Effects of thermal treatment before plane sanding on the surface quality of Corymbia citriodora wood

Abstract

Wood sanding is one of the most expensive processes in the woodworking industry, and little is known about the factors that influence the final quality of wooden parts. For this reason, studies involving different wood treatments, such as thermal treatment, have been developed to produce better surface qualities. The objective of this work was to verify the influence of thermal treatment of the wood species Corymbia citriodora before the sanding process on the surface quality of the wood pieces. The surface finishes of the sanded natural and heat-treated wood were compared. Sanding was performed using two sandpaper grades, 80 mesh and 120 mesh, with abrasive grains of aluminum oxide. The sanding process was performed by flat horizontal sanding parallel to the fibers. Six specimens were used for each sandpaper grade. Initially the specimens were heat-treated at 120 °C, 160 °C, and 200 °C for 2 h, and then they were subjected to sanding. For the analysis of the surface quality of the wood pieces, the average roughness was used. From the obtained results, it was concluded that the heat treatment considerably reduced the roughness of the wood for both sandpaper grit sizes, and it facilitated the final finishing of the wood pieces.