# My stupid wood is still too high in water content after 2 years !



## davey (Oct 2, 2013)

Humidity is high here in the northeast and it has been uncovered and exposed to the sun minimally.. but still 35% ?


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## Gasifier (Oct 2, 2013)

Where and how are you measuring the moisture content?


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## NYLumberjack914 (Oct 2, 2013)

Where in the northeast


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## Paulywalnut (Oct 2, 2013)

Northeast where? Red oak? will be a challenge. Is it split  and stacked? just checking before
you have a seizure


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## davey (Oct 2, 2013)

Rhode island. I use an inexpensive moisture reader.Got pretty good reviews


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## Auzzie Gumtree (Oct 2, 2013)

i need pictures..... some of mine has low moisture but some in the same row has high but I would have thought after 2 years it would be a lot drier than that.....


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## Hearth Mistress (Oct 2, 2013)

What kind of wood is it? I'm in PA live along a river so we have extra moisture everyday from the morning fog and still don't have anything (other than a few stacks of oak) that have sat 2 years and still that wet. Are you measuring a fresh cut face? My meter was only $25 at lowes and gets the same readings, just about every time compared to my neighbors $80 meter.
Show us your stacks, maybe some of the pros here (not me) can troubleshoot your set up


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## rdust (Oct 2, 2013)

davey said:


> Humidity is high here in the northeast and it has been uncovered and exposed to the sun minimally.. but still 35% ?



Sounds about right from what I've seen if it's oak.  Single rows or multiple rows?


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## gzecc (Oct 2, 2013)

Oak takes for ever to dry, even in single rows in the sun off the ground. Luck if its below 25 after two summers.


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## billb3 (Oct 3, 2013)

I'm a little east of you and find keeping the rain off the stacks helps a little.
Not a fan of tarps lain directly on top though - they are too tight/close.
old sheets of plywood / doors, etc. or pallets on top of stacks for an air gap and then << tarp/plastic sheet


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## blades (Oct 3, 2013)

have had Oak and Hickory take all of 3 + years to get low enough, Even have sugar maple right now that is at 20% and is 2+ years in stacks, granted it is a marginal location though.


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## Jon1270 (Oct 3, 2013)

Is the wood unusually sheltered from the wind, like up against a building?  It will slow the process a lot if air can't move through the stack easily.


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## BillLion (Oct 3, 2013)

That stinks!

I'm also in the Northeast (CT), and no pro, but that does seem high. 

As others have said some details (type of wood, how long it has been split stacked, location, etc.) would be helpful.


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## maple1 (Oct 3, 2013)

Exposure to wind is more important than exposure to sun, for drying times.


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## JP11 (Oct 3, 2013)

take your meter to a indoor lumber yard, or into your basement where there's a 2x4 that you can test.  should be near single digits.

JP


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## Bigg_Redd (Oct 3, 2013)

davey said:


> Humidity is high here in the northeast and it has been uncovered and exposed to the sun minimally.. but still 35% ?




I'm guessing it's just fine.  Have you tried burning any of it yet?


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## gzecc (Oct 3, 2013)

davey said:


> Humidity is high here in the northeast and it has been uncovered and exposed to the sun minimally.. but still 35% ?


 
Has it been two full summers?


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## Lumber-Jack (Oct 3, 2013)

From what I understand about oak drying time, you should think of oak as more of an inheritance for your children rather than a quick fix to your own immediate heating needs.


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## gzecc (Oct 3, 2013)

I don't take oak unless it is literally dropped in my yard already split.


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## Gasifier (Oct 3, 2013)

davey said:


> Rhode island. I use an inexpensive moisture reader.Got pretty good reviews


By where I meant are you measuring the moisture on the outside of the wood? What do you get when you split it open and measure on an inside face?


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## Clyde S. Dale (Oct 3, 2013)

I too live in the northeast.  Seeing this post motivated me to check the moisture of the pin oak I will be burning this winter.  It was c/s/s July 2011 so by the time it hits my stove should be 29-30 months seasoned.  For now call it about 27 months.  Stacked single row facing N-S so it gets the E-W winds we typically have in my area. I took a larger split out of the center of the pile, split it again and took a reading and am below 15%. Give us more info about your stacks/process so we can try and help.


