MAllet + joint

The second step in the Wescott House design studio was to work with the detail of a house, starting with a joint inspired from nature. Before creating the joint, we first designed and carved out a mallet to use to make our final joint. My mallet was made out of walnut and pine, with the head created using a piece of pine sandwiched between two pieces of walnut. I carved and sanded the handle to fit my palm and worked the angle of the head to fit my swing. After it was carved and sanded smoothed I lacquered and waxed it to finish it.

Two joints were designed: one for the beam and column connection and one for the column to ground connection. My joint was inspired by the way bark strands on a tree flow in and out of each other, connecting in a crossing pattern down a tree. I took that idea and made column and beam flow in and out of one another, sandwiching together in a way that is executable by simple means and elegant in its presentation. The joints themselves were made with precision, needing only the use of a hammer and force to keep them together.