Demonstration building constructed with round mortise and tenon joints and salvage material from small-diameter tree stems

摘要

Rectangular mortise and tenon construction has been widely used in barns and other buildings in this and other countries, and there is a long history of its performance. Round mortise and tenon joints are essentially a modem variation of this construction. They are much easier to manufacture because 1) the tenons can be cut with hole saws; and 2) the mortises can be drilled rather than chiseled. As a result, this method of construction lends itself to mass production techniques. Using this construction, a variety of modular building frames can be constructed "tinker toy" style from a relatively small set of standardized parts. Potentially, this system provides an outlet for small-diameter tree stems that are presently of essentially no economic value, but more importantly, it provides the basis for solving numerous housing and other building shortages in underdeveloped regions at the cottage industry level. To obtain insights into the specific characteristics and peculiarities of round mortise and tenon joint building frame construction, a small building was designed and constructed utilizing this system. A description of the building and the lessons learned from its construction are given in this paper.