Plastic Joints

Slit And Fastening Technique

For this project, students engaged in a hands-on exploration of how waste materials can be reimagined into functional design. Using recycled plastics and wood offcuts, they investigated the properties of each material—experimenting with methods such as heating and fusing shredded plastic to create strong, flexible joints for furniture construction.

Teachers guided this process through questioning, scaffolding, and encouragement, creating a space where students felt safe to take risks, test ideas, and learn from experimentation. Grounded in design thinking, the project emphasized inquiry, iteration, and reflection. What began as discarded materials evolved into a collective journey of discovery, creativity, and sustainable innovation. This extraordinary process empowered students to see themselves as capable designers.

Sleeve

This is the most basic and simplistic technique that allows you to join two pieces of wood together to make a longer piece of wood.

Cross

This involves joining two pieces of wood that are laid over each and joint together using plastic bands that are cut from plastic bottles.

Slits

This technique allows you to join two pieces of wood to form a angle. Cut a slit into the first piece of wood and then do the same with another piece of wood, insert a plastic band into the slits connecting the two pieces of wood.

Fastening

This technique combines using slits and sleeves to connect a long pieces of wood to a corner pieces that was made using the slits technique.

Micaella Pedros - Plastic Joint Techniques

Wooden Pegs

When plastic alone is not enough to fasten the wood pieces together, we drill holes into the wood pieces and insert a wooden peg to hold the wood in place, and then use the plastic bands to secure everything together.

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