Wood welding using linear friction is a technique that has been developed in the past five years. The goal of this study was to analyze the microstructure development in the interphase enabling the wood-to-wood adhesion without any adhesive. Chemical and physical analyses have been carried out using infrared thermography, mechanical shear tests, transmitted light microscopy and X-ray densitometry. They have been considered as efficient to qualify the characteristics of the welded joints. The aim of this paper is to present a study using these analysis methods to observe the physical modifications of the wood in the interphase according to the welding time. The welding process of beech wood (Fagus sylvatia) with a welding time between 0 and 11 s could be divided into three different phases. The first phase describes changes in the physical and chemical characteristics of the wood. Densification and anatomical modifications occur in this phase. The second phase represents stabilization of the welded joint. The last phase of the cycle is a conditioning phase. All phases are controlled by the heat spread in the interphase and the time of heat exposure. Various parameters such as welding time, shear strength, temperature and width of the welded joint have been correlated and a hypothesis on the chemical reactions occurring in the interphase has been put forth. This study allowed discovering a window of parameters in which the quality of the welded joint is quite stable. Improving the quality of manufactured welded wood products without adhesive can now be done more easily due to this method. (C) Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2008.