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## gzecc (Oct 3, 2013)

Clyde S. Dale said:


> I too live in the northeast.  Seeing this post motivated me to check the moisture of the pin oak I will be burning this winter.  It was c/s/s July 2011 so by the time it hits my stove should be 29-30 months seasoned.  For now call it about 27 months.  Stacked single row facing N-S so it gets the E-W winds we typically have in my area. I took a larger split out of the center of the pile, split it again and took a reading and am below 15%. Give us more info about your stacks/process so we can try and help.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I think your meter is reading low. I've never had firewood that low. When you put it into your palm what reading do you get. Also check unpainted lumber in framing of your house.


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## USMC80 (Oct 3, 2013)

where i'm at in NJ never had a problem with oak seasoned two years.  Never measured with meter but wood always burnt well


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## gzecc (Oct 3, 2013)

USMC80 said:


> where i'm at in NJ never had a problem with oak seasoned two years.  Never measured with meter but wood always burnt well


 
Now thats classic.


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## Ashful (Oct 3, 2013)

Am I the only one who pushes and wiggles the meter until those probes are buried almost nuts deep?

(hex nuts on the probes, guys...)


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## Woody Stover (Oct 3, 2013)

gzecc said:


> I think your meter is reading low. I've never had firewood that low.


I've gotten readings that low here, some on dead standing wood that I had just bucked. Not a lot, but _some_. I got some BL that was lying on the ground with no bark that read in the 14s. I have the same meter but I think it's reading accurately; Stuff that reads 20-22% hisses a little from the end when thrown on a hot coal bed.


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## BillLion (Oct 3, 2013)

Joful said:


> Am I the only one who pushes and wiggles the meter until those probes are buried almost nuts deep?
> 
> (hex nuts on the probes, guys...)



I used to until I broke it that way and had to replace it!


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## Ashful (Oct 3, 2013)

Well, my usual source for equilibrium moisture content of species by location is down, oddly due to the gub'ment shutdown.  Not sure why they'd go to the effort to pull a site, but that's a topic for the Ash Can.  In any case, here's a similar table, showing that in most northeast states, EMC is 11 - 13%.  That assumes you're storing it in a dry location, exposed to atmosphere but out of the rain and snow, typically taking several years to reach EMC in a firewood stack.


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## USMC80 (Oct 3, 2013)

gzecc said:


> Now thats classic.



Classic?


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## jeff_t (Oct 3, 2013)

A few weeks ago, I checked some red oak that was split and stacked in the wide open, in the spring of '11. A medium sized (4"x6"?) split from the top of the cross stack on the end checked in the low 30s. The same HF meter consistently shows 16-18% on fresh split cherry, that was bucked for a few months. The only thing that really makes sense is standing dead ash and elm, that checks on the low-mid 20s, and dripping wet Siberian elm that shows OL.

I don't put much faith in it. It measures electrical resistance, and that varies between different wood types as much as moisture content. You don't get much for $11.


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## rdust (Oct 3, 2013)

jeff_t said:


> A few weeks ago, I checked some red oak that was split and stacked in the wide open, in the spring of '11. A medium sized (4"x6"?) split from the top of the cross stack on the end checked in the low 30s. The same HF meter consistently shows 16-18% on fresh split cherry, that was bucked for a few months. The only thing that really makes sense is standing dead ash and elm, that checks on the low-mid 20s, and dripping wet Siberian elm that shows OL.
> 
> I don't put much faith in it. It measures electrical resistance, and that varies between different wood types as much as moisture content. You don't get much for $11.



I just check about the same size red oak split a few days ago, cut/split in Nov of 2010 and stack in the spring of 2011.  It was 30% on the button, when I touched it to my check it was still damp so I know it's still holding some moisture.  Have I said before how I hate red oak??


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## PapaDave (Oct 3, 2013)

davey, first off, welcome to the Hearth.
Have you made an attempt to burn any of this yet?
Here in the north of Mi., Oak I have stacked in a field for approx. 2 full years burns w/o issue. I don't know what the MC is, and it doesn't matter, since I don't get any hissing except for an oddball piece.
Plenty of wind and sun whenever it happens to decide to show up seems to work well.
When I had wood stacked in the shade and little wind, the wood didn't do so well.
How big are these splits? Wind is more important, but the combo of wind and sun can't be beat. The proof is in my Oak stacks.
Oh, and since I have room, the first wood I get is Oak for at least 2 years down the road, since it takes that long to dry.


