Beams are smaller and lighter than bricks, but they
are also more elastic. Long beams are therefore more likely
to bend or even buckle under a load than long bricks, making it more difficult to create large, rigid studless structures
and requiring more complex connections using smaller
pieces. Another difficulty comes when you want to create a
perpendicular connection between beams without putting
one beam on top of the other. It’s possible to do so only with
a right-angle connector or with a 5×7 studless frame (see
Figure 3-14). These frames are quite popular and can also
be used as a means of reinforcing builds.
Figure 3-13: When two studless pieces have axle holes, a single axle
is enough to create a rigid connection between them. However, such a
connection won’t be as strong as one made with two or more pins.