Abstract: An apparatus and method for the treatment and preservation of wooden materials includes depositing wooden materials to be treated into a confined, thermally insulated container and introducing smoke from a charcoal oven into that space to heat that space and treat the wooden materials. After a pre-determined amount of time of exposure to the treatment smoke at a controlled temperature and humidity level, the wooden materials will exhibit increased resistance characteristics.

Abstract: Optical instruments having, inter alia, optics to process wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation to produce an interferogram. The instruments include at least one optical path and optical elements positioned along this path for splitting and recombining the wavelengths which interfere with each other to produce a plurality of different fringes of different wavelengths. In one group, the optics include matched gratings which are positioned along the optical path outside of the interferometer optics to produce first and second sets of spectrally dispersed beams. The interferometer optics also includes a beam splitter and first and second mirrors. The gratings may be positioned in a variety of locations along the optical path. In another group, the optics include a beam splitter having a plurality of surfaces, wherein each of the surfaces is either 100% reflective, 100% transmissive or 50% reflective and 50% transmissive.