First of all I thank everyone for the help you've given me with my project.

I'm using a bent design incorporating an english tying joint at the eaves. My question involves connecting the top plates between bents. I am using pretty typical joinery as seen in Steve Chappel's Book. The tenons on the top plates will be 2" wide and the posts & tie beam will be routered out 1/2" for a shoulder/housing. Length of tenon will be enought to accomodate a 3/4" or 1" peg.
Now, I've seen many pictures of this joint in books, but haven't noticed any pegs protruding through the post connecting the top plates. I know that this must get pegged, but do the pegs just not typically protrude all the way through the post or what? I understand that if there's a continuous top plate, the joinery wouldn't require pegs. At any rate, can someone clarify this detail for me?

If you don't have the printed version of "Historic American Timber Joinery" available from the TFG online store for $10, written by Jack Sobon, you can download sections of it from the home page.
Select from the pull down menus at the top: Publications/joinery/historic or click on this link: Click here for link to Historic Joinery page
Download section 2 "Tie at the plate". In that section drawing Fig #2 shows an English tying joint, with peg holes. Most of the plates shown were "blind" pegged, that is the hole doesn't go all the way through the post, to show on the interior of the frame.

Hope this helps.
Jim Rogers

Thanks Jim. That's what I figured. I just wasn't sure of the terminology, "Blind Pegging".