Moisture meter question

[petew]

I just got a moisture meter today and it has a range from 6% to 44%. Just turning it on it reads  8%. without the probes contacting anything, is this normal or is it messed up. The stave's I wanted to test showed 16%, so i assume this is still to wet for Hop Hornbeam and Ash.
 Should I be wanting to see about 10% or less for Ash and Hop Hornbeam.?
 I have some Osage that reads 8 to 9% so I will start on it first.

[Pat B]

Pete, you want about 9% to 11%mc for most bow woods except hickory and it likes about 6%. More mc for any wood will result in a sluggish bow and more set. Much less mc would be almost too dry and can cause failure.
  I bought a pin type moisture meter years ago and got rid of it because I never used it. I actually gave(or traded) it to Justin Snyder so he was sure his bow wood wasn't too dry in the arid Utah climate. Now I go by feel, the sound of the tools on the wood and the recovery of the wood used as I build a bow.
  The pin type moisture meters only measure the moisture between the pins so it is only the outer layer of wood.

[ohma]

agree with PatB here i dont trust them  a bit. like said theyre only reading outside wood.

[Del the cat]

Like the guys say, they are of limited use, I bought one just as a check, it's handy now and again, I tended to use it on the off cut wood from the end of a stave if I'm not sure how it's doing or if I was seasoning a stave on a radiator. But now I rely on feel mostly.
I try not to fight the climate too much, and I prbably have a slightly higher moisture content than ideal (Englan id pretty humid generally) but I'd rather have a bit of set than a snapped bow).
The one I had came with a built in calibtation check which gives a defined reading when placed across the pins.
Del

[George Tsoukalas]

Pete, I use my meter all the time right down to the stave's first stringing. When I get a reading I don't want I stop and let it dry.
I want these readings: hickory 6-8%; osage 8-10%, oak, hop hornbeam, ash 8-10% also. Jawge