Harbor Freight Moisture Meter

[Circle B MN]

Sorry to bring this one up again, but on a whim I ordered a moisture meter from Harbor Freight. The result of my $20 investment is that I have confirmed the suspicion <sp?> that I do in fact know what seasoned wood looks like. Checked ends, sun fade, darkening,..yep it's seasoned, 20% moisture content or less measured dead center of a freshly split piece... Neat "tool", at best and perhaps something to wow a customer with if need be.

Thank you for your time..

 

[CWME]

Glad it works for you I have not had much luck with the stuff I have ordered from HF. Happy for you though!

 

[Circle B MN]

Glad it works for you I have not had much luck with the stuff I have ordered from HF. Happy for you though!

I have only had a day. Given to country of manufacture, I'm not counting on it lasting too awful long.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I have only had a day. Given to country of manufacture, I'm not counting on it lasting too awful long.

And it won't. I bought one years ago for kicks and giggles-it lasted about 10 days before one of the pins broke. Oh well, it was only $ 20, although a wasted $ 20....

 

[CWME]

Well if it only lasts you a little while it gave you the answer you were looking for. "Is my wood really dry?"

 

[Streblerm]

It is amazing to me how people will bash a brand. What do people want from a $20 moisture meter? I think mine was only $15 in the store. You can't expect it to work like a unit costing 10X as much. If it only works 20% as well as the better unit, you still come out ahead. To me, this is the perfect tool to buy from HF because you will likely only use it a few times.

I've had one for a year. Yes, the tips of one of the pins broke on mine. I don't think it was because of bad materials, it was because I rocked the tool getting it out of some wood. It was easy to sharpen them. Now I don't rock the meter getting it out, nor do I try to push it 1/2" into the wood.

The cover design isn't great. As often as I use it, I usually manage to pull the battery cover off instead of the pin cover.

Mine has worked fine for the past year. Was it totally necessary? No. It was nice to confirm what I already knew dry wood was. It is also interesting to quantitatively watch wood dry.

It measures consistently. If you measure the center of a freshly cut/split piece, and you get repeatable results, it seems like it works to me.

 

[makomakoman]

Hey MN

If you can, tell me what the % moisture is in a green piece of red oak (assuming you have some..)

thanks

 

[Torin]

I have one as well, it's OK. I think it's fairly accurate, judging by cross checking various pieces. For the $, it does what it is supposed to.

 

[bsearcey]

Hey MN

If you can, tell me what the % moisture is in a green piece of red oak (assuming you have some..)

thanks

The HF moisture meters only go up so far. I think if the wood is over 40% it just displays "OL". At least mine does. All my green red oak display OL on a fresh cut.

 

[Circle B MN]

OK, so as to add some real content to this thread, I have come up with a bit of an experiment. I plan to take the HF meter and measure the moisture content of a piece of wood, then take my Fluke digital multimeter and measuer the resistance in the same points. After several samplings I'll see if I can relate Ohm's to percent of moisture. If you already tried this and found it not to work, please keep it to your self for a day or two as I feel half way intelligent at the moment, and the Mrs thinks I am doing something productive....:greenchainsaw:

 

[shepardman]

I have one as well, it's OK. I think it's fairly accurate, judging by cross checking various pieces. For the $, it does what it is supposed to.

Same here. Ya know it's prob. not gonna last, but ya know also that it'll be w/ya longer w/care. Beats paying 200 bucks. I mean we sorta already know when wood is getting there right! Nother fun toy and nice to be able to only pay 20 bucks. Kinda like my Rem. 12" lectric saw which i got 4 yrs outta which was prob. cuz I kept it clean n sharp and used it way it was sposed to be used.

 

[WoodchuckVT]

Try this!

OK, so as to add some real content to this thread, I have come up with a bit of an experiment. I plan to take the HF meter and measure the moisture content of a piece of wood, then take my Fluke digital multimeter and measuer the resistance in the same points. After several samplings I'll see if I can relate Ohm's to percent of moisture. If you already tried this and found it not to work, please keep it to your self for a day or two as I feel half way intelligent at the moment, and the Mrs thinks I am doing something productive....:greenchainsaw:

I have been using my multimeter for the last 4 years. If it did not work for you, try this: set your meter to auto range on the ohm scale. take a known, dry, piece of firewood and measure the continuity with a lead at each end of the piece. It should read OL{the opposite of the wood meter], or a very high kilo ohm reading. Now take a green piece and do the same. Experiment and record readings. IMO a wood meter is a waste of money no mater how expensive. To prove my point, take a known, dry, piece, and put one end in a pan of water{like it had been rained on , on just that end, or both ends if you really want to prove a point. Now measure that end, or both ends, if you wet both, with a wood meter. Then measure Both Ends with the multimeter. I think you will "get the point"! LOL Have Fun, Cut Wood!!
VT. Woodchunk

 

[Wood Doctor]

Should I get one?

