What Moisture Content For Woodworking? The detailed article can help you easily answer this question and expand your understanding of related topics.
There is always a certain amount of moisture in the air. Therefore, products such as wood need to be carefully preserved.
Moisture is always a top concern for carpenters. They always have to use a variety of measures to make sure the wood is not too wet or too dry.
However, what moisture content for woodworking? The ideal moisture content for new wood should be 6-8 percent, and this percentage can be higher or lower depending on the surrounding space conditions.
If you use a too wet log, your products will show signs of mold. Or if you use too dry types, they are very fragile and do not have a long life.
The following article will help you know more about moisture and measure it effectively. Let’s check it out!
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What Moisture Content For Woodworking?
Moisture Content
First, we need to find out the proper humidity for our pieces. Determining moisture content is necessary because it will significantly affect the quality of your projects.
The acceptable content that has never been between 6 – 8%. You need to ensure this level is available for long-term storage. As for furniture or items made from this material, the humidity will increase from 9 to 15%.
This level will also depend on the space around the product. Pay close attention to these numbers to help you maintain the product longer.
How to Measure Wood Moisture Effectively?
Indeed you cannot determine the humidity with the naked eye. Below, we will introduce you to 2 ways to effectively measure the level inside:
Test with an oven
Test with an oven
If you are a person who often works with wood, you will own a drying oven to keep the product in the best condition. So you can also use this device to measure the current humidity.
Specifically, you take two pieces of the same one. One will be in the drying oven, and the other will be left in natural air conditions. This work will take some time but will still give you accurate results.
You will need to wait a few hours in the oven to dry completely. The piece can catch fire and burn because the drying temperature is too high. Or simply because the dehumidification force is too great.
When the humidity is gradually decreasing, the weight also reduce. Please check the importance of the product in the drying oven and the type in the natural environment. This difference will help you determine the exact content.
For example, if an ordinary log weighs 20 pounds and you dry it to about 19 pounds. We start with the problem of determining the humidity.
Divide the difference by the weight and calculate the percentage. According to this problem, the content of the log you own is 5%.
Check with a hygrometer.
If you do not have much time to wait for the material to dry and calculate, the best way is to equip a specialized meter. Currently, there are two main products for sale on the market, battery-powered and battery-free.
For battery-powered meters, this product will use a resistor to measure humidity.
Wood is an insulator, and water is a conductor. You can use this device to measure the current flowing through.
If the resistance is higher, the wood is in a dry state. If the resistance is low, the wood is damp and must be dried.
This battery-free meter is different from the product above. Instead of measuring resistance, it will scan the wood to read internal readings.
Then, the machine will give the data about the average humidity on the display screen. Many professionals have used this product to measure the content of the wood.
For more details, check out this video below!
The Effect Of Humidity On Woodworking
As we mentioned above, woods need to be perfectly moist to last a long time. Using wood that is too wet will lead to mold. It is even a favorable environment for termites to develop inside the product.
We all know there is always a certain amount of moisture in the air. If you do not store wood properly, it will absorb water and lose its use value.
Even the product size and weight can change if it absorbs too much moisture from the outside air. Therefore, you need to have methods to preserve and prepare when your materials exceed the allowable level.
How To Dry Wet Wood?
Dry Wet Wood
No method can be as effective as drying. When exposed to the natural environment, the wood will absorb a certain amount of water. In particular, freshly cut varieties will often have a higher content than average.
Therefore, you need to dry them before proceeding with your work. You can use a dryer or equip a dedicated drying cabinet for the dehumidification process to go well.
Conclusion
Moisture in the air will always wet the wood. No matter what method you use, the wood will always absorb moisture.
Therefore, you need to regularly check the level of your material to ensure its quality is always up to standard. We hope the above article has helped you determine the content for woodworking and measure moisture effectively.
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