New moisture meters from Wagner

Wagner have released a whole new range of MMs called the Orion series.

Wagner guy talking about the new range for a couple of minutes.

They are available here from Kevmor in Perth. The Orion 930 is $561.55 from them which is very competitive with Amazon at USD359. The 930 can take non-invasive readings at ¼" depth or ¾" depth.

Orion 930 Dual Depth.


I have a question about the conversion tables: the specific gravity is used to do what with the reading on the meter? Is the number multiplied or divided by it or something else? Any SG table will no doubt be for timber at (say) 10% moisture content, but should the conversion be for the SG of the timber being read (which could be higher than the 10%MC SG) or does the meter account for that somehow, and the SG of the 10%MC is used?

The SG is usually taken at 12%, some meters may be different but should say so at the top of the table. Once the specific gravity figure has been selected from the table and set on the meter, the meter is placed on the timber and the resulting reading will be the moisture content at that given point in the length of timber, to a depth of the capacity of the meter. In other words the meter does the calcs for you.
Now here's the rub; As the meter is only capable of reading to a certain depth, it is important that that depth be equal to half the thickness of the piece of timber being tested. Case drying is a common problem with timber, particularly hardwoods. A meter that is only capable of say 18mm is not going to give an accurate reading on a 50mm thick slab. My Tramex reads to 38mm which means a slab of 75mm thickness can be read.
But it's not all good news. The ability to read deep also means the unit runs into difficulty on thin material. Therefore, it is necessary to double up timber if the thickness is less than 25mm.
Hope this helps Brett.

Looking at the specs I'd say the 930 is fine if you're just looking to get a general idea of MC in a drying slab for example as it does go to 38mm.

I have looked at these before and would like to buy one, when I get the cash. The only one really worth buying, in my opinion, is the 950 as it's the only one that shows EMC.

Like many people, I don't work in a controlled environment so relative humidity is a large factor when I do certain things. At the moment the RH is good, it's about 60%/50% from morning to afternoon. Sometimes of the year it goes absolutely off it's nut to around 90%/40% or even worse. Those are the days when trying to make some things is like trying to hit a moving target.

One other thing to note is the variability of SG through a single species. I'm pretty sure you'll find that there are some significantly varying numbers depending on where it's from. This of course makes MC calculations unreliable at best,

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Originally Posted by rustynail

In other words the meter does the calcs for you.

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Yes, NCArcher rang me and explained the difference between SG and Density (where I thought they were the same thing). SG remains constant regardless of the moisture content, where the density will vary with moisture (as does the volume of the timber of course). Timber that has SG ~1 will usually have the same density regardless of moisture content, but SG 0.5 timber will have a density change that is quite significant with varying moisture.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rustynail

Now here's the rub; As the meter is only capable of reading to a certain depth, it is important that that depth be equal to half the thickness of the piece of timber being tested. Case drying is a common problem with timber, particularly hardwoods. A meter that is only capable of say 18mm is not going to give an accurate reading on a 50mm thick slab. My Tramex reads to 38mm which means a slab of 75mm thickness can be read.
But it's not all good news. The ability to read deep also means the unit runs into difficulty on thin material. Therefore, it is necessary to double up timber if the thickness is less than 25mm.
Hope this helps Brett.

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Thanks Ken. Sounds like you need a 930 or 40 or 50 :D

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Originally Posted by Feckit

Looking at the specs I'd say the 930 is fine if you're just looking to get a general idea of MC in a drying slab for example as it does go to 38mm.

I have looked at these before and would like to buy one, when I get the cash. The only one really worth buying, in my opinion, is the 950 as it's the only one that shows EMC.

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Thanks Fu Feckit :D

"In ¼” mode the meter will read the moisture content from the surface level down to .25” (6mm). In ¾” mode the meter’s IntelliSense™ technology will be activated and the meter will begin to disregard surface moisture and read deeper moisture content from .75” up to 1.5” (38mm)."

How can it know how thick the timber is I wonder?

Relative humidity up here isn't much of a problem usually. For example I just don't have a rust problem to speak of, even though I have plenty of shiny tool steel unenclosed on the walls. But certainly I take your point.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Feckit

One other thing to note is the variability of SG through a single species. I'm pretty sure you'll find that there are some significantly varying numbers depending on where it's from. This of course makes MC calculations unreliable at best,

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Indeed, and that is the attraction of non-invasive measuring. Several readings can be taken without turning the board into Swiss cheese.

There's a bit of background research going on elsewhere now. Another chap has taken the bit between his teeth and is investigating what he can do with his multi-meter which he suspects can also measure capacitance (non invasive). A couple of experiments to be done.

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I have plenty of shiny tool steel unenclosed on the walls

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I think Monty Python summed that up the best..........:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5i1cJIwE7M

Brett, I think the deeper the penetration the better. Thin boards are easy as they usually dry properly in a given period of time. Unfortunately the same can not be said for thicker material of which the inner workings can be a law unto themselves. It is no trouble to stack a couple of boards if they are too thin for the meter. Thick stuff needs its core read and over a wide area because often the moisture content can vary widely over a large slab. A deep reader is far more versatile than a shallow one.