열풍열처리와 오일열처리에 의한 단풍나무(Acer saccharum) 판재의 재색변화

Convection Air and Oil Heat-treatment for the Color Change of Hard Maple (Acer saccharum) Boards

Hard maple (Acer saccharum) is most attractive species for interior construction and furniture making, but its color is relatively lighter than popular hardwood species such as oak, red alder and walnut. Heat treatment technology has been recently developed for changing color of wood. Hard maple specimens were heated with oil and convectional air at the temperatures of 175°C and 190°C, and their color variations were examined. Belgian flaxseed oil was used for oil heating treatment. Color indexes of CIE L*a*b* were measured by using HunterLab MiniScan XE Plus. The average lightness index (L*) of 190°C oil-heated specimens was the lowest while that of 175°C convection air heated ones was the highest. The color difference in-dexes of 190°C oil and convection air heated specimens were 54.8 and 43.5, respectively. Thus it could be concluded the former is more effective than the latter for changing the color of hard maple. The color variation along thickness of the oil heated specimens was less than that of the convection air heated.