A wood moisture meter can help you

A wood moisture meter is an essential tool if you are making your own cabinets, furniture, or almost any other woodwork project. Wood that has not been dried correctly can warp or otherwise change its shape, and that is why you must carefully measure the amount of moisture in the wood you are using. Learning a few basic concepts about wood moisture can keep you from making a mistake that might ruin an otherwise perfect project.

Why you should care about wood moisture

If you are a novice woodworker it is entirely possible that you have never considered wood moisture. But wood moisture is one of the most important concepts you can learn before taking on any woodworking projects. When logs are taken from the forest they are typically damp. Processed lumber is usually identified as "kiln dried," which means that it has been, essentially, baked in a large oven to remove moisture after it has been milled.

This process is not perfect, however, and many woodworkers find that even kiln dried lumber contains a large amount of moisture. Many woodworkers also prefer to use green lumber, which they have dried themselves using a home lumber drying rack or shed. In either case, wood moisture can get to be a serious problem and you should try to determine how much moisture is in your lumber before selecting pieces of wood for your projects.

How to measure wood moisture

There are a few different ways how to measure wood moisture. The most common way is to use some form of wood moisture meter. These meters come in a few different styles, but most are based on a pin system that inserts an electrode or other measuring device into the wood.

These meters vary based on features. A digital meter can perform complex calculations, such as averaging 50 or more readings to give an overall moisture rating between 6 and 40 per cent over a large area, while an analog meter will simply give you a good reading in a single spot. If you are dealing with a large scale project like a deck or a whole house, you may want a meter that does most of the work for you, but if you are doing furniture or smaller projects you can probably manage with a less expensive analog wood moisture meter.