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## Woody Stover (Oct 3, 2013)

Joful said:


> table, showing that in most northeast states, EMC is 11 - 13%.  taking several years to reach EMC in a firewood stack.


Add this to the irony that those who live way up north and need a lot of heat, only have lower-btu woods readily available. 
Here, we see that the best drying locations are inhabited by folks who only burn maybe ten or twenty pieces of wood per year....those living in Phoenix and Las Vegas. 




jeff_t said:


> A few weeks ago, I checked some red oak that was split and stacked in the wide open, in the spring of '11. A medium sized (4"x6"?) split from the top of the cross stack on the end checked in the low 30s. The same HF meter consistently shows 16-18% on fresh split cherry, that was bucked for a few months. The only thing that really makes sense is standing dead ash and elm, that checks on the low-mid 20s, and dripping wet Siberian elm that shows OL.
> 
> I don't put much faith in it. It measures electrical resistance, and that varies between different wood types as much as moisture content. You don't get much for $11.





rdust said:


> I just check about the same size red oak split a few days ago, cut/split in Nov of 2010 and stack in the spring of 2011.  It was 30% on the button, when I touched it to my check it was still damp so I know it's still holding some moisture.  Have I said before how I hate red oak??


The only thing that seems off with jeff_t's readings is the Cherry; Fresh-split reading sub-20%....unless it was dead standing.
The Oak readings both of you guys got were on bigger splits. I've had Red Oak dry in two years but the splits were smaller than 4x6. I'm concerned because some of my Oak is split pretty big, like 8x6. I don't need it this year, but I'm hoping I can use it before _too_ long. It's got two summers so far. Now, I'm splitting Oak smaller since with a cat stove I can cut the air way down.....I don't have to rely on big splits to slow down the burn.


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## davey (Oct 3, 2013)

I have been checking the moisture on fresh splits. I took a reading from some of that kiln dried wood you buy in a store and it measured 20%


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## davey (Oct 3, 2013)

View attachment 113530
View attachment 113531


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## davey (Oct 3, 2013)

sorry the pictures are sidways


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## Ashful (Oct 3, 2013)

davey said:


> I have been checking the moisture on fresh splits. I took a reading from some of that kiln dried wood you buy in a store and it measured 20%


Not sure exactly what you mean by "some of that kiln dried wood you buy in a store," but KD lumber should read 8% - 10%, in most cases.


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## Woody Stover (Oct 4, 2013)

davey said:


> I took a reading from some of that kiln dried wood you buy in a store and it measured 20%





Joful said:


> KD lumber should read 8% - 10%, in most cases.


Yeah, it's possible that your meter is reading high, and the wood is drier than the meter is telling you. I can't tell what species you have there, but do some of the splits feel like they are getting pretty light, compared to when they were first stacked? You might be OK to burn some of that this winter. All you can do is toss a piece on a hot coal bed and see what happens....
That said, it looks like the wood is jammed in there pretty tight, with some rows perpendicular to others. Hard to tell but there might be many rows stacked parallel to each other, as well. I may be wrong but it looks from those pics that the air circulation might not be too good through the stacks.


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## oldspark (Oct 4, 2013)

Once again a MM seems to give some one problems 35% unless stored in a root cellar is too high for 2 years as Clyde showed.


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## oldspark (Oct 4, 2013)

Joful said:


> Am I the only one who pushes and wiggles the meter until those probes are buried almost nuts deep?
> 
> (hex nuts on the probes, guys...)


 
I dont have to do that al all, just firmly stick it in the wood, I can not get my cheap HF MM to do any thing weird at all and believe me I have read all sorts of wood in different stages of drying.
Guys not sure where the fable of Oak taking forever to dry came from, if stacked correctly 2 flull summers should get it dry unless you live in the rain forrest.


