Abstract: This invention makes a furnace body divide into two, a pretreating chamber and a nitriding chamber by an opening and closing center wall. After pretreating works to be treated in the pretreating chamber, the opening and closing center wall is opened and the pretreated works are transferred to the nitriding chamber to nitride them. Treatment gas can be saved largely compared with the case that the nitriding is conducted after pretreating works in a furnace which has only a nitriding chamber.