#findalslaft

[stephanie-lee-dodd-blog]

Findalslaft joint

When making the registration of the ‘lafte hus’ I became fascinated with the corner joint of the inner jog house and decided to focus on this part. The Findalslaft joint is the most complex timber joint developed by the Norwegians and on display in the ‘lafte hus’ that we catalogued. The peak of timber construction was reached in c.1350, as represented in the findalslaft technique. Following the Black Death (1347-1351) these timber joining techniques stagnated, leaving the findalslaft joint as the pinnacle of Norwegian timber joining.

Below is my representation of this highly complex joint that uses corresponding flat surfaces to ensure a tight lock as the timber shrinks over time. This representation approximates measurements for the sake of displaying how the joint functions, in reality each cut is calculated peculiar to the log used.

[stephanie-lee-dodd-blog]

Day 2: Norway Study Trip

Rauland ‘lafte hus’ registration/Frank Eriksen lecture

We spent the day taking measurements and notes about the Rauland ‘lafte hus’. The element I was working on with Guus was the ground floor log cabin. I wanted to work on this element as I became completely fascinated with the corner joint after an initial survey of the building. 

We began inside the log house measuring the floor and beams that hold the ceiling/floor of upper house. Then we went back later in the afternoon to catalogue the dimensions of each log of the four walls.

In the evening, Frank gave us an inspiring lecture about Norwegian log house construction as well as other vernacular examples such as the Sami house. After the lecture he ended up taking a few of us outside to show us a real example of the timber joint, however this joint showed the Raulandslaft whereas the lafte hus we documented utilises the Findalslaft joint. The Findalslaft joint is the most compex of the Norwegian timber joints as it allows for four flat surfaces to rest on four corresponding flat surfaces, making the joint very snug. The Raulandslaft employs a very similar technique, except the lower cut means that there are edges rather than surfaces resting on the cut below.

Image above shows the Raulandslaft joint.