Making Pegs

We make all the pegs that hold our green oak timber frames together from clean, straight-grained off-cuts. 20mm square billets are split out from suitable blocks using a froe, and then worked on a shave horse with a draw-knife into a tapered 19mm (3/4 inch) peg. This technique ensures maximum strength of the peg, and allows us to make them while still green...by the time they come to be used, they're a little more seasoned and will pull the joinery up really tight when banged into the drawn (or off-set) holes in a mortice and tenon joint. Here's Andy going at full speed for the camera...