Any one have the 'Timber Check' moisture meter sold by LV and, if so do you recommend it? Any limitations or bugs? Also, how useful is such a meter to woodturners? I've been getting along without one for quite some time and I'm not entirely convinced I should spend my Christmas gift certificate on the meter or something else.
HF sells a meter, similar in design but for far less $$. I wonder how the two compare in utility or would it be a matter of getting what you pay for??
Thanks, Tom
Tom,
I don't own one. I understand that they do a good job of reporting on the moisture at the center of a 3/4" piece of wood, when used on the face of the wood.
Change the thickness, and/or the grain direction and they aren't very accurate.
I will be interested to see what some of the owners have to say.
Old Guy
Not very. Our stuff is in small enough pieces that we can determine equilibrium with the environment by weighing it. Today same as last Wednesday is as good as things are likely to get.
Note they don't use it on endgrain, which is what's presented on the majority of the surfaces of your turning, which sort of limits you to the outside long grain edges or the very bottom where there's enough long grain uninterrupted by the curve you cut. Going to give you readings over the average for the piece there.
I've played around with both of the Lee Valley Moisture meters, they offer a specific moisture content and offer it up as a percentage. One works with a set of pins, those pins do break from time to time. The other works by simply sitting on the surface of the wood, you program in the species, and it provides results. Neither are what I would call cheap. I bought something similar to the pin version for less than one tenth the price, for a turner close enough is good enough.
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