moisture meter -- best at 2 price levels?

[Charlie Plesums]

Think about it, how accurate do you really have to be? Does a couple of percent really matter in most shops? Harbor Freight has this one on sale now for 19.99

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...temnumber=2757

George

I bought one of these, and it gave such inconsistent results, the 50% of the time when it worked at all, that I took it back. All the units on the shelf looked like they had been returned. Maybe my estimate isn't accurate. Maybe I should say the 25% of the time it worked at all.

[James Biddle]

...Particularly on non-standard species...Like say Bradford Pear (just to bring the wood I have into it).

Good point. How do your meters handle the non-standard species? How many of your meters have a chart or setting for Bradford Pear, for example? I'm guessing this is something that separates the better meters from the rest.

[Bob Smalser]

But where would one find the information to compile the charts? Particularly on non-standard species...Like say Bradford Pear (just to bring the wood I have into it).

Go to the USDA Wood Handbook and pick a species of the same specific graviity and type. For example, Pacific Madrone isn't in most charts but is a diffuse-porous species with a specific gravity of .65. American Beech, a diffuse-porous species of SG .64, will give the around the same moisture content readings.

As Bradford Pear apparently hasn't been tested, using apple will be close, and the FPL mentions pear wood in it's tests of apple wood:

http://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/TechSheets.../maluseng.html