Moisture meters

[Harry Niemann]

Anyone know of a good low cost moisture meter?

[Ron Bontz]

I am not sure about low cost but I have a Delmhorst J2000. It was certainly worth the cost to me. Good luck.

[Dan Hintz]

If you want a cheap pin meter... Woodcraft (or is it Rockler?) has a couple.

[fred klotz]

I've had a MiniLigno, pin type, for over 10 years that I'm quite happy with

[james gerus]

Amazon has a General Tools MMD4E moisture meter for about $33.00. Jim Gerus

[Danny Hamsley]

I would not waste money buying a cheap one. With moisture meters, quality is important. You will probably spend about $150 or more to get a decent one. I have a Wagner pinless that works great, but it costs over $400. Since I saw and dry lumber, a good meter is invaluable.

[Tony Bilello]

I dont own a moisture meter but I can tell you this - generally speaking 'good' and 'low cost' rarely ever belong in the same sentence.

[Lee Koepke]

Noted.
Is there a 'decent' lower cost one that would be recommended to a hobbyist woodworker that typically would like to verify moisture content in say .... roughed out bowl blanks to get a general idea of its state of dryness?

[Jim Davenport]

Take a look at harbor Freight #67143. It's only about twelve bucks. We compared it to my buddies high dollar one, they both read the same on some oak, and maple stored in my garage.

[Michael Schneider]

Anyone know of a good low cost moisture meter?

If you want to try a cheap meter before you lay out the cash, take a look at the bottom of this article. The author explains how to make a wood moisture from a cheap ohm meter.

He also covers how to adjust for different wood species. I built an similar one from some instructions posted on a news group several years ago. The article has much better pictures :-)

These ohm meters can be picked up at HF for <$5, or you may have one laying around the house.

If nothing else, you will learn what goes into a good meter, and that may help you decide how much money to spend on a meter.

Have fun and good luck

http://woodgears.ca/lumber/moisture_meter.html

Michael

[Jim King]

My first one several years ago cost $2,000 and weighed about 10 pounds. I now have 11 at the mill , the last one cost $49 and they all read the same ¿¿