# How to tell if wood is dry enough.



## Maverick44spec (Aug 7, 2011)

I recently ordered a piece of Claro Walnut, and when I got it, it had a note attached saying that it may still be green, and may need to be seasoned.

How can I figure out how wet it is? I know there is a meter I could get (if home depot sells them, otherwise I'd have to order one), but I would prefer not getting something I wouldn't use much. Is there like an old trick to doing this?

The wood is about 6"x6"x2" and it doesn't feel or look wet at all.

Thanks


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

Hold it against the tender skin on your forearm. If it
feels cold, it's above 7%.

Are you going to turn it?


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## Maverick44spec (Aug 7, 2011)

It fills slightly cold, but that may be because it's really cool in here. 

I was going to use half of it to fix the tip of an old gun stock. The other half will probably be used for pens.


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## Maverick44spec (Aug 7, 2011)

Ok, I compared the temp to a few other things. I'd say it's about room temp.


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

You'll probably be ok. The main issues are movement,
splitting, and shrinkage. These are mostly issues with
larger boards because if the board twists a lot or splits
after it's built into a piece, that's a real pain to fix.


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## Drew224 (Jan 16, 2012)

There was a trick using a voltage meter. but I cannot find that article.
Honestly, having a moister meter is a very good investment regardless.
if you can cut a 1/4 inch off the long grain side the whole length. 
Weigh it then double check the thickness, width and length.. *WRITE DOWN* that information.
set it outside in the sun for the day. then weigh and measure it all over again. 
IF you find that it has gotten thinner or narrower by a 1/32" or more, and you have lost roughly 5 to 10% of it's earlier weight.. you have a wet piece of wood. 
Whom did you purchase this from? IF it was from Cook Woods, you can bet it is between 15 to 20% moisture.


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## Kreegan (Jul 10, 2012)

If it feels noticeably cooler than the ambient temperature, then it's still wet. I just use a little kitchen scale and weigh the wood, write the weight on it, then let it sit a month or three. When the weight hasn't changed since the last time you weighed, it's ready to work.


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## Biff (Nov 19, 2012)

Buy a moisture meter. You can find them at Harbor Freight and maybe even the box stores. In fact, just got my latest Woodcraft sale flyer and they have the General one on sale for $19.99

I would question a wood dealer that sends you green wood without you knowing first!


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

You can cut off a piece, weigh it, then bake it in
an oven for awhile and reweigh. You might have
to dust off your algebra skills to figure out how
much moisture the unbaked piece has in it.


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## bold1 (May 5, 2013)

Cut off a small piece including the thickest part of the piece. Weight the piece you cut. Place piece in oven at approx. 100 deg. F. weight every 2 hr. When weight stops going down piece is dry. Moisture in percentage is equal to the weight of the water(what you lost) divided by the weight of the now dry sample times 100. On a piece this thick I'd also go with a prong test moisture meter for a center reading. Sometimes the outside is dry but the center still is high enough to cause problems when milled.


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## Maverick44spec (Aug 7, 2011)

Thanks for the advice guys. It looks like the wood is pretty much dry, but I'm going to let it sit in the shop a while just in case.


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