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## Dad the Handyman (Oct 4, 2013)

oldspark said:


> Guys not sure where the fable of Oak taking forever to dry came from, if stacked correctly 2 flull summers should get it dry unless you live in the rain forrest.


I have had a few years where I didn't do a great job in the previous year and had to use wood cut last fall this year.   I cut off all the bark, cut the wood (almost all oak in my woods) into small pieces, stack it cross-sectioned with plenty of air, and only cover the top with few inches over hanging tarp.   Uncover when rain isn't coming for a while, but that is a risk of course.    This has definitely gotten the wood bone dry by winter.   In extreme cases, where I didn't want to buy another cord I would stack it like that in my basement, where I have a de-humidifier running.    It's work, but it sure beat paying for more wood those years. At least to me.


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## oldspark (Oct 4, 2013)

Dad the Handyman said:


> I have had a few years where I didn't do a great job in the previous year and had to use wood cut last fall this year.   I cut off all the bark, cut the wood (almost all oak in my woods) into small pieces, stack it cross-sectioned with plenty of air, and only cover the top with few inches over hanging tarp.   Uncover when rain isn't coming for a while, but that is a risk of course.    This has definitely gotten the wood bone dry by winter.   In extreme cases, where I didn't want to buy another cord I would stack it like that in my basement, where I have a de-humidifier running.    It's work, but it sure beat paying for more wood those years. At least to me.


 
Welcome to the forum, sounds like you have it figured out, many ways to speed up the process, much better to put in a little more time and effort in drying the wood instead of fighting wet wood all winter.


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## maple1 (Oct 4, 2013)

oldspark said:


> Welcome to the forum, sounds like you have it figured out, many ways to speed up the process, much better to put in a little more time and effort in drying the wood instead of fighting wet wood all winter.


 
If there are ways to speed it up, there are also ways to slow it down. Hence no uniform amount of drying time is applicable - and it is quite possible that after two years it could still be at 35%, or at least some of it, especially if it's oak & piled like what it appears to be in the pics above (tight, no sun exposure, and sheltered from the wind).


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## oldspark (Oct 4, 2013)

maple1 said:


> If there are ways to speed it up, there are also ways to slow it down. Hence no uniform amount of drying time is applicable - and it is quite possible that after two years it could still be at 35%, or at least some of it, especially if it's oak & piled like what it appears to be in the pics above (tight, no sun exposure, and sheltered from the wind).


 
Exactly, good drying times are when you do things right, the pictures were not there before, sure it could be 35% or more or he could be not using the
MM correctly which happens all the time on this forum.
Have been stating for the last several years you can not put a time frame on drying wood do to the varibles.
Dont think I ever said it could not be 35% after 2 years unless poor drying practices were used.


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## Woody Stover (Oct 4, 2013)

oldspark said:


> not sure where the fable of Oak taking forever to dry came from


That fable didn't come from NW IA, where you have some of the highest average wind speeds in the US.


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## oldspark (Oct 4, 2013)

Woody Stover said:


> That fable didn't come from NW IA, where you have some of the highest average wind speeds in the US.
> 
> 
> View attachment 113588


 
My wood is blocked from some of the wind due to a new building I put up so not sure how much wind I get on my wood now, just a few years ago many on this forum talked about how long it took to dry wood but no one said much about how they stacked it or where it was stacked, a few who said it took at least 3 years to dry Oak had their wood stacked in cubes.
Wind is good but so is single rows stacked in the sun, no need to shoot your self in the foot when it comes to drying wood.


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## Ashful (Oct 4, 2013)

oldspark said:


> Guys not sure where the fable of Oak taking forever to dry came from, if stacked correctly 2 flull summers should get it dry unless you live in the rain forrest.


I think the assumed authority on this is Backwoods Savage, who has been splitting and burning oak longer than I have been alive.  For the record, I have seen him state, "2 - 3 years for oak," more times than I can count.  Your statement of 2 full summers sort of fits within his recommendation, and I believe this is the advice I have seen others repeat.


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## oldspark (Oct 4, 2013)

Joful said:


> I think the assumed authority on this is Backwoods Savage, who has been splitting and burning oak longer than I have been alive.  For the record, I have seen him state, "2 - 3 years for oak," more times than I can count.  Your statement of 2 full summers sort of fits within his recommendation, and I believe this is the advice I have seen others repeat.


