Dana and Timothy, I haven't gotten my lute to the point of needing pegs, but being one who likes to change gears I've gotten into the peg making while I'm still finishing the mold. Tim, you know I bought David v.E's course on your advice. I've made myself a shaver, partly because they are so damned expensive and partly because I didn't see one I wanted. I have a rule for the house, if it involves heat or electricity I pay the price (I live in a condo apartment, and were I to make a fire with a tool I'd made I'd be in trouble with the insurance, and suits from the neighbors). So I spent the money for a commercial bending iron, even though I could have made one.
As to the shaver, one can get two double sided planer blades at Sears for about $11 (no way to get one, they are in two packs). That solves the tempering and whatever that involves fire. I can only think that Tim is either a bit out of alignment with the shaver, or pressing too hard. (I've been making good pegs, even though I haven't a real peg box for the lute yet I've made a "dummy one" to test the pegs). The final cuts by the shaver should shave the entire peg, the shaper should be set up so all the uneven points are taken out before fully inserting the peg. As to the turning, I've been following Davids plan. I can't see the rechucking that Dana is doing. I was turning wood before doing this, so have a number of tools. But David does his with only a roughing guouge and a 3mm cut off tool. He makes a template of formica (couldn't find a piece cheap enough, so I bought a stick on floor tile for about 89 cents. He over lengths the blank and uses a three blade pin drive, I have a nice two blade of just the right diameter to avoid chipping the tool on the drive, and a live center at the other end. I don't have to rechuck. So let me suggest the process. First round the blank (not necessarily fully, as one can make the blank thinner on one axis where the head is flattened to save wood). Turn a deep groove into the head end (drive end) with the cut off tool to leave a piece that will later be cut off, but is the drive vehicle. Then do it again, the head length below the first cut. Now you have a set point that will be the wide point of the taper (use the template to test). Then do the same at the far end, with the template for the desired small end (but leave a bit for the cut off). Now shape the taper from the already cut depth of the top and the small end. David does this with what looks in his photos to be a large roughing gouge (I think he has only two turning tools, the 3mm cut off and the roughing gouge, but it works for him). I tried a skew chisel on my first try at making a taper, but I happen to own a Sorby Spindlemeister which is perfect for that cut. A spindle gouge would do also. Once the taper is made, using the template at both ends (and I added a middle, and one should mark the template in distance from the top of the peg head. And the taper should be a hair oversized. Then on can rough out the profile of the head, and any ridges between the head and the taper. At this point we still are chucked as the blank was originally chucked (wrong word, I don't use my jawed chucks - I punch set the two ends of the blank and press in the two blade drive). What we have is a false head, then a deep cut, then the part that will be the real peg head, then a small space for decorative ridges, or whatever. Then the taper, a hair oversized. And at the tail a bit extra where the live center has driven in. Now, still "chucked" between centers, shape the profile of the peg head. Once that is done one can remove the peg an cut it off at head and tail, or just cut them on the lathe (being careful to catch the flying peg). Now to the scraper (pencil sharpener), and the band saw or belt sander, or both to cut the sides of the peg head. The key to all this talk is a basic. No turner can ever exactly duplicate a rechucking without luck. Never rechuck unless really necessary. I'm using cocobolo for the pegs, and I bought some "eye wash" that is needed after turning that. Tim, I made a thickness guage, not from your suggestion, nor from anyone else's drawings. I'll send a picture on day. One Sear's gauge at $35, plus about $5 worth of scrap. Best, Jon To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
