Nobody wants to have cupping or warping in their woodworking projects. One of the best ways to avoid these problems is to make sure that your material is at the correct moisture content when you use it. How to make that happen? A moisture meter.The new MMD7NP meter from General, $49.99, is pinless and, according to General, penetrates to a reading depth of 3/4″. The measuring mode can be switched between hardwood, softwood, drywall, and masonry. The range is 0-53% for softwoods and 0-35% for hardwoods.
While the price on this meter is low, it doesn’t offer the option of setting the readings for specific species, as some other meters do. Additionally, the accuracy, according to General, is +/- 4%, a big swing when you’re looking for readings in an 8% range. This meter, it seems, would be a good economical meter for getting a ballpark idea of moisture readings.
General MMD7NP Moisture Meter www.generaltools.com
(800) 697-8665
What type of moister meter is the best to get considering price. Do all kinds of furniture work from fine furniture to log furniture and cabinets.
Hello Benjamin,
Thank you for contacting us.
There’s a big range in price and quality on moisture meters. I’ll give you a couple options.
Here’s a super high quality, very accurate pinless option that George uses: https://amzn.to/3qt0ccB. It allows you to calibrate based on the actual wood species that are measuring, and it allows you to get a very accurate reading without penetrating into the wood.
Here’s a low cost model that I just bought to test out. It provides two modes; pin or pinless. I use pins on turning blanks that are round, and on rough lumber. I use the pinless mode on wood that is planed. I find it to be useful in letting me know when wood has stabilized. Accuracy isn’t as good as the wood approaches being dry, but at that point I’m more concerned with the relative moisture level, rather than absolute. In other words, I primarily want to know when the wood stops moisture content becomes stable, and only fluctuates slightly with ambient humidity. This unit is acceptable for that. https://amzn.to/2XiqIrB
If you have any other concerns, please contact us at 1-855-253-0822, or chat with us on our site.
We greatly appreciate your business!
Sincerely,
Lindsay
Woodworkers Guild of America Video Membership