Measuring Moisture Content of Timber with Multimeter???

[jonny round boy]

We have recently had a multifuel stove installed, and have got some logs off a friend who does gardening/tree pruning & felling.

They don't seem to burn too well, and I'm wondering if the moisture content is still too high. I don't have a moisture meter, and don't want to buy one as I wouldn't use it enough to justify it.

All moisture meters I've seen just have two metal probes at a set distance apart, and I'm assuming they measure the resistance between those two points? If that's the case, I have a multimeter that can measure resistance - could I use this?

If I set the probes at a fixed distance, is there a way of converting the resistance measured into a measurement for moisture content?

 

[jakiiski]

In Finland we use this rule that all wood you burn should be "ylivuotista", i.e. it has dried for more than a year. Also, if you have chop one wood into two pieces and then knock them together (smash them together) a clear sound should be heard. Dry wood makes that sound, but if wood is wet, the sound is more muffled/does not sound so bright/clear. Try it, you'll  notice the difference.