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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gene,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> We bought an expensive dial
type hygrometer with a calibration certificate from Germany, we also have less
expensive digital ones that we bought from Radio Shack both give RH and
Temperature. I have found that they are all within a few percentage
points of each other in accuracy, however, I admit I don't know which one is
more accurate, the expensive one or the el-cheapos, but their close to each
other. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><Probably an average of all meters would then
be close enough?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> If I understand
what your saying in your post, your calculating the MC with the RH (via a
Hygrometer) and weighted samples. In my opinion you need a moisture meter, We
use one that is accurate down to 5% MC, I don't know what MC you want to
attain, but 5% is pretty low. We keep our shop at 35-40% RH and 66-70
degrees year round in an attempt to be as stable as possible. When our wood
has acclimated for a while, the actual MC and EMC (via the chart) are close,
but never the same. I admit we have never tried the oven-drying method
for determining MC buy the weight, but have oven-dried wood for
determining shrinkage based on MC.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><Yes, I use a cheap hygrometer with
temperature and refer to the EMC chart and compare this to the weighted
samples - so far I am unable to establish uniformity in measuring %mc but
there is a corelation.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> For our purposes we don't need
the MC as low as the Bellymen requires so we find that a moisture
meter with it's range of accuracy is well within acceptable
limits.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> Hoadley is great and easy
reading, if you want a supplement to that look at the website for the U.S
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service they have excellent books on this
type of stuff that you can download as a PDF for free. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>< Thanks, I do visit the U.S. DOA site
frequently.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> I have to ask where are you
that you need a humidifier to get the RH up to 40%? We need
<U>DE</U>humidifiers to get the RH to 40% and you can tolerate a temperature
of 95 degrees F?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><Northern California foothills - east of
Sacramento. Hot and dry - outside can get up to 105 F -sometimes higher - with
rh in the lo-twenties to teens.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>My shop is something that my wife calls her
garage. I have a swamp box that helps keep the temperature down a bit and the
rh up so things don't dry out too much.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When I need to address things like setting
bearing or measuring crown is when I need control of the mc in the wood
accurately. Do not have a hot box set up yet.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When I dry my panels down I do it with the panel
on sawhorses, covered with blankets and an oil filled space heater
underneath. The weighted samples are in there with the panel. I only dry down
to 6%-6.5% mc. However, if the shop swamp box is left off, the wood will get
below that without any help so dry down strategy changes depending on the time
of year and what else is in the shop - winters are relatively mild around
30-40f and 45-70%rh.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gene</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Blackstone Valley piano<BR>Michael A.
Morvan<BR>76 Sutton Street<BR>Uxbridge, Ma 01569<BR>(508) 278-9762<BR><A
href="http://www.pianoandorgankeys.com">www.pianoandorgankeys.com</A><BR><A
href="http://www.thepianorebuilders.com">www.thepianorebuilders.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=nelsong@intune88.com href="mailto:nelsong@intune88.com">Gene
Nelson</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=pianotech@ptg.org
href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, August 16, 2008 11:53
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> help a beginner measure mc in
wood with confidence</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have been using the technique Bruce Hoadley
talks about - cut several samples of spruce (similar dimensions) to the same
weight - 100g is easy to deal with - oven dry one of them to get a dry
weight to compare the others with. Sounds straight forward
enough.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Then I compare calculated mc using weighed
samples with my hygrometer and the EMC charts and the disagreement
begins.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If conditions are changing, certainly there is
a lag time for equalization but the disagreement continues. Also the samples
must be placed in the shop so they are representative - still the
disagreement continues.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Probably it would pay to get a much more
accurate hygrometer? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Is the weighing technique really accurate? How
would you determine if it was?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Would it be helpful to add a moisture meter to
the lot?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am curious how shop folks gain confidence in
their technique to measure mc so that if the measurements are telling you
the mc is 7% it really is 7% +/- an irrelevant amount?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I can give one example: I use my
humidifier to get the rh up to 40% at 95 deg f - this should get my weighed
samples up to about 7%rh but they insist on weighing in at 6.1%. Is this a
typical discrepancy between cheap hygrometer and weighed
samples?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks for any comments. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gene Nelson</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Gene
Nelson</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>