A job in Seattle taught me to check the wood before it leaves the yard

I had a whole batch of maple with hidden moisture pockets that warped a week after install. What's your go-to check before you load up?

4 comments

4 Comments

kevinm171mo ago

Man, that's rough. I read a thing once about how maple can be sneaky like that, looking fine on the surface but holding moisture inside. I do the meter check like bell.jessica, but I also tap the boards with a hammer handle. You can sometimes hear a dull thud on a wet spot versus a nice ring on dry wood. Caught a few bad planks that way even when the meter reading looked okay.

shanes6620d ago

The old-timers had tricks that meters just can't pick up on, that's for sure.

bell.jessica1mo ago

Ugh, that's the worst. I always run a moisture meter over everything, even the stuff that feels bone dry. It's saved me from a few disasters.

nora_murphy1mo ago

Oh, that tapping trick is smart. It reminds me of this old guy I worked with who would just press his cheek against the wood. Said his face could feel the cold from trapped moisture better than his hands. We all thought he was nuts until he called out a whole stack of oak that passed the meter test. Sure enough, those boards cupped like crazy a month later. Some of those old methods are weird but they stick with you.