What moisture Content for Woodworking?

Wood absorbs moisture. If you are a woodworker, you should know how wood responds to moisture in the air. It is a constant concern for anybody who works with wood, including cabinet makers, hardwood floor installers, etc. Furthermore, wood gets or releases moisture according to the relative humidity (RH) of the surrounding air. Also, it expands or contracts as a result of the changing humidity. What moisture Content for Woodworking? Let’s check together-

Moisture Content of Wood for Woodworking:

The expansion of the wood is caused by the humidity of the air. The MC lowers when the humidity drops. It directs the wood to expand. According to the theory of professor Dr. Eugene Wengert, you should take dry wood within 2% of the EMC in woodworking.

Are you still confused? Go through the graph below. It will make everything obvious.

The humidity of the in-use site

EMC level

Corresponding MC the wood will attain at this location

47-52%

40-46%

33-39%

26-32%

19-25%

Using this table, we can determine the EMC of the in-use site and the wood moisture content. We can tell wood destined for internal use in this area should be preserved at this moisture content before and during the manufacturing phase. Additionally, dry it to a level of about 6%.

Acceptable Moisture Content Of Kiln Dried Wood:

Typically, kiln-dried wood contains 10% to 25% moisture. Usually, you will get 20% moisture from kiln-dried wood. It helps to prevent shrinkage of the wood. The kiln drying process also protects your wood from separation.

However, post and beam constructions require air drying rather than kiln drying. To prevent shrinking and subsequent breakage, posts, and beam be dry. For indoor use, select 20 percent moisture and 30 percent or less for outdoor.

How To Calculate Moisture Content Of Wood?

You can estimate the typical moisture content of wood with the dry weight method. A moisture meter is an alternative option too. In this method, you just need resistance with shielded sensors and hammer electrodes.

Moreover, wood typically contains 8% and 25% moisture content of its weight. The ambient temperature and relative moisture will be reflected in the EMC of the wood.