The Importance of Exacting Moisture Measurement in Making Musical Instruments

Wood Is Instrumental For centuries, wood has been used to make fine musical instruments. Nothing else matches wood for its sound and beauty. Wood is a living, breathing, organic material that maintains much of its character even after it has been cut, dried and fashioned into a musical instrument. Part of wood’s nature is that […]

Just outside Great Leighs, a remote village in Essex, England, halfway between Chelmsford and Braintree, sits the world’s largest and oldest established company supplying English willow cricket bats. J.S. Wright & Sons Limited, founded in 1894 by Jessie Samuel Wright, is the world’s only supplier of top-grade English willow used by top batsmen worldwide. Surrounded […]

If you are a woodworker, you’ve invested in a number of woodworking tools such as saws, planers, sanders, measuring tools, to name a few, but an accurate, quality moisture meter should be one of the most important tools in your arsenal. You have a substantial investment in high-quality wood, as well your time when you […]

Our Best Wood Moisture Meter If you’re shopping for a moisture meter, there’s a good chance someone told you to consider a Wagner meter. And with good reason. Wagner moisture meters are valued around the world for their exceptional accuracy and reliability. If you surveyed professional woodworkers, furniture makers, musical instrument makers, flooring installers, quality […]

When renowned woodworker Peter Parfitt was six growing up in Bournemouth, an English coastal town, his father gave him a piece of 2×4, a 4” nail, and an old hammer. With that he fashioned a pretend radio . . . beginning a lifelong passion for woodworking. Though his father was a part-time carpenter who gave […]

Anyone who works with wood, whether they’re woodworking professionals, wood flooring installers, furniture or cabinet manufacturers, sellers of building materials, or musical instrument manufacturers to name a few, must know its moisture content. The moisture content of wood is defined as the ratio of the weight of the water in the piece of wood to […]

Meteorologists forecast a massive El Niño weather system will hit California later this year, extending through the Southwest to the Carolinas and parts of the East Coast. This may seem like welcome news for California, especially as it suffers through its worst drought in a millennium, but state emergency officials worry that heavy rains will […]

Not all home inspectors have identical industry knowledge. Credentials and licensing may vary depending on which state you live in, but the recommended tools, moisture meters, supplies, and standards of practice, will help clarify what a home inspector should look for during an inspection. Even though we have tried to provide detail, this article does […]

Being thorough means being prepared. Make sure your building inspector toolkit includes these tools. Building codes and standards are constantly changing. They certainly vary from town to town. Regardless of any specific building code, you need the full scope of the right tools in your building inspection toolkit to get your job done well. Here’s […]

You may be wondering if your home or business has a mold problem. If you already know the building has a mold problem you’ll need to know how to get rid of it and keep it from ever returning. Mold thrives in moist and warm environments which means wet or humid areas are prime locations. […]

Previously, Wagner Meters wrote about the top 40 tools no woodworker should be without. Now, we’re bringing you 10 more essential tools that will help make any job easier, safer, and more efficient. 1. Dust collector Since breathing wood dust is considered a serious health risk, tool manufacturers are introducing affordable dust collectors, cyclones, and […]

Protecting the integrity of the product is a constant concern at any lumber mill. That’s why mill personnel are expected to carefully track wood moisture content and follow dry kiln schedules to the letter. These details require even more attention during transitions between seasons, as temperatures and humidity can vary quickly and unexpectedly, such as […]

Lumber mills turn trees into manufactured wood products. Throughout the process, the moisture content (MC) of the wood is an important factor for producer and end user alike. The lumber manufacturing process generally follows these steps: Head Rig: The primary saw cuts the tree into sawn pieces or boards. Edging: Removes irregular edges and defects from […]

Every trade has its tools, and woodworking is no different. Any craftsman knows that the right tool for the project is critical in manufacturing a quality end product in a timely manner. Here is a tally of the top 40 tools every woodworker should think about owning: What Hand Tools Should Every Woodworker Have? Here […]

When embarking on wood projects, it is important to understand the differences in woodcuts, as well as the criticality of moisture measurement and moisture control in your wood. Regarding the wood grain, any piece of lumber has three surfaces: end grain, edge grain, and face grain. What Is End Grain? End grain is the grain […]

We expect lumber to perform as specified, but the importance of measurement and management of lumber moisture content is seldom understood outside the lumber industry. Sawmills must integrate both strict and continuous assessment of lumber moisture at key phases of the manufacturing process in order to optimize the quality of the lumber. Inadequate management of […]

Wood species fall into two main categories: hardwood and softwood. Then it gets complicated. Builders must assess the woods moisture content (MC) in order to successfully install wood flooring. However, they must adjust or program wood moisture meters for the correct specific gravity setting or species adjustment for the wood species that they are measuring […]

Home lovers’ dreams of oak flooring span generations for good reason. It is gorgeous and strong, especially when it is beautifully finished. There are many types of oak sub-species, but red and white oak are commonly used in American woodworking projects. Wood flooring installation always involves moisture content (MC) measurement and management, because all wood […]

Building projects afford wood lovers an opportunity to exercise their tastes. Douglas-fir is popular for many reasons: strength, durability, and longevity. Whether constructing an outdoor gazebo or installing wood floors indoors, moisture content monitoring and control is crucial to the wood’s health. The Douglas-Fir Tree The Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is also known across various regions […]

#33: The Router. Every woodworker should have a router. With the router, you can shape the edges of your work. The variety of shapes is endless, with the various bits available. If you’re a beginner, a stationary base router will do almost everything you need. This will start and end the cut at the same depth that you set before you make the cut.

