Window Sash Joint Wood Pegs

[@moorelandhouse]

Just bought your book. We have 77 windows that we have to restore in our 1891 mansion. All of these video tips will go a long way in helping us do this work. We will give you credit in our videos if we do a good job. =)

[@johnleeke]

Thanks for getting the book. Best of success with your windows. Keep us posted over here on your progress. Take care, work safe!

[@JacobKnightRiderShop]

Why they just dont glue and brad nail the ends together?

[@ikust007]

2:50 totally agree. Also I am super happy . Working as a stained glass restorer , I put my ends on the 1900 (in not older ) large well made wood frames : square pegs , inside side of the frame …:)

[@macelius]

I just love vintage and antique tools, nothing like using something that's worked great and held up doing it's job for decades.

[@johnleeke]

macelius, Me Too!

[@johnleeke]

Decades, and centuries!

[@egglyph]

John, there’s an easy way of making your own depth stops out of wood. They don’t leave swirl marks like metal ones. Making them is easy: just drill a piece of wood along the grain, trim to a desired length and square at least one end to the drilled hole. Time permitting whittle this little block to a cylindrical shape. I’ve stopped using metal depth stops almost completely

[@spayced]

Thanks for the tip! Im trying to follow how you set the height. I think you mean it just hits the drill body. Therefore, is not adjustable since each depth needs a different piece of wood. Am I understanding right? Photos may help.

[@ikust007]

Question : I understand the logic of the first peg (top left corner ). But not the second one so close to it . If it’s a through mortise , I would have had the tendency to put it a 3/4 of the diagonal…?

[@rogercarroll1663]

Thanks. Lovely work.

[@ikust007]

2:50 that’s what I think also…

[@danmitchell1866]

WHERE did you get osage orange, Nebraska?!

[@johnleeke]

I do have some Osage from my home state of Nebraska, but I got this chunk of Osage from a friend and it grew right here in Maine. If you need some Osage for pegs, stop by when you are in Portland and I'll give you a chunk.

[@ikust007]

14:47 superbe and thank you !

[@ikust007]

Sir, question : do you often use Abatron or rely more on ducthman ?

[@johnleeke]

For woodwork repairs I have always used wood dutchmen or part-by-part replacement more often than wood-epoxy repairs. For more on both see my publications: historichomeworks.com/publications/

[@ikust007]

Thank you so much for answering . I am very mad because I don’t receive any notification for Yt. I just came back to see

[@ikust007]

16:22 advantage of putting blo in the hole or on the pegs prior to insert them ?

[@johnleeke]

The BLO soaks into the end-grain, helping the paint coating last longer at that critical spot.

[@ikust007]

@@johnleeke no I got that . Was wondering not putting on the hole before putting pegs ;)

[@ikust007]

Sir : question. Why the pegs that close to each other ?

[@johnleeke]

The pegs are crowded up next to each other right near the inner corner of the joint, so they hold that inner corner tight and stable. In the video I talk more about this and show how it works.

[@ikust007]

Hum… maybe I missed that part . Also, I am very sorry for not responding sooner : never received the damn notification. Thank you very much . Also , thank you for specifying about the Side where the pegs should go: inside the building not outside .

[@ikust007]

@@johnleeke yup . Listened to it again. And it confirms the location of the pegs on my 1900 frames

[@ikust007]

Question : no use to drawbore?

[@johnleeke]

I usually do not use the drawbore technique on ordinary window sashes. Simply clamping and pegging has been done traditionally for centuries. In some cases drawbore could make sense, for example, when the sash are larger than your clamps, or with very large hardwood sash.

[@zacharyshay7000]

What is the advantage of using wood pegs over metal fasteners?

[@johnleeke]

Steel fasteners can create "nail sickness" an iron-rich environment in the wood next to the fastener that is suitable for the growth of a certain bacteria that eats the wood. In fact, you can see this right in this video at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqiUp315ia5joZY On the end of that joint sample you will see two steel pins (that were holding this joint together). Also see the holes on the tenon, those holes are about twice the diameter of the pins, because the wood was consumed by bacteria. Wooden pegs do not have this problem.

[@zacharyshay7000]

@@johnleeke that’s really helpful! Thank you!

[@AntonellaFrancesca]

And why a homemade square peg rather than something like a birch dowel pin that is round?@@johnleeke

[@johnleeke]

@@AntonellaFrancesca, a split peg follows the grain making it stronger than a dowel, which may have cross grain and be weaker. The four ridges at the head of the peg dig into the side of the hole holding the peg in the hole, a dowel has smooth sides that may allow the peg to drift out over time. Pegs can be made out of scrape at no cost, while dowels usually are purchased. And last but not least, it is just plain fun to make pegs.

[@johnleeke]

@@AntonellaFrancesca , a split peg follows the grain making it stronger than a dowel, which may have cross grain and be weaker. The four ridges at the head of the peg dig into the side of the hole holding the peg in the hole, a dowel has smooth sides that may allow the peg to drift out over time. Pegs can be made out of scrape at no cost, while dowels usually are purchased. And last but not least, it is just plain fun to make pegs.