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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
I would suggest that correct terminology is "fire hardening", not "fire tempering".
The character of the wood is made harder by the skilled use of heat applied to the surface.
In working with steel, the tempering process is carried out after the steel has been hardened, and its purpose is to soften the steel so that it is not brittle and is able to be used.
Perhaps an argument could be mounted for the use of "temper", in that broad use of the word "temper" can be interpreted as to modify the state of something so that there is no excess in either direction, with wood treated by fire it is modified so that it is neither too soft, as in its natural state, nor too brittle as it would be with excess application of heat.
Very often lay people will refer to the heat treatment of steel after forging as "tempering", which is only the second part of the process needed to make it useable after forging.
With wood, the second part of the process after hardening is not necessary, so perhaps a more accurate use of language here might be "hardening", rather than "tempering" ?
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Well fire hardening is perhaps a better term, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over the word tempering....
After all we are talking about timber not steel or glass....
The word origin for tempered is probably the latin tempor for time or season, heating the timber over a fire advances does that process... {not unlike the much more controlled kiln drying to speed the process.}
spiral