A power tool is, technically, anything that requires electrical power to function. Here, we’ll start with the most humble of power tools. The really good stuff comes later.

  CLICK HERE FOR TOOLS 1-10 #11: The Block Plane A block plane is a key to versatility in your woodwork. You can flatten a piece of wood, add a curve to it, or square your work. Shape or chamfer your stock using a block plane. Once you have a piece dovetailed, you can smooth the […]

Whether hiring contractors or installing wood flooring themselves, homeowners must consider measuring the wood’s moisture content (MC) as one of many installation concerns. There are many moisture meters for wood which assess both the surface moisture conditions and the MC inside the wood. A wood’s MC is addressed beginning with the kiln drying manufacturing process […]

To achieve high-quality woodworking, knowledge about wood is a must. Projects can succeed or fail based on which part of a tree is used. In particular, it’s important to know the difference between heartwood and sapwood. The Parts of a Tree Knowing how a tree grows sheds light on which part of a tree is […]

It is a historic era in which individuals tap into a seemingly endless well of information on almost anything of interest. The pickings are a little slimmer for lumber professionals because their business is so technical. However, the concept of lumber moisture is of colossal importance to the lumber manufacturing industry. New Places to Dig […]

The North American pine beetle epidemic has been fed by fires, droughts, storms, and the wind. Norway encountered a similar kind of outbreak in 1969. Ferocious wind storms felled thousands of spruce pine trees in southeastern Norway, while the country simultaneously experienced its hottest, driest summers since 1840. Since the 1990s, the water tables diminished, […]

With continued interest in environmentally friendly products and practices, it should be no surprise that many wood flooring manufacturers are also looking for products and suppliers that meet their customer’s expectations. Understandably, the notion of “green” wood carries several connotations for the woodworking and wood flooring expert. There are different types of eco-friendly products available […]

There are few wood flooring problems more upsetting than cupped floors. Almost all wood floors will experience some contraction and expansion as the seasons change. Cupping of the wood floor can be a natural reaction to these seasonal moisture changes if they occur to a minor extent. If the cupping is more severe, it could indicate […]

Moisture meters should never be used to make the final determination as to whether or not a concrete slab is dry enough for a flooring installation. Here’s why:

Wood projects are as diverse as their builders but some universal truths apply. Your grand vision must be built on strong knowledge of wood species that will be used as well as a clear understanding of the critical role of correct moisture content (MC) in wood. MC and the Surrounding Environment Wood is puzzling. We cut […]

Occasionally, the great are reminded of their humanity. Over two decades ago, Ed Wagner (heir to the Wagner Meters family legacy) figured it was time to spruce up his home entrance way by installing hardwood flooring in whitewashed oak. So begins the precautionary tale of how even the Head Honcho has to deal with moisture […]

A wood hobbyist immerses himself or herself in a world of wood workmanship powered with the skilled use of tools. Which tools are used depends on the woodworking project. Wood hobbyists saw, plane, sand, shape, nail, assemble and finish temperate and exotic wood species to produce almost anything held in the imagination. A good working […]

Now, I get it: my adolescent fantasy of building a rotating wood riser for my drum set would have been a fantastic catastrophe. You see, my dream had absolutely no supporting knowledge of woodwork. In fact, I almost sawed off my fingers in Woodwork 8. There is nothing wrong with dreaming the dream, but I […]

Wooden floors can be as durable as they are beautiful. But there’s a big IF in a statement like that. Wooden floors can be as durable as they are beautiful IF they are installed properly. And any proper installation must begin with an understanding of the continuous relationship between wood and moisture. As a growing […]

When installing wood floors, builders, installers, and DIYers need to consider the different wood finishes that were previously installed or are going to be installed. Flooring finishes are usually oil, water, alcohol, or urethane based. Installing wood floors with healthy and durable finishes also means understanding the moisture interactions between both the floor and the […]

The moisture content of wood flooring can always change over time or with changes in the environment. When working to prevent moisture-related problems with wood flooring, there are multiple layers that can contribute to moisture issues immediately or down the road. Simply acclimating and installing the flooring product itself is only one step in a […]

The range of wood species used for flooring has been increasing far beyond standard domestic Northern Hemisphere softwoods and hardwoods. The choice of species can be motivated by aesthetics, functionality or a sense of environmental responsibility. For the home or business owner, it can seem like a dizzying array of colors, grains, patterns, prices, and […]

How to Calibrate a Moisture Meter Make sure the serial number on your On-Demand Calibrator (ODC) matches the serial number on your meter. Place the ODC on its legs on a non-metallic surface. Turn the meter on, then use the SPECIES/MATERIAL button to put your meter in CAL mode. Place the meter on the ODC, […]

Wood interacts and changes with the relative humidity (RH) changes in its surroundings, so it is wise to continuously measure the moisture content (MC) in wood flooring. Also, it is important to measure the RH during installation and afterward. This way, stakeholders keep an eye on the wood flooring as it reaches its equilibrium moisture […]

Can a Moisture Meter Detect Mold? No, a moisture meter can’t detect mold, but moisture meters can accurately detect moisture pockets which might cause mold growth. By using a pinless moisture meter you can check the surface of the area to identify areas with too much moisture. Moisture meters help detect moisture spots with possible […]