Dimensional Stability of Bentwoods by Treatment Conditions

This study was carried out to investigate the dimensional stability of bentwoods by three treatments: steaming, urethane varnish coating, and polyethylene glycol (PEG) treatment. Bentwood processing employed a bending-jig with only 4 cm radius of curvature (ROC). The used species were bitter wood (Picrasma quassioides), painted maple (Acer mono), and birch (Betula schmidtiii). The bending properties of these are well-known in bentwood production (Jung et al., 2002). The bentwoods were treated repeated at room temperature [20℃, RH 80% (12 hours) and 40℃ under RH 10% (12 hours)]. To estimate the dimensional stability of bentwoods, we measured the radius of curvature and end-distance. The best results could be attained with PEG treatment. Steaming was the worst treatment. Comparing the properties of the different species, the dimensional stability of bitter wood was excellent. It was concluded that the steaming treatment was unsuitable for dimensional stability of bentwoods.