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Several variations of a tool-less, reversible joint having two tension fingers and at least one shear finger are described. Applications of the joint include items of flat-pack-style furniture such as chairs, tables and bookshelves. The joints can be formed in a sheet material such as plywood or med

Several variations of a tool-less, reversible joint having two tension fingers and at least one shear finger are described. Applications of the joint include items of flat-pack-style furniture such as chairs, tables and bookshelves. The joints can be formed in a sheet material such as plywood or medium-density fiberboard (“MDF”).

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1. A plurality of flat plates to be joined together without tools, comprising: an insert plate having two tension fingers and two shear fingers; anda receiver plate having three collinear holes adapted to engage the two tension fingers and the two shear fingers, whereinthe two tension fingers are to

1. A plurality of flat plates to be joined together without tools, comprising: an insert plate having two tension fingers and two shear fingers; anda receiver plate having three collinear holes adapted to engage the two tension fingers and the two shear fingers, whereinthe two tension fingers are to be displaced from a rest position if the fingers of the insert plate are inserted into a central hole of the three collinear holes of the receiver plate;the two tension fingers are to return to near their rest position if the insert plate is fully inserted into the receiver plate;the two tension fingers have a barbed shape to resist removal of the insert plate from the receiver plate after the insert plate is fully inserted into the receiver plate,a first of the two shear fingers is positioned to enter a first outside one of the three collinear holes of the receiver plate; anda second of the two shear fingers is positioned to enter a second outside one of the three collinear holes of the receiver plate. 2. The plurality of flat plates of claim 1 wherein the two tension fingers are to be displaced towards each other if the tension fingers of the insert plate are inserted into the central hole of the three collinear holes of the receiver plate. 3. The plurality of flat plates of claim 1 wherein the outer two holes of the three collinear holes are blind holes. 4. The plurality of flat plates of claim 1 wherein the two tension fingers and the two shear fingers comprise a plug feature, and the three collinear holes comprises a socket feature, wherein the insert plate comprises a plurality of plug features; andthe receiver plate comprises at least one plug feature. 5. The plurality of flat plates of claim 1 wherein each flat plate is cut from a sheet of plywood. 6. An Adirondack-style deck chair comprising: two side plates having an insert feature and a plurality of receiver features;a first plurality of oblong seat slats each comprising insert features at either end;a second plurality of oblong seat-back slats each comprising an insert feature at one end; anda semi-circular armrest comprising a receiver feature near each end of the semicircle, whereineach receiver feature comprises at least one hole;each insert feature comprises two tension fingers and at least one shear finger adapted to reversibly engage the at least one hole of a corresponding receiver feature; andeach insert feature can be mated with its corresponding receiver feature without using a tool. 7. The Adirondack-style deck chair of claim 6 wherein the plurality of receiver features of the side plates, when mated to the first plurality of oblong seat slats, approximate a curved seating surface. 8. The Adirondack-style deck chair of claim 6 wherein the receiver features of the semi-circular armrest are to engage the insert features of the side plates. 9. A plurality of flat plates to be joined together without tools, comprising: an insert plate having two tension fingers and two shear fingers; anda receiver plate having two holes adapted to engage the two tension fingers and the two shear fingers, whereinthe two tension fingers are to be displaced apart from each other and from a rest position if the fingers of the insert plate are inserted into the two holes of the receiver plate,a first of the two holes is adapted to engage a first of the two tension fingers and a first of the two shear fingers, anda second of the two holes is adapted to engage a second of the two tension fingers and a second of the two shear fingers. 10. A plurality of flat plates to be joined together without tools, comprising: an insert plate having two tension fingers and one shear finger, the two tension fingers disposed at edges of the insert plate and flanking the shear finger; anda receiver plate having three collinear holes adapted to engage the two tension fingers and the shear finger, whereinthe shear finger of the insert plate is configured to enter a central hole of the three collinear holes of the receiver plate;each of the two tension fingers is configured to enter a corresponding one of two outside holes of the three collinear holes of the receiver plate;the two tension fingers are to be displaced from a rest position if the fingers of the insert plate are inserted into the corresponding holes of the receiver plate;the two tension fingers are to return to near their rest position if the insert plate is fully inserted into the receiver plate;the two tension fingers have a barbed shape to resist removal of the insert plate from the receiver plate after the insert plate is fully inserted into the receiver plate, andone of the shear finger or the central hole have a structure to prevent the insert plate from entering the receiver plate further than necessary to engage the two tension fingers. 11. The plurality of flat plates of claim 10, wherein the central hole of the three collinear holes is partly blind. 12. The plurality of flat plates of claim 10, wherein the central hole of the three collinear holes is fully blind. 13. The plurality of flat plates of claim 10, wherein the shear finger comprises a shoulder feature positioned to rest against a face of the receiver plate when the insert plate is fully inserted into the receiver plate. 14. The plurality of flat plates of claim 10, wherein the tension fingers are to be displaced toward each other if the fingers of the insert plate are inserted into the corresponding holes of the receiver plate. 15. The plurality of flat plates of claim 10, wherein the tension fingers are to be displaced apart from each other if the fingers of the insert plate are inserted into the corresponding holes of the receiver plate.