Measuring & Marking

Tavool Wood Moisture Meter

If you do any woodworking with construction-grade lumber, you’re probably aware that this stuff is only dried to 19% moisture content (MC). It’s NOT stable when you buy it. You need to stack it for drying and let it get down to about 10 % MC before working it. This meter will help you determine when it’s safe to use. It’s also useful for testing salvaged lumber, if you have any doubts about its moisture content. Or for monitoring the MC of green lumber as it dries. You can see this meter in action in our video “Band Saw Lumber” and “Bandsaw Limber: Part Two”.

Know that this meter does not compensate for temperature. Pin-type meters work by passing an electrical current between the pins and measuring resistance. As the temperature of the wood increases, its electrical resistance decreases, which can lead to MC readings that are higher than they should be. You’ll get the most accurate reading when the wood is about 70 degrees F (21 C). You may need to bring a board into your shop and let it reach room temperature before measuring the MC.

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Wixey Angle Gauge

This is another one of those “I-don’t-know-how-I-ever-did-without-it” tools. In days gone by, I set miter and bevel angles with protractors and triangles, and then made multiple test cuts to dial in the angle. With this tool, I can get the angle within a fraction of a degree on the first try. I still make test cuts, of course, but the “dialing it in” part goes a lot faster.

It also opens up new possibilities. When we made the “Clamping 101” video, I decided to make a 13-sided assembly to show how to use a band clamp – figured it would be weird enough to evoke a few smiles. Cutting the bevels required that I set the angle of the table saw blade to precisely 13.85 degree. This sort of precision would be almost impossible with a mechanical protractor, but I was able to get it in a couple of tries with the Wixey.

Note: There’s a good deal of discussion on the net concerning the accuracy of the Wixey and other digital angle gauges. The general consensus seems to be that they can’t be trusted within 0.2 degrees. To which I say that’s a good deal more than I trust my protractor.

Gatortape

I used this tape measure often for finish carpentry tasks when building our new shop, and grew to depend on it. The tape is reasonably accurate, but it’s accuracy is dependent on how you place and hold the tape in the enclosure you’re measuring. If the back of the housing is flat against one surface and you pull the tape straight out from the housing until the end touches the other surface, the measurement will be accurate to within 1/32”. But if the back of the housing is cocked or you pull the tape out at a slight angle, the measurement will be off slightly. I found it best to make multiple measurements.