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Furniture Designer Develops Tool-Free Joint for Flatpack Furniture

Ben Fletcher's WedgedIn system

By Rain Noe - October 4, 2021

in Furniture Design

Furniture designer Ben Fletcher calls himself a "wood- and joint-obsessed cabinet maker." The London-based Fletcher has spent years trying to develop a fastener-free wood joint that's strong enough to last, yet can be attached and detached using nothing but hand pressure, no tools. Now he feels he's got it:

The veneer on the tenon in one of the examples above, the one where the joint gets rotated into place, looks like it's getting chewed up; but Fletcher says his joints, which he calls the WedgedIn system, actually get stronger with repeated use. We have no way to verify that, but here's a closer look at one of his joints:

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It reminds me a bit of that wedged and striated joint that Ikea developed a few years back, though I can see how Fletcher's design is different. He's designed three furniture pieces using the WedgedIn system, and is offering them on Kickstarter, as well as selling individual joints, and wall hooks that use the joints.

Here's the pitch video:

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The tables are almost absurdly inexpensive (not counting shipping), with the smallest table going for just $44 and the largest for around $90, if ordered unfinished. Sanded and painted or oiled models naturally cost more.

At press time the campaign was on track to meet funding, with $3,110 in pledges on a $3,302 goal and 26 days left to pledge.

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Ben Fletcher

3 years ago

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Hi rain
Thanks a lot for your article. Can i send you a table so you can test the joints for yourself?
Kind regards ben

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Daniel Sellers

3 years ago

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Very similar to how Sprout's joints work, even looks like the cutting process is similar (pocket cut with one side cut with a dovetail or similar) https://sprout-kids.com/collections/wooden-montessori-furniture-for-home

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- Ben Fletcher
  
  Daniel Sellers
  
  3 years ago
  
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  Damn it is similar.... And the sprout guys seem lovely and very established.....i'm clinging to the hope that i think..... from staring at their assembly vids that they machine their tenons in a separate process from the mortice with the component held. vertically as it appears to be a dovetail and i cant see how you could machine that flat without removing the otber side too....... my tables can be so cheap because it is a one button machining process once programmed...... what do you think?
  
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