What Type of Moisture Meter Should I Purchase For Woodturning?

This question comes up again and again. Somehow when we start turning wood,  we are trained to think we need to either turn dried wood or we need to dry our wood before we turn it. That simply is not true! Furthermore everyone tells us to buy a moisture meter and the problem is solved ….again….not true!

Yet we find ourselves always trying to get the perfect piece of wood to turn and that requires a dry piece of wood. So how do we dry the wood or should we dry the wood before we turn it. That is what moisture meters and scales for measuring water weight will help us figure out.

However it’s a good idea to know what type of wood you are working with and how much moisture it contains. This will help you further process the piece of wood you are turning and how to deal with it. And you might ask yourself …do I want to apply a finish over dry wood or can I apply a finish over wet wood. Those answers will vary and we won’t discuss them here.

So do I really need a moisture meter to ascertain the moisture in the piece of wood I am turning or is this just needless information?

Wet or Dry Wood ….Good Question!

This is always a good question to revisit …especially for all the new woodturners out there.

One of the members over at www.Facebook.com/groups/woodturningbasics asked what type of moisture meter should he purchase. A good question but a question that can only be answered after knowing a few more facts. Such as:

1. Why do you want to know how wet your wood is?
2.What type of project are you going to turn?
3.Do you need dry wood or are you just wanting it dry because that’s what it seems like all woodturners turn ….dry wood?
4. Do you understand that a moisture meter can only give your moisture readings as far as the pins go into the wood ….maybe a little further?

How Should A Moisture Meter Be Used?

When I first started turning I ran into a suggestions for moisture meters and how they should be used. Most said basically stick the pins in the wood and you get the average moisture content of the blank or bowl you have turned.

To some degree that is true but it is only accurate in a limited way. I have purchased at least 3 maybe 4 moisture meters over the last 3 or 4 years ….in fact, I just got a new one Good Moisture Meter. Its good if you want to find out the average moisture in a 3/4 to 1.5″ piece of wood. It will give you a good idea of what the moisture content is.

The most accurate method of measuring moisture in wood is with a scale. First you weigh the piece of wood then you dry it ….whatever method you use…..microwave, bag of shavings, sitting on a shelf, kiln or oven ….after a period of time you weigh it again and the weight loss is water loss. Keep on doing your drying method and weighing for correct moisture content.

Wood Blank Will Acclimate Itself to Existing Humidy Conditions

Keep in mind….if you are drying a piece that started at 24 ounces and you get it to 12 ounces and it stops loosing weight you have a dry piece of wood. However, if you put that piece back up on a shelf before it is finished it will acclimate itself. That is, if will either keep on drying or it will absorb moisture until it comes to equilibrium with current shop or air moisture …..at that point it will gain in weight!

So, in my humble opinion, moisture meters will give you an idea of the general moisture content of the piece of wood or woodturning that you are working with. That’s helpful if you want to further dry the piece after you rough turn it.

I Turn Almost All Green Or Wet Wood

I turn almost all green/wet wood. I check the blank before I turn a bowl to see how wet it is. Then I rough turn it with walls that are at least 1″ thick. I then will check the moisture via moisture meter and then weight it. At this point I will either stick it on a shelf, or in a bag of shavings or dry it further in the microwave……I plan on making a small kiln to slow the drying process …hopefully eliminating some of the cracks and other deformities.

How you deal with moisture in the wood you turn is an ongoing learning experience from many aspects. First is to understand and know how to find out how wet the piece of wood you are turning is.

Sure, you can turn green wood ….set it to dry or finish it. If the project is for you that’s fine but if you intend on giving it away you should know what will happen with the wood if its too wet when you finish it….will it crack, deform or just fall apart. This is something you will have to experience as you learn about the moisture or water that is in the wood you turn!

A digital scale is cheap …here’s the one I use and it works great https://amzn.to/3i4V9df

Here’s a moisture meter that I just got it seems to have a few more features than the others but it can be used to find out if your wood is really wet, average or very dry. https://amzn.to/3fsfFCM