This study, due to a number of limitations of adhesive joints and metallic mechanical joints, aims to replace them with glass fibre reinforced plastics (GFRP) and compressed wood (CW). Therefore, this study develops means to provide an adhesive free, non-metallic, timber connection for mainstream applications. The design of the connections is one of the most important factors in timber structures, which are nowadays mostly constructed from steel components. The lack of design guidance for alternative connector materials and the benefits of using non-metallic materials show the need of new developments in connections within the timber structures. To this aim, firstly, strength and stiffness properties of the materials have been determined experimentally and are reported for analysis purposes. After small scale tests, a large scale size of experimental testing program (truss) was performed to investigate the behaviour of steel and GFRP in the form of plates and dowels in different test configurations. As the next part of the project, compressed wood as one of the promising non-metallic material for replacement of metallic joints is investigated. The results obtained from a literature review are confirmed by the results obtained from a 3-point bending test. Compression of wood offers effective possibilities for improving the mechanical properties. It is shown that the non-metallic materials used in the paper can adequately replicate the load-deformation response and failure mode of the connections. The results demonstrate that the use of non-metallic materials in a slot-in-plate type can provide a robust connection system for contemporary applications.