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Wooden hygrometer

This is where we don't want anything but evidence of your finest wood butchering in all its glorious, and photograph laden glory. Bring your finished products or WIP's, we love them all, so long as there's pictures, and plenty of 'em!

Wooden hygrometer

Postby Mike G » 27 Jan 2019, 14:51

This is so quick and simple that there isn't much I could show in terms of a WIP. I glued some cross grain parana pine to a strip of long-grain parana pine, then planed it all down to a reasonable shape, and the long grain element to as thin as I dared. I took it in to the house, and this is what happened to it over an hour or so:

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This was intended as a proof-of-concept model, but it worked so well that I decided to put it on a backing board. I found an off-cut of oak, shaped it quickly, and drilled out some holes to fill them with 2 part filler:

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A few minutes with a bandsaw and belt sander, and I had a suitable mounting block for the indicator arm thingy, and after finishing everything with Osmo PolyX (I've got to try to use the stuff up), and some wax, I glued up:

Image

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My wife thinks it's ugly, and it doesn't actually serve a purpose in the house, so I'll hang it on a wall in the workshop. If nothing else it will be a visual reminder of how much wood moves with humidity (it's been to its full extent the other way......at the moment it is showing "dry").

If any of you have 90 minutes to spare, have a go at one of these. It's better use of time than sitting watching football. :)
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Malc2098 » 27 Jan 2019, 14:57

:text-goodpost:
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Woodster » 27 Jan 2019, 19:12

:text-bravo: Interesting idea. I think it needs an indication of wet one side and dry the other though as you’re the only one who knows without it.
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Mike G » 27 Jan 2019, 19:19

It's going in my workshop..........so I'm going to be the only one who needs to know. However, if I make one for the house I'll think of a neat way of visually demarcating the two sides.
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Woodster » 27 Jan 2019, 19:58

You could use empty and full wine glass icons? :lol:
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Phil » 28 Jan 2019, 13:16

Malc2098 wrote::text-goodpost:




:text-+1:
We don't stop woodworking because we grow old, we grow old because we stop woodworking!

https://www.instagram.com/phil_pretoria/
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby 9fingers » 28 Jan 2019, 22:14

Any significance to using parana pine Mike?
Is it known for greater degree of movement with moisture content than other timbers perhaps?

Bob
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Mike G » 28 Jan 2019, 22:22

I think that in general softwoods move more than hardwoods, but no, I picked it because I had a convenient sized scrap of it in my scrap bin. This was only ever meant as an experiment.
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby 9fingers » 28 Jan 2019, 22:29

Mike G wrote:I think that in general softwoods move more than hardwoods, but no, I picked it because I had a convenient sized scrap of it in my scrap bin. This was only ever meant as an experiment.


I've not seen parana pine offered for sale for years. It used to be popular for window boards in the 80s when I used it. I have a staircase made from it but all covered by carpet now.
It might even be an endangered species now?

Bob
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby RogerS » 28 Jan 2019, 22:32

9fingers wrote:...
It might even be an endangered species now?

Bob


Bang on the money, Bob
If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby 9fingers » 28 Jan 2019, 22:37

RogerS wrote:
9fingers wrote:...
It might even be an endangered species now?

Bob


Bang on the money, Bob


A mate of mine was after some ramin which was called up in a model boat design from last century and it appears that ramin is also endangered so gone are all those handy mouldings that used to be readily available.
I wonder what they are making broom handles from nowadays as they used to be made from ramin too.

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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Mike G » 29 Jan 2019, 09:07

9fingers wrote:......I've not seen parana pine offered for sale for years. ....... I have a staircase made from it .....


That's precisely the source of this piece, too. I removed a 1960s staircase from the house, and kept all the constituent parts.
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby techauthorbob » 07 Feb 2019, 12:45

Luuurvely idea! Gotta make myself one for home now and figure out suitable wet and dry icons - although I do not know the concept of " empty wine glass"

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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Mike G » 07 Feb 2019, 12:51

Hang on for a day or two, Bob, I've got a much better idea in progress in the workshop.
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Mike G » 18 Feb 2019, 12:09

Well, I forgot. Sorry....

I stumbled across this in a hidden corner at the weekend, and finished it off very quickly. This is just a mock-up, not cleaned up or properly shaped, but it gives you an idea of what I am aiming at. This should be much more sensitive and fast acting than my previous version. Cross grain parana pine, with some scraps of oak, all unfinished:

Image

Image

I laid out the spiral with a central nail and a piece of string. There's nothing sophisticated about this!!
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby 9fingers » 18 Feb 2019, 12:43

Mike, I'm not sure about the faster acting claim? Is it not just more sensitive and so changes become obvious quicker?

Interesting project nevertheless.

Bob
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Mike G » 18 Feb 2019, 13:01

It doesn't have the resistance, Bob. The other one has to bend a piece of wood, but this one just expands and contracts without having anything to push against. I'm only guessing, because it has only just come into the house, so we'll see. Proof of the pudding, and all that.......
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby 9fingers » 18 Feb 2019, 13:06

Mike G wrote:It doesn't have the resistance, Bob. The other one has to bend a piece of wood, but this one just expands and contracts without having anything to push against. I'm only guessing, because it has only just come into the house, so we'll see. Proof of the pudding, and all that.......

Ok I'm possibly in pedant mode but I see what you are getting at which I think all adds up to much increased sensitivity.
Following with interest
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby Malc2098 » 18 Feb 2019, 13:24

Yeah, me, too!
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Re: Wooden hygrometer

Postby RogerM » 18 Feb 2019, 19:35

:text-+1:
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