Friction that arises during processing for the deformation of wood under relatively high pressure levels (ca. > 1 MPa) is an important factor to be taken into account when wood is processed. However, few studies on such friction have been published. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the influence of surface finishing conditions on the nominal friction coefficient (mu) of the wood and metal tool surfaces. Sticking friction was likely to arise on a relatively coarse metal surface, and the type of metal tool surface finishing was found to have large impact on the friction mechanism. The friction characteristics during exposure to high pressure seem to be affected not only by the interface contact characteristics, but also by the deformation characteristics of wood during compressive load or measurement. The value of mu on water-saturated wood was equal or higher than that on dry wood, which suggests that the contact characteristics between these two types of wood are significantly different. The water content in wood was shown to affect both the interface contact and deformation characteristics of wood. The value of mu was not significantly affected by the wood surface finishing conditions; however, changes in mu during sliding differed slightly, depending on the finishing conditions.