In another thread there was mention of a mositure meter to check the walnut blanks before one buys them.

Are they (the meters) expensive? What brands are available? Who stocks them? How are they used?

The moisture meter I have I got at a safety and supply store set up to cater to construction contractors. I can't recall the brand name but it operates with two prongs out the end of the meter with a digital gauge. Just set the prongs on the surface and touch the red button. Somehow it reads the moisture. I use it mainly to check moisture in concrete and floor surfaces before final coverings. Works on wood as well as other hard surfaces.

Decent moisture meters can be had for $100. If you want scientific accuracy expect to spend $300+.

http://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=553270

I have one from Harbor Freight. It's cheap but at least it's something to go by.

I have about a dozen blanks of Myrtlewood(3) and various Walnut types. Some are 10 years old and some are 2-3 years old. When I got the "fresher" blanks they read about 10-12%. After about 18 months they leveled off. All of them are lower than 8% which is lower than the meter can read.

If you buy wet blanks get a meter and an accurate scale. Take reading on the flats and in the end grain with the meter and weight them and keep a record.

I found a very good scale for about $35.

Rich

One thing to keep in mind is the meters need to be calibrated for each different species of wood. Rich's leveling off method over time is a good way to determine where the wood will settle out to in your specific location. A lot will depend on how new your house is and how much moisture your house holds during the winter. Old house = popcorn fart dry, some new energy efficient houses = mold growing rain forest in the winter time.

Get a Lignomat !. Two settings two lengths of pins and are plenty accurate enough for what your doing .

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