A Study of the Visual Physical Characteristics and Psychological Images of Select Taiwanese Hardwoods

This study investigated the relationship between visual images of wood color and wood grains of wood products manufactured from select Taiwanese commercial hardwoods. The Taiwan Forestry Research Institute provided samples for
23 species of commercially available woods, each with tangential and radial sections (46 samples total). Wood color parameters were measured, followed by a survey using a Semantic Differential scaling method to discern the consumers
mental perception toward the wood products. Finally, factors involved in constructing different images underwent statistical analysis to offer designers and consumers a reference for designing a product or wood product selections. Among Taiwans commercial woods, Swietenia mahogoni was perceived to be advanced, elegant, and exquisite in the tangential section and warm, soft, and possessive of a natural image in the radial section. The tangential section of Paulownia taiwaniana was perceived to possess a common image; meretricious and rough images were associated with the tangential section of Cassia siamea. Cold and hard images were associated with the tangential and radial sections of Actinodaphne nantoensis, and Cyclobalanopsis longinux was perceived to possess an artificial image. In terms of color (Commission Internationale dEclairage L*a*b*), the relative images of advanced and common, elegant and meretricious, and warm and cold were closely related to L* and a*; the relative images of exquisite and rough and of soft and hard were related to a*. In terms of grains, the relative images of soft and hard and of natural and artificial are closely related to thickness of the wood lines.

You must be logged in to download any documents. Please login (login accounts are free) or learn how to Become a Member