I'm sure you guys have likely talked this to death in the past but I am curious to know how you are making pegs. Not that I can't make them but when it comes to things like roundness, how much taper, length and different mat., are my pegs normal?
My process:
1. Cut block (ash, oak, cherry etc.) 2" longer than timber width.
2. Split block into square pieces and throw out rejects.
3. With axe, point one end.
4. Using large wooden mallet, drive through hardened steel die.
5. Throw out rejects.
The remaining pegs will still have some flat sections on them. Some more than others.
I will not put any taper on them until I go to use them and I can see the hole alignment and then taper as needed.
I have not found any literature on peg making so I'm not sure if this is normal.

Thane

The tool list is pretty short -

An adjustable bungee for the billett (Split the sapwood off the billet before you begin riving proper), a large froe (good ones are hard to come by - it shoud be wedge shaped not made from flat stock) A Draw Shave (New English for Draw Knife) and a shaving horse.

Hi Thane:

I recall this has been discussed b/4. Type in a search in the window here. There must be threads about making them.

I remember driving them through a "steel die" was controversial before. Some here say it was not typically historic practice, but I've come across the mention of it in a book. Shaving horse and drawknife, riving, and lathe are the typical procedures.

check this thread: http://www.tfguild.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=16447&page=1

I was taught to rive them from a billet with a froe, then shape them on a shaving horse with a draw knife. We had a hole in the body of the shaving horse for different peg sizes. If it didn't fit, you took a little more off, but you never drove them through. I have heard of using a chamfered steel die however, but have no experience. Some have also used a table saw to cut the blanks, but the grain would have to be in perfect alignment to the cut for it to work.

I was also taught to always split any piece evenly in the middle to prevent the split from running to the thin side, as in making shakes. When splitting in the middle, the split should run evenly down the two pieces, provided you are working with a nice billet. I made some pegs from osage orange once, and that did not have straight grain. Was not fun.

I rived them using an old froe, and shaped them in to tapered octagons with a draw knife and shaving hoarse. I needed 170 pegs for my frame. I made half and my daughter made the other half, it’s Easy and quick. You should check them for consistency with a go/no go gage as you make them. I my self would not taper them to fit one particular peg hole on raising day, it would be very time consuming.

kfhines

Ok, I need to make myself a horse like that. It looks like it has adjustable positions if I'm seeing it right. Otherwise fairly simple to make.
I don't have a froe but do have a draw knife. I have split or rived them with a carpenters axe but stock can only be 4" wide.
Could you show me a picture of a finished peg so I can see the taper length you use.
Thane

Don, thanks for the tip. In that thread they were also talking about pegged braces in barns and would like to mention that of the hundred or so barns I've been in there have been no pegged braces. Mostly sawn 2x4's on their side with a small 2" tenon to prevent from coming out.
Thane

Interesting about your report of "no pegged braces" as being typical. That's what's great about this Forum, we can get a real feel for regional practices. In contrast, I don't think I've ever seen a barn in Maine where the braces are not pegged.

kfhines, my kids have made a lot of pegs as well. That is a fancy horse your daughter is using.

I have a type of horse that is very simple to make and works well, it can be made in less than half an hour and is light and easily moved, it is a bodger type of shaving horse, it has no legs, you set it on what ever is handy. I take at least one and often two to any raising, even though all the pegs are made ahead of time, I never really count how many is need, mostly an educated guess and I make more if they are needed.

I will post a picture later, my server is lagging. There may already be one on the forum somewhere.

I am curious what the bungee is for, Will? Does it keep things from exploding all over the floor?

Tim

Tim – Yeah, the bungee is to hold the billet together so you can split all four sides of each drawn blank, they work far far better than cordage, the stretch allows you to fully lever the froe when the billet fails to give up easily.

Still that's about all the new fangled improvement that can be added to an age old method, anything higher tech and you would not be able to read the billet and follow its suggestions.