Just to add to the confusion: in cabinetry, the two parts of a dovetail joint are called "pins" and "tails". In our shop, we say "pegs". CB.

Hi,

Its odd - but when a timber frame is being trial asembled it is common practice to use tapered steel pins to pull the assembly together but later when being erected in its final place - wooden pegs are employed. Same hole but different terminology (pins / pegs) depending on whether or not the securing device is removeable ?

Regards

Ken Hume

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/peg

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pin

I think pin could be closer but either/or works for me.

After sitting on a shaving horse for 3 hours we have called them "pags" for some stupid reason. Tim

This is typical to what I see –



Oaken, octagonal and most often, well drawn, with a short taper and a four sided point. Almost without exception these are 1”

Like Jim, I have seen few examples of turned pegs in homes and barns, in my case I have come across two exceptions, both atypical in various other aspects also. (one had a trussed and suspended floor, the other the only example of centered braces in an SR frame I’ve come across) Both were built by wealthy industrialists, bringing weal (read that: conspicuous consumption) back to their hometowns.

Trunnel – is still in common usage in the Bridgewrighting community, and (like the wiki suggests) is used in referring to the large pins that are common to bridges. As an aside to that, (and in contrast to the norm) turned pegs, even in small diameters are common to bridges, even early examples. This likely due to the constant forces found in them, and the desire for full bearing on the pins, and the logic of adding a bunch of 1” to the 1 ¾ “ order. These orders perhaps filled on typical lathes early on, but eventually this led to the advent of specialty trunnel lathes –

As this trunnel spam suggests – click on the photo.

http://tfguild.org/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showthreaded&Number=9618&page=

that's a cool video -- really neat to see it in action.

So these turned trunnels are for transfering shear when you need to have no slop in the connection? Makes sense. I'll have to go to the local bridges and see what sort of pins/pegs/trunnels they have. All the local surviving bridges are lattice, so plenty of trunnels in them.

I have only seen turned pegs in the few lattice bridges I have seen. I think I read somewhere that is the norm, could be wrong.

I call'em pegs, usually.


Dave

Hey Jim...

So have you seen boards pinned/pegged to framing? Sills and girts and plates are framing members. Has anyone else seen heard of this? What kind of building was it Jim, and how old...where?

I too have seen the 2" trunnel on the end of a rafter. One of the barns had a rough winter here and the snow snapped one of the major rafters. The carpenter putting it back to gether remarked about the "huge dowel" pinning the rafter to the crosstie.

Tim:

Those definitions are interesting. I wouldn't have thought there were so many forms of each word.

I don't really have a preference what we call pins/pegs... but like I said before, "pin" sounds metalic:

hinge pin
cotter pin
split pin
wrist pin
hat pin
saftey pin
pin the tail on the donkey!


Will, that photo is typical of what I see here in Maine as well. And neat video.

Funny, but "pin" feels more natural to use as a verb rather than a noun:

"pin that joint together"

"how did they pin the rafters at the peak?"

But I wouldn't say, "It will be hard to find a barn with pins made on a lathe..."

So maybe it's how we are using the word pin/peg?

Gabel – I believe most of Georgia’s surviving bridges are attributed to W.W. King, son of your best known bridgewright, Horace King – They built Town’s Lattice trusses almost exclusively, so you will find trunnels aplenty, but…

Large diameter trunnels are not exclusive to Towns

If you haven’t seen this film yet, you’re gonna want to -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qQWPX3oaNU

Jim & Don – The trunneled rafter to tie connection is a hyper regional variation unique to coastal Maine & NH – I know of but one inland example, got pix, I’ll upload to p-bucket and post one tomorrow

Will

I'm a little familiar with the King's work -- but I have never seen that video. Thanks for passing that along, it looks like it will be great!