The objective of this study was to evaluate some of the properties of densified eastern redcedar as function of temperature and pressure. Surface quality, adhesive bondline shear strength, hardness, and color changes of the samples compressed using different temperature levels ranging from 100 °C to 180 °C were investigated. Based on the findings in this work, surface roughness of compressed specimens decreased with increased temperature. Overall adhesive bondline shear strength of the samples decreased as compared to that of control specimens as a result of compression. It appears that densified samples exposed to a temperature of 180 °C had significantly darker surface than those of the others, based on color measurement. Data found in this work provide some basic information for more efficient use of underutilized species such as eastern redcedar.
Keywords: color change; compression; eastern redcedar; hardness; heat treatment; roughness.