How to Make a Rag Rug Peg Loom

A peg loom makes it possible to weave square or rectangular rag rugs quickly and with relatively little effort. String or thread is threaded through the holes in the loom pegs, then pulled taught and the rags are woven in among the strings. The loom in this project will make a 2-foot wide rag rug. If you'd like to make a wider rug, just select a wider piece of lumber for your base and add more pegs every 2 inches.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• (2) 2-by-3-by-30-inch boards
• Power drill
• 17/32-inch drill bit
• 1/8-inch drill bit
• Wood glue
• 1