Fastening and Attaching

1) Heat Stake
Used for joining perpendicular sheets edge-to-middle
Pros:

• Strong perpendicular bond
• Peg and hole measurements need not be completely precise
• Very permanent

Cons:

• Time consuming to assemble
• Easy to accidentally make a joint where the two pieces are not completely flush with each other

2) Bushings
Used for attaching rods to sheets, and spacing along rods.

Pros:

• Choice between sliding fit or firm friction fit
• Enable combination of rods and sheets in a construction
• Enable moving joints

Cons:

• Limited strength, cannot be made tight enough to completely resist turning
• Require very precise sizing, can easily be too loose/tight
• Special, stronger bushings with set screws are expensive

3) Piano Wire

Usually used for joining perpendicular sheets edge-to-edge, also possible in other applications such as edge-to-middle or sheet-to-rod connections.

Pros:

• Very strong attachment
• Choice between stiff and moving joints
• Interlocking measurements need not be completely precise

Cons:

• Requires careful drilling
• Wire "tails" could be an issue
• Wire must be able to go all the way through - joint must be whole width of the piece

4) Notches

Used for attaching perpendicular sheets edge-to-middle. At this time my notches have not been printed, but Julie Barron and I have tested several size iterations of notches for our well windlass as well as reviewing Ashley's working notches.

Pros:

• Variable strength joints
• Detachable and reattachable
• Can attach a perpendicular sheet anywhere on a sheet, not just the edge

Cons:

• After being reattached a few times, the joint loses strength
• The dimensions must be extremely precise
• Cannot attach edge-to-edge with this method