Screw Keeps Shaker Pegs from Working Loose
Installing a Shaker peg or dowel for a coat rack or similar project takes only a minute or two, but how can you make sure it stays put for years to come? Here's my solution for keeping pegs in place.
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With a Forstner bit, I drill a hole of the correct diameter and depth to receive the tenon of the peg. Then, I drill a 1⁄8 " hole the rest of the way through the stock, using the dimple left by the Forstner bit as a guide. Next, I use a bandsaw or handsaw to cut a thin kerf centered on the tenon and extending about three-quarters of its length.
I glue the tenon into the hole, then insert a screw through the back of the stock and into the slot in the tenon. When you tighten that screw, the tenon expands slightly and fits the hole as snug as can be. I have never had a dowel or Shaker peg work loose, no matter how many coats I've hung on it.
—John A. Casto, Marlinton, W. Va.