Thread: Moisture meter settings for Australian timbers

You can only get accurate values by calibration of your meter by an absolute weight/oven drying method.

Reasonable figures can be obtained from calibration tables for specific meters if they are available, you used to have to buy them.

Using density is an even rougher method and what you will find is that non of those mentioned in your A B C D List will be dense enough for the denser Aussie hardwoods especially the acacias..

Dry Messmate is not that Dense (dry it is ~750 kg/m^3 CF Spotted gun ~970 kg/m^3) and it looks like List A has the denser woods on it but it probably still doesn't cover Messmate accurately.

Redgum is a fairly general tree name - can you be more specific?

You can look up all the densities you like on this website.

Aromatic Red Cedar | The Wood Database - Lumber Identification (Softwood)

But I dont want to be all that accurate. Is it good enough to set it on A and check it is below 15%?

Originally Posted by DaveVman

But I dont want to be all that accurate. Is it good enough to set it on A and check it is below 15%?

Dave, density is about the least reliable guide to where a wood will fit in the conductivity vs MC scale. Just look at line A in your list - it includes Afrormosia, which is moderately dense at ~.75, & cork, which is probably less dense than Balsa! Without going to a lot of fuss to calibrate your meter accurately, you could make yourself a rough & ready scale for the woods that you are most likely going to measure. Get a few samples of each, let them sit for a while to equilibrate, which in Brisbane will be around the 12% mark, then take a number of readings of each & see what your meter tells you. Use those readings as your guide when testing a new sample of the same woods.

But if you don't want your meter to be accurate, it rather begs the question of what use it is at all? With a bit of practice & familiarilty with a species, you can guess the MC to +/- 5%.......

Cheers,

Forgive me for my odd response earlier. I meant I want something easy.