and clammy inside. You might not want to paint, say, concrete block wall if the mortar hadn't dried yet, or if the blocks themselves had been subject to a lot of rain previous to or during construction.
