On moisture meters

[JacksonCash]

Just got my share of the haul my father in law took in - it all has a while before it dries, and I need to find a way to cut some of the big osage down to more manageable (and quicker drying) pieces. What are the thoughts on moisture meters? Are they a necessity when drying wood like this, or should I go with the "weigh the stave until it stops losing weight" method?

[E. Jensen]

Meter won't make it dry any faster.  I can usually tell by touch if wood is wet or not.  Not accurately mind you, but enough so for our purposes.

[Eric Krewson]

I have a pinless Wagner moisture meter. Pretty expensive but will tell you how wet the center of a piece of wood is not just the surface. I have had mine for 20 years and have had it rebuilt by Wagner lately when it gave up the ghost. A rebuild cost $99.

Do you need one, no, but they sure are handy. There is no telling how many times people gave me "seasoned" wood that I checked with my Wagner and found out it was still green.

I don't use the species scale to get exact reading from my wood. I put my meter on osage I know is well seasoned and use this reading as a base line for all the osage I check.

If you plan to stockpile a lot of wood I would get a moisture meter, if you are looking at making just a few bows I wouldn't spend the money.

[Pat B]

I don't use one either but go by feel and sound; the sound of the tools working the wood and the "ring" of the wood when I thump it on the concrete floor. Plus, it takes me so long to build a bow these days the staves have plenty of time to cure out. 

[PEARL DRUMS]

A seasoned stave can be sopping wet when the humidity is 75% is June. I follow a few basic rules (of my own) when it comes to wood being ready to use.

One: Has to have been cut at least one year prior, no matter the species.
Two: The stave has to be kept in 35% humidity or less for a month or so.

If I can meet both of those criteria its dry enough for me and Ill make a bow.

[Sidewinder]

I've never used one but I can tell you when my osage is ready. It has a somewhat metalic sound to it when you tap a coin on the back. It has no dullness to it. Thats my way of knowing,, but thats just me. I'm with pearlie on the 2yr thing. Thats really a minimum for me. Thats also the advantage of having an annual harvest routine that builds up your stash. Before you know it, you will look up and have a shed full of staves that you need to give away just to make room for more.