 
With all due respect to BWS, I have probably burnt way more Oak them him, for a little over 30 years it was 90% of what I burnt, he has stated he only burns a small amount, 2 full summers can only be 18 months, he stacks his wood in cubes and Scotty who stated the same thing actually stacked is wood in multiple rows more so then BWS.
Some areas may take 2 to 3 years but if not stacked in single rows in an open area your information is skewed.


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## Ashful (Oct 4, 2013)

I stack in double rows ("dubbel", for you Belgian beer nuts), due to space and layout constraints.  I have also had more trouble with stability in single row stacks.  I have budgeted 2 years in the stack for most of my oak, and my stacks are not covered until August of the year I plan to burn them.  It will be interesting to see how it does.


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## maple1 (Oct 4, 2013)

I don't burn any oak, and stack in double rows.

But I do burn hard maple, and stack off the ground on a windy exposed hilltop. I have been able to get my wood dry enough with one full year of seasoning. I did some dripping wet white birch this spring that has been sitting stacked like that for about 4 months, it's ready to burn.

Lots of variables in this process, and no blanket statements are applicable. 


EDIT: Kinda funny what the board comes up with when you mis-spell a word & turn it into a 'bad' one, oops....


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## weatherguy (Oct 4, 2013)

I think your MM is off, the store bought kiln dried should be about 10 points lower so I'm betting the wood your measuring is actually 20-25%.


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## oldspark (Oct 4, 2013)

weatherguy said:


> I think your MM is off, the store bought kiln dried should be about 10 points lower so I'm betting the wood your measuring is actually 20-25%.


 
What did I miss, who has the kiln dried wood reading high.


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## davey (Oct 5, 2013)

Here are the pictures right side up


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## oldspark (Oct 5, 2013)

davey-drying wood is a straight forward procedure, single rows in an open area is the best way to stack it, here in Iowa I dont have to top cover but thats up to you, I do belive single rows dont need to be covered as much as multiple rows, moisture gets inbetween the rows and takes longer to dry due to lack of air movement.


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## Ashful (Oct 6, 2013)

oldspark said:


> I do belive single rows dont need to be covered as much as multiple rows, moisture gets inbetween the rows and takes longer to dry due to lack of air movement.


I think you're onto something there, oldspark.  Perhaps this is the key factor in so many of our dead-horse debates.


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## Ram 1500 with an axe... (Oct 6, 2013)

Well the wood definitely looks seasoned, so I would suggest that you sift through it all and do a lot of testing, some of it has to be ready to go, then I would restack  it all properly..... You got your work cut out for you but do it now, sooner than later. Also while your doing that, re split the bigger ones, that will help also for the future


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## basod (Oct 6, 2013)

Davey appears from the pictures this is a damp area - neighbor's roof has a good bit of moss.

The "stacks" as they sit now are more piles and are not going to dry very effectively.  It's hard to judge the amount of space you have and the layout/access points from the pictures.
If your stacking skills aren't there yet you may be best served by building a couple wood racks from some 2x4's and getting all the shorter stacks neatly spaced and about 5-6' high.
The lower parts of stacks will always be a bit more damp, and that's basically what you have now - a bunch of lower stacks in varying degrees of incompletion


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## Woody Stover (Oct 6, 2013)

oldspark said:


> What did I miss, who has the kiln dried wood reading high.


Post #34.


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## oldspark (Oct 6, 2013)

Woody Stover said:


> Post #34.


OK thanks missed it twice, well his MM might be wrong but no guarantees with kiln dried wood, the fact that it reads lower then his own wood might indicate he is getting good readings.


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## jharkin (Oct 15, 2013)

If he is reading the outside of kd lumber and it got wet recently it could be off....


Other thought for the OP is that most meters are calibrated for Doug Fir and you need a conversion chart to figure the actual moisture - many high density hardwoods will be lower than the meter reading says.  Had some locust that read 23 on the meter, and the table tells me that's actually 19.


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## oldspark (Oct 15, 2013)

"I have been checking the moisture on fresh splits. I took a reading from some of that kiln dried wood you buy in a store and it measured 20%"


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