What's a good moisture meter?

[Crittergetter]

I need a recommendation for a good moisture meter. I've got a piece of Koa I bought about 8 months ago (maybe longer)  that was supposed to be around 14% at the time. It's been laying under my bed since then. I have a hankering to use it in my next bow for me.
So what do y'all recommend?

[Bowjunkie]

I have a pinless meter that I got 15 years or so ago that still works good. I don't want to poke holes in my bow wood. A quick search on the big auction site shows the new ones can be had in combo pinned/pinless versions, with thermometer and hygrometer too, for less than what I paid for mine.

[Crittergetter]

Cool deal, just didn't know what brands to look for or more importantly which ones to stay away from. Thx!!!

[Bowjunkie]

Sorry i wasn't more help. Others may be along with more specific advice of the brands and models currently available. I just don't have experience with them.

[Roy from Pa]

If I had all your money, I would buy this one. Don't worry about the pins poken holes in your wood, that's what glue is for..  )

 http://www.3riversarchery.com/ligno-moisture-meter-bow-building-tool.html

[bigbob2]

I bought an El cheapo model with pins and it gives the bench top as over 15%.Just about everything else in my workshop as well!!Here's a relevant question,if wood dries [lets say] at 1'' thickness per year, would that mean a 2'' thick slab would take one year or two? My thinking is it would dry from both sides so the middle should be dry within the nominated year?

[Crittergetter]

Jeff you did help, you gave me a starting point on what to look for.
Dang it Bob, now you got me thinking, and that's dangerous!

[George Tsoukalas]

I bought a Mini Ligno. I keep using it right until I string the bow so the holes don;t matter. If I get a reading I don't like I stop and let the wood dry.

I like 8-10% for most woods and 6-8% for hickory.

Jawge

[bigbob2]

any comments on my thoughts about drying time? I still think a 2'' thick slab should dry in one year if it dries equally from each side?

[Roy from Pa]

The top will dry quicker. Air rises ya know, Bobby. 2" thick, heck cut it down to 1" thick, it will dry in a year or less... You from Australia-E or somepen?  

[bigbob2]

Yeah well I planned on flipping plank every so often what then? LOL. Yup live in the land of opportunity and all that's good!! Suffer!!!      

[BigJim]

A little info on moisture meters....They are only as good as the person using them.
Also money saved is money lost.

If you think for a minute at all the different types of wood that you may want to use in building a bow and how different that each of these are in density that a single non adjustable moisture meter will be able to give you an accurate reading on them. Oh, it may work on some but which ones?

There is adjustable density numbers for each species (Most all species) and if your reader has flexibility to be set to these different numbers, you are somewhat further along.
I have a mini ligno DX and it has 20 different settings. They have meters out there that are even more sofisitcated but even with a good reading, you will only know the actual mc at the depth of the probes or about 1/4" for the pinless meters.
The core will almost always be a percent or more wetter than the outside.
The rate at which wood dries is completely dependent on its enviroment. Is it stored outside with no airflow but under a shed? does it have ample airflow...big difference.
stored in closed building but no airflow?
stored in climate controlled building? add more airflow and it will dry even quicker.
Dry too quick and it may check or crack badly.

There are many ways of expediting wood drying, but it can be expensive if you don't know what you are doing.
If you have an adjustable moisture meter and it is set on the number for Koa. Probe it in an inconspicuous place...there's so much waste in a riser block and I've never had an issue with probe marks.
If the moisture is good on the outside...not barely but in the range, I would make the deepest cut that you can in that block. Surely you aren't going to leave it completely whole?
Now probe it again and if it is good on mc, build a bow. If not, put it back in a climate controlled place or microwave it to get it ready to use...better read up on the microwave thing first before you burn down your house  
BigJIm

[BigJim]

By the way, my experience says pinless is not as accurate is the pin type and none are accurate until you learn how to use them.

BigJIm

[kennym]

I think I read in mini lingo literature(or somewhere) that pinless is not as accurate too, Jim.

[BigJim]

General consensus on air drying hardwood is 1 year per inch plus a year. So it could take 3 years to dry.
Understanding that a 1" piece dries from both sides as does a 2". Also, air dry where?Georgia,  Arizona?  In a stack out by the fence or a shed with little air movement.
This is like trying to use a arrow spine calculator for trad bows. It's bound to be correct ocasionally.
If you wing it and think, "well, it's got to be close enough cause the meter says 9%". How far off could it be?
Well, I can't give you exact perameters, but by just changing the settings on my meter from 1 to 20 and measuring on each setting, I came up with a varieties of 6% on one piece of wood.
Now if your wood measures 8 and it's really 11-14, your likely to experience problems.
Just sayin.
BigJim

[Eric Krewson]

I have a Wagner pinless I bought about 20 years ago. I don't use the scale for different woods, I put the meter on osage I know is well seasoned and use that reading for my baseline, same with hickory.

I only want to know three things when I use my meter; is the wood off the scale green, is the wood below 16% so I can force dry it in my drying box without it checking and when the wood reaches ambient MC for my area which is 12%.

My pinless meter answers these questions quite well.

I paid a couple hundred bucks for my meter 20 years ago, had it rebuilt by Wagner when it gave up the ghost a couple years ago, the cost of the rebuild was $99. You can occasionally pick this model up on the auction site for $50-$75.