what can be made with a 2x4?

Using an 18 inch piece of 2x4 and the tools in the shop, we were each to create a connected system of parts.  Joinery obviously played a major role in the learning curve of this project, along with using the appropriate tool to achieve the desired result.

My first idea was to make something like a house of cards, with each wooden "card" having puzzle piece type ends so that they locked together.

I immediatly realized the importance of the ratio of the depth of the notch to the thickness of the joining piece.  I also found that when cutting very thin pieces of wood, they are strongest when the grain of the wood is longest.  For example, a day or so after ripping the wood vertically, I found that some of my pieces were begining to bend, following the curvature of the growth rings from the tree. 


In exploring design concepts, I wanted to create something useful, like a shelf that was able to be hung on the wall.  In combining the two ideas, I came up with a modular shelving system that locked together in a puzzle piece like fashion.





Unfortunatly,

I also learned that the little wooden notches easily break off when gravity is applied,

and that they make great cat toys.



An emergency re-design proved to be

successful, sleek, and more stable than the original project concept.