Are you strapping the whole billet or a quarter section? I don't square it up, I split it in half then quarters and so on always splitting halves, discarding the sappy wood in the end, it goes into fire wood.
I split off most all the sapwood first, as it seems to have great effect in steering the riving and is nothing I want in a peg anyway. I wrap the whole billet, and work it whole, though working in subsections, always avoiding the pith (typically ending up with a 4 or 6 square section that I have not split at all) as it also effects the blanks around it if split through.
The Gilpin's has beautifully rendered shaved pegs. Relativly unusual for a Covered Bridge, turned being far more common.
"We build too many walls and not enough bridges" - Isaac Newton
Thane, The Shaving hoarse is easy to make and yes the dumb head height is adjustable to allow for use with items of different thickness. The dumb head was made from a small crooked Ash as well as the legs. I will look around to see what I have left for pegs, I know I have a few extra pegs that were used in a 14" deep header. If I remember correctly, I cut the Oak billets to 13" lengths for making pegs to go with 8" timbers.
Hi Tim, I don't think you would say it's all that fancy if you see it in person, and at over 6' it takes up a lot of space. I was really happy my daughter wanted to help. I would be very interested in a picture of your portable Shaving hoarse if you get a chance.
Thanks. kfhines
"When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right." Victor Hugo
Thanks Jim, I knew I did something with them. That is my daughters leg in one of the pictures.
The design is something Bill Coperthwaite passed on to me an others, when he does a carving workshop he has the attendants make the horse first, they take that home with them as well as part of the craft. He always encourages changes for the simpler side, what can you do to make it still work yet have the tool be even more democratic, something anyone can make and use.
A wood splitter with a grate the billet is pushed through, like the old french fry maker. Out pops blanks ready for shaving.
