Potentials of thermally modified beech (Fagus sylvatica) wood for application in toy construction and design

This paper deals with the potentials of thermally treated beech wood as raw material for making toys. Natural beech wood is a common toy material and the properties of treated and untreated wood are compared. Samples to analyse press fits and joints between moving components were developed and tested under varying climatic conditions. Furthermore samples to analyse the dimensional stability of wooden components were developed and observed under varying levels of humidity and room temperature. The results show that thermally modified beech wood is a promising material for the manufacture of wooden toys. It is assumed that this raw material will be used in toy industries in the future, and furthermore the design of wooden toys will be influenced as it can be proven that this raw material can be employed in diverse developments in relation to the design of functional toys. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.