Timber Framers Guild Forums General General Forum Questions Peg treatment and embellishments

Hi all,

On a different post (about housing routers), daiku published a photo essay with something that caught my eye in the way the pegs were treated.

http://www.northernlightstimberframing.com/misc/housing_router/IM001974_lg.JPG

The pegged workhorse was very interesting--both aesthetically and from a construction standpoint. Not only were the outer edges of the pag neatly smoothed, but it looks like a perfectly chamfered socket was created from which the peg 'springs forth'.

So, that got me thinking:

1. I assume that the chamfered socket was done with a router bit before the peg was driven? Is there some other method to achieve this?

2. After cutting off the peg at 1 inch, is there some tool that could smoothly and consistently finish off the outer edges of the cut peg? I’m thinking of something almost like a pencil sharpener or a block with a cutting blade mounted on it.

3. Are there other treatments or embellishments that I should consider?

Thanks in advance,

Steve

Closest I came come up with would be Power Tenon Cutters from Lee Valley. Principally used to cut round tenons on saplings for Rustic furniture and Chairs, Trellises, etc. There is a radius to the cut rather than a 45 degree chamfer, but that might look okay, too.

Try this link:

http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=42299&cat=2,2180,41007

Can be used with a 1/2 " drill or hand brace.

Look for a spoke pointer - looks like a funnel with a cutter, and goes in a bit brace. Designed to chamfer they end of spokes, they are also used in Windsor chair making. They come in different sizes, and are fairly common at fleas and on Ebay.

Cheers,
Dan

Those are just sawhorses! I actually wish I had cut those pegs flush, as the straps from the bridge crane sometimes snag on them. Our standard peg embellishment is to chamfer the hole with a router, just as you guessed. We have a small router dedicated for this task. The double-chamfered pegs are available from Scott Northcott . We leave them about 1" proud. CB.

Thanks to everyone for the ideas and suggestions. This has stimulated the creative process enough to where I think I've come up with some good options. I'll post my results once I've worked out the details.

-srj