The Cradle Will Rock

Senior single not quite as luxurious as you’d hoped? Cramped in a triple-turned-quad? Phil Matchett ‘02 has a solution. This violin-playing, mathematics concentrator has constructed a contraption whereby his bed is a mini elevator. Yes, it’s on pulleys.

The structure is imposing and impressive. Constructed using nary a power or even hand tool, the bed has been lofted on a frame made entirely of wooden poles and rope. Three of the poles actually came all the way from Matchett’s home state of Wisconsin in the neighboring town of Norskedalen. “I needed some longer poles, and we had these sitting around at my house, so my dad brought them up,” he explains.

Matchett used a system called “lashing” to secure the poles. “It’s what sailors use to keep things together. You bind the wood together with rope, then wrap more rope around those bindings. The friction in the ropes keeps anything from slipping. I tell people, ‘Friction keeps me sleeping soundly at night’,” he explains. And the ropes do not budge. When in the “down” position the bed frame itself rests on the wooden structure. But when up, the frame and mattress are counter weighted by four two-pound cement blocks. It’s incredibly sturdy. “I’m confident that it could hold four to five people, but it’s only been tested with two so far,” says Matchett. Heh.

Matchett has been building things for a long time. He learned and practiced the technique of lashing as a Boy Scout and as a counselor for three years at Boy Scout camp. “When I was in fourth grade, my Dad and I built a rope bridge in my backyard. At camp, we would build these observation towers using the same technique, and I did one or two a week. I’ve built fences and even a revolving door this way once,” he says.

After spending sophomore in a palatial Leverett room, Matchett was pretty bummed when his junior year accomodations were a serious downgrade. “Well, last year I was in a tight double, and I built a similar loft, without the pulleys, and it was pretty easy to disassemble and put in storage. It adds a little space and a bit of something else to the room,” Matchett says. “The pulleys were really just for fun.”

The bed has attracted a fair amount of attention. “My roommates tell me that people have come by when I’m not here and have asked to see the bed. It’s a bit of a tourist attraction, but it gets the job done,” Matchett says. But the bed is not the only feat of construction to grace Leverett B-34. The roommates decided to partition the common room to form a fourth bedroom. But again, this is no common partition; it is not attached in any way to the ceiling, floor or walls. “We cut the vertical pieces of wood a little taller than the ceiling and just stood them up and jammed them into place. It’s immovable. And we were all pretty amazed at how well the wall turned out,” says Matchett.

Matchett’s roommates approve of the bed and his various construction skills. Sam Parsons ‘02 praises him, saying, “If we were on Survivor, we’d definitely keep him on.”