# Moisture Content



## Daikusan (Apr 12, 2013)

We have had five straight days of rain (Rainy season here). Yesterday was the first day without rain, its raining hard again now as I write. Yesterday gave me a chance to open tarps on the wood piles, while keeping them out of the sun. I also made another drying frame from 2X6's. 

I checked the moisture content of the newly cut cherry wood to verify the progress. I could only get the pins in 1/2 way in the new cherry board. The cherry the reading was 14%. I don't believe that is correct, they feel wetter (with my calibrated hands:sarcastic than the pine or my other cherry (stacked last year). 

Just for fun I checked the 2X6 pine; it had a higher moisture content of 16% which I would consider somewhat close to being accurate considering the humidity. I could bury the pins completely in the soft pine. 

The cherry wood I started drying last year is at 9.5% up one percent from a couple of weeks ago. I could wiggle the pins into full depth in these. That tree was cut 2 years ago and was left on the ground for one year. It also came from the mountains so it is or can be a different cherry.

I believe the lower moisture content to be from *not *inserting the pins to their full dept. I didn't try to drill deeper holes with a smaller bit then try to force the pins in all the way for a reading. *I don't think that drilling a hole with a smaller bit will affect the readings much if any. I would like some feed back from others who use moisture content meters.* 

*The second question can I reuse the same holes.* I would venture to guess the wood surrounding the hole will dry faster and make a lower reading than the actual moisture content.


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## bowdean (May 7, 2014)

Steve, i never used m. Checker, in 27 years in business building custom cabinets. Found out years ago by cutting off a slab of board after checking how the weight of board felt, taking sander and taking sanding dust, putting in my hand and compressed and see how dust stuck together can you feel it. Later bowdean !


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## del schisler (Feb 2, 2006)

dont drill holes the bit may heat the wood up some ?? use some small brad's and hammer them in the same distance the pin's are on the meter , that way all you do is hold the meter pin's to the brad's , i do this, the brads you can leve them in and keep checking a few time's and than move them, all the meter is is a ohm meter and uses reseastance in the wood or moister , take your finger's wet and than touch both pin's and you will see what i mean, it act's the same in the wood


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Steve the boards have to be absorbing water right now. I would say that you need fresh holes each time or do what Del says. I would try to find stainless steel brads if possible. Regular steel brads will corrode after a while and may give a false reading but I don't know far off it might go.


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