That HF moisture meter is available locally for less an $15. If you say it works, I'll get one.

I ran across 400 bd ft of red oak from a saw mill that I am air drying on stickers. It's all cut about 1-3/4" thick or more in 8' lengths, random width. I need to check on it occasionally.

Green light on the meter purchase? Heckuva price.

 

[Circle B MN]

For the price, I would buy another. It's cheap entertainment and seems to work with some bit of accuracy.

 

[Torin]

For the price, I would buy another. It's cheap entertainment and seems to work with some bit of accuracy.

:agree2:

 

[logbutcher]

I have been using my multimeter for the last 4 years. If it did not work for you, try this: set your meter to auto range on the ohm scale. take a known, dry, piece of firewood and measure the continuity with a lead at each end of the piece. It should read OL{the opposite of the wood meter], or a very high kilo ohm reading. Now take a green piece and do the same. Experiment and record readings. IMO a wood meter is a waste of money no mater how expensive. To prove my point, take a known, dry, piece, and put one end in a pan of water{like it had been rained on , on just that end, or both ends if you really want to prove a point. Now measure that end, or both ends, if you wet both, with a wood meter. Then measure Both Ends with the multimeter. I think you will "get the point"! LOL Have Fun, Cut Wood!!
VT. Woodchunk

For the price, I would buy another. It's cheap entertainment and seems to work with some bit of accuracy.

The M² is as said: useful as a Man's T#@. Fun, gives you soemthing to do, entertains, useless for firewood. This is an official whine.

 

[Coldfront]

I have been using my multimeter for the last 4 years. If it did not work for you, try this: set your meter to auto range on the ohm scale. take a known, dry, piece of firewood and measure the continuity with a lead at each end of the piece. It should read OL{the opposite of the wood meter], or a very high kilo ohm reading. Now take a green piece and do the same. Experiment and record readings. IMO a wood meter is a waste of money no mater how expensive. To prove my point, take a known, dry, piece, and put one end in a pan of water{like it had been rained on , on just that end, or both ends if you really want to prove a point. Now measure that end, or both ends, if you wet both, with a wood meter. Then measure Both Ends with the multimeter. I think you will "get the point"! LOL Have Fun, Cut Wood!!
VT. Woodchunk

I have a good multi meter and never thought of trying this, you say put one probe on each end of the wood? but the moister meters have both probes going into the same end? And what ohm setting? Mine has 2000K, 200K, 20K, and 2000, 200. What setting should I try?

 

[Wood Doctor]

I have a good multi meter and never thought of trying this, you say put one probe on each end of the wood? but the moister meters have both probes going into the same end? And what ohm setting? Mine has 2000K, 200K, 20K, and 2000, 200. What setting should I try?

I've never tried this, but I suspect the ohm setting may likely be as high as you can get it--VT Woodchuck said, "... or a very high kilo ohm reading..". Water and wood fibers are both lousy conductors of electricity so the resistance will be very high, but air is a worse conductor than both. Raise the setting up until you eventually get a reading of some sort with the green log. The greater the water content, the lower the resistance.

Log length and species density may impact the actual reading, but it is an interesting thought to experiment with. Using the dead dry log and the freshly cut green log as opposite reference points sets the ends of the scale. You should also get lower resistance near the center of the log than at the outer sapwood because the log tends to dry from the outside inward.

 

[danrclem]

I'd like to see someone check a good moisture meter against and ohm meter. I can't really justify buying a moisture meter but I've already got a multi-meter. It could possibly be killing two birds with one stone for a person who didn't have either.

Good thinking MNGuns. I never thought about the possibility of a moisture meter just measuring resistance but I bet that you're on the right track.

 

[Circle B MN]

I'll try to conduct a proper experiment this weekend to include pics, beer allowing.....