Greg Dahl at Fusion Flatworks Doesn’t Go Without a Moisture Meter

“This thing saved me thousands and thousands of dollars!”

That’s what Greg Dahl said as he pointed to his pinless wood moisture meter. It’s an essential item in his tool belt.

Greg owns Dahl Corp, which includes two wood businesses: Oregon Burls and Fusion Flatworks.

Oregon Burls sells raw wood to woodworkers and is known as the “prime lumber hotspot” in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Fusion Flatworks is Greg’s business for creating finished products with burl wood and epoxy. He and his team make custom countertops, tables, and other heirlooms, all of which he calls “functional artwork.”

Because of his passion for burl wood, Greg earned a reputation as the “Burl Hunter” and was even featured on the National Geographic series “Filthy Riches.”

Above all, Greg is known for top-notch work and high-quality products. He puts 110% into everything he does, and it shows in his products and his reputation as a woodworker.

That’s where moisture measurement comes in.

Here’s why moisture testing matters so much to Greg’s work, and why Wagner’s Orion^® 950 is his meter of choice.

Why Moisture Testing Matters at Fusion Flatworks

In Greg’s work, knowing the moisture content of the wood is crucial to preventing damage to the finished product. Epoxy is a major part of what he and his team make, and excess moisture is epoxy’s enemy.

Greg explains that “if there’s any kind of humidity to a certain level, epoxy doesn’t work. It foams up. It doesn’t adhere.”

Putting epoxy on wood with too much moisture is a costly waste.

So his goal is to get his wood under 10% moisture content, ideally to 6%.

After all, customers are investing a lot of money in his products, and he wants to stand behind everything he makes.

“We lifetime warranty each one of our products, and if we sell something that’s not up to par, [we] really can’t stay in business.”

A bad piece isn’t just a loss of money for the business. It can also hurt his reputation.

He adds,

“First of all, people are going to talk, whether it be good or whether it be bad. We can’t let a piece of that go along with our reputation. … But also, when we send pieces out, we want to make sure that 300 years down the road, it’s going to look just as beautiful as the day we created it.”

Greg’s moisture meter, Wagner Meters’ Orion 950, plays a major role in reaching that goal.

What Greg Loves About the Orion 950

Greg loves the Orion 950 for its accuracy, species settings, range, and measurement depth.

“I love this thing because I can dial in whatever species I’m monitoring, so when it reads under 10%, I know that I can pour my epoxy,” he says.

Being able to trust the readings matters too. When it reads 4%, he trusts that the wood is at 4%. The Orion 950 reads moisture content as low as 4%, which is important for work like Greg’s.

Because he works with thick slabs and burl wood, Greg typically uses the ¾-inch depth setting on his Orion 950.

His reason?

“I don’t want to know what the surface moisture is. I want to get down far into the wood.”

That can be the difference between protecting his work and losing thousands of dollars. Here’s one story.

Greg had bought some African bubinga from China. The wood had a coating on it and looked ready to sell, and he was about to do just that. But he decided to test its moisture content first. He set his Orion 950 to the bubinga setting (0.74) and tested the slab.

It read 32% moisture content, the top of the meter’s range.

Selling it would have been a disaster:

“Now, if I were to sell this piece as is because it looks finished (I got it like this from China)… I would’ve been buying it back two years later. Because it would warp, it would move [as] the moisture is trying to escape. So this thing [the moisture meter] saved me thousands and thousands of dollars, just by seeing that number up there.”

For Greg, there’s no question that a wood moisture meter is essential. The cost of an Orion 950 is small compared with the money it has saved him.

It could do the same for you.

How Could a Moisture Meter Make a Difference in Your Woodworking Business?

Whether or not you work with epoxy, a moisture meter is essential for checking that your wood has reached the right moisture content for its environment.

Otherwise, you risk wood movement that could damage or even ruin the project.

When woodworking is your business, your customers count on you for high-quality results. Like Greg, you want to make sure you deliver every time.

Protect your work and your reputation with the Orion 950 wood moisture meter.

And be sure to watch our video with Greg Dahl.

Shop Orion Moisture Meters

Last updated on October 12th, 2026