Make a mock-up that reveals structural logic

A graduation model should clarify a building idea, not merely imitate a small building. A well-chosen joint turns an invisible decision—where a beam meets a post—into something a jury, visitor or classmate can read. At a student exhibition, that clarity can reveal your reasoning as strongly as the final rendered image.

This guide sets out how to build a simple mock-up of a key joint to demonstrate structural logic without pretending to certify a real structure. Work at a manageable scale, isolate one force path and let timber, glue lines, pins and cut faces remain visible. The method suits university crits, open days and public graduation displays, including the type of juried setting used by NAGOYA Archi Fes in Japan’s Chubu region.

Choose the joint worth explaining

Start with one connection that matters to the project. A single mortise-and-tenon joint is useful because its geometry is legible: the tenon enters the mortise, the shoulders meet, and a pin can stop the pieces sliding. A halving or bridle joint can be clearer when the design relies on crossing members. Avoid a complex node that needs specialist tools; the aim is to expose one structural idea in less than a day.

Reproduce the actual connection rather than inventing a display-only substitute. If the real node is too complicated, isolate one interface and record what has been omitted. Before cutting, identify whether the load is carried in compression through direct bearing, transferred in shear through a pin or resisted by glue. Sketch those actions separately from the architectural profile.

On 45 by 70 mm timber, a tenon roughly one-third of the member thickness offers a clear full-size study. Make its width and insertion depth suit the timber and the detail shown in your drawings rather than treating those figures as universal. Selection is also an editorial act: when a project carries cultural or adaptive-reuse meaning, the joint you choose can frame its story.

The journal’s examination of identity and chosenness offers a useful parallel: selected elements can guide interpretation while leaving other histories outside the model. Keep that framing visible in your labels rather than allowing it to hide the mechanics.

Set the scale and trace the load

Use a scale that preserves thickness, grain direction and contact surfaces. A 300–400 mm length of 45 by 70 mm timber gives students enough room to hold and inspect the connection while remaining manageable for a display table. For a smaller exhibition model, preserve proportions but label every enlargement, because an oversized tenon can imply greater capacity than the full-scale detail has.

Draw the load path before choosing decoration. Show where a force enters each member, where it changes direction and which surfaces are in bearing. Label compression, shear, tension and connection points with solid arrows or different line patterns. A second diagram should show assembly order, since a joint can be geometrically strong yet impossible to install after neighbouring parts are fixed.

Guidance on architectural data visualisation offers a useful model for this hierarchy: make the force route largest, keep secondary construction lines quiet and provide a plain-language key. An exploded axonometric beside the physical model can connect the diagram to the real tenon, mortise, shoulder and pin without overwhelming a visitor.

Mark, cut and assemble methodically

Work on a sacrificial board and cut one practice joint from offcuts first. Mark the member with a knife, transfer shoulder and mortise lines with a square, and label the top, bottom and end grain. Drill the mortise in several shallow passes with a depth stop, then clean its corners with a chisel. Keeping one face untrimmed until the fit is checked provides a reference for square alignment.

Shape the tenon slightly undersized, sawing first across the end and then back to the shoulder line. For the sample size, mark a centred tenon about 14–16 mm thick, 28–30 mm wide and 25 mm long; make the receiving mortise slightly deeper. These figures provide a repeatable exercise, not a universal design rule. A fine backsaw helps prevent tear-out, while a block plane pares high spots slowly.

Label the dowel location before drilling through the assembled pieces. If the tenon binds, remove wood rather than forcing it, since pressure can crush fibres and conceal an error that will return when the timber swells. Dry-fit without adhesive and check from the face, side and end. The shoulders should meet evenly without splitting the mortise, and the pin holes should align before glue enters the connection.

For a teaching model, interior PVA is usually sufficient, but follow the product instructions and allow full curing before handling. Wear eye protection, keep clamps clear of pinch zones and use the practice coupon for any unfamiliar cut. Applying glue to the end grain only can reduce squeeze-out and make inspection easier, while a thin film on the shoulders and tenon provides enough coverage without creating an artificial glue reservoir.

