JOIN
JOIN is a response to user-error during the assembly of knock-down furniture. The goal of the project was to create a knock-down furniture assembly system that would alleviate user-error and other common complaints. Then, design a storage unit that is assembled with the system. For the project to be successful the parts should only fit where they are supposed to go and in the correct orientation. The furniture should also be tool-free, hardware- free, and manufactured on a CNC. The constraints were derived from interviews, research, and my own interests in automation and modularity.
I met all of my goals for this project through iterations of custom wood joinery first produced by hand, then by CNC. The joinery is based on a tapered, sliding dovetail. The custom joint is durable and makes assembly fast and easy. Each part has a unique joinery pattern, functioning like a key, and preventing assembly error. The entire furniture piece is machined out of a sheet of plywood on a CNC and is ready to be assembled after minimal hand-working.