Listen to what Jim just posted here… If you can get your MC level below 10% you are golden. In Oregon here all my lumber stays about 12% due to the climate. Sometimes in summer month it will drop lower. But…. I can buy bone dry wood from a kiln at 8-9% MC level, and let it set in the shop for two weeks, and the MC level will come up on the surface right back to 12%.
I can build bows just fine with 12% MC levels and they won’t move at all if they stay in this climate… now ship one to Nevada, Utah, New Mexico… etc..etc… and you are going to have issues with the wood shrinking. If you are using composites for accent lines, or G-10. That can be a nightmare.
Bottom line is getting your finished product MC levels .low enough before you finish it or it will come back to haunt you. Pretty tough to do that without a moisture meter.