Source materials through Australian suppliers

A compact kit can be assembled from materials sold at Australian hardware stores and timber suppliers. Bunnings commonly carries metric timber, plywood, dowels, clamps and adhesives, while specialist model-making suppliers offer finer sheet goods. Compare prices and offcuts in Australian dollars before buying full sheets, and ask a local supplier to confirm dimensions and indoor-use suitability.

Two seasoned timber offcuts, about 400 mm long and 45 × 70 mm in section
One 6 mm hardwood dowel or a pin matching the drawn joint
Interior-use PVA wood adhesive, plus fine and medium sandpaper
A marking knife, square, fine backsaw, block plane and drill
Several clamps and a scrap coupon made from the same timber

Seasoned hardwood gives the joint a credible grain story, and small pieces of Blackbutt or spotted gum may appear through Australian timber merchants and fabrication offcut suppliers. Avoid damp reclaimed timber unless its condition is known. For comparison pieces, 6–9 mm plywood is stable and inexpensive; for the working joint, use one solid timber member so grain and failure remain readable.

For the display and documentation, gather:

A 6 mm MDF or 300 gsm card base with two felt pads
Clear acrylic or recycled PET for a load-path overlay
Removable masking labels, a metric scale strip and archival photographs
Fine wire for an exploded assembly guide or removable ties
Graph paper, a pencil and a camera for documenting each stage

Condition every material before assembly. Melbourne’s variable humidity and Perth’s dry heat can move timber differently, while Sydney and Brisbane exhibitions may face warm display rooms or outdoor UV. Seal exposed end grain, acclimatise the parts overnight and use UV-stable label covers. Any claim about capacity should refer to the actual specimen and assumptions; an educational mock-up is not a test under Australian Standard AS 1720.1 or an engineer’s assessment.

Turn the model into an exhibition argument

At the exhibition, let the object carry only the evidence that visitors can physically inspect. Keep an assembled joint, an exploded copy or removable cover, and one diagram showing the load path. In Australian architecture schools, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane graduation shows commonly move through crits, model reviews and public openings, so prepare a sturdy base, high-contrast labels and a QR code that expands the process without crowding the table.

Write labels in layers: connection name, force path, assembly order and design significance. Use wording such as “load enters through bearing” instead of “strong joint”, because the latter describes an outcome without showing its cause. Keep dimensions and material names beside the specimen, but avoid declaring a safe working load unless it was genuinely calculated. A short video can show pin insertion, adhesive application and the transition from loose parts to the completed joint.

Prospective exhibitors can check current NAGOYA Archi Fes arrangements through event contact guidance. Before transport, photograph the joint loose, secure the pin and pack the base separately; adhesive can soften during a warm journey, and a knocked shoulder is difficult to repair on site. At NAGOYA Archi Fes, where student work is publicly presented to professional jurors and visitors, that evidence should remain understandable even when a jury moves quickly from table to table.

Protect small parts with a raised acrylic cover while leaving the joint visible. Felt feet will prevent abrasion on a shared exhibition surface, and removable ties can hold an exploded model in position without permanently closing the connection. Photographs should include close-ups of the shoulder, pin hole and glue line so the physical sample remains supported by evidence when it is handled or transported.

Finish with a documented test

Create a photographed record with an orthographic drawing, cutting list, tool sequence and one image of the dry fit. Note the timber species if known, adhesive, pin diameter, curing time and every adjustment made. Include a scale bar and show the member in its intended orientation, because an isolated connection can otherwise suggest a load path that the larger building never provides.

Test the model as an explanation, not as proof of capacity. Apply light hand pressure in the direction shown by the arrows and listen for movement at the shoulder or pin; stop if the timber cracks or a clamp mark deepens. Invite a classmate to point to the entry and exit of the force, then revise any label they cannot follow. This review reveals structural logic more reliably than adding miniature occupants, decorative card or extra joint types.

Record whether the pin carried the demonstration and whether the shoulders remained in full contact. State the limitations plainly: the specimen uses particular materials, dimensions and assumptions, and it does not represent the capacity of the complete building. Pack the base, labels and model in a reusable tray, with spare pins and adhesive supplied separately. The next concrete step is a full-size drawing followed by one scrap-coupon dry fit before final timber is cut.