Abstract
To evaluate the strength of laser incised lumber, sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) square lumber was used for bending strength tests. Specimens were incised by CO2 laser through the thickness with three kinds of incising densities ranging from 0 to 40000 holes per square meter. Bending strength tests with loading direction parallel to the incised holes were performed with all incising densities. Furthermore, specimens with 10000 holes per square meter were tested with the loading direction perpendicular to the incised holes. Results showed that bending strength of incised lumber declined significantly for incising densities of more than 10000 holes per square meter. The effect of loading direction on bending strength of square lumber incised with 10000 holes per square meter was not significant.
