The use of incising, perforation of the wood surface, is increased because of the need to treat refractory wood species. This paper reviews the development of incising and shows how the required incising patterns can be determined and specified. Most of the development has been in the area of toothed-roller incisors because of their rapid throughput. Needle, Laser, drill and water jet incisors have also been used experimentally but such incisors are not available commercially to our knowlege. The advent of close-spaced roller incising patterns and thin, sharp teeth has brought the effective treatment of most refractory species within our grasp. Modern toothed-roller incisors can provide an integral shell of preservative treatment while leaving an acceptable surface appearance and strength. Incising appears to improve the drying rate of green lumber and reduce the incidence of large checks. Three long-term field tests provide confidence in the long-term performance of CCA-treated incised lumber made from refractory species with non-durable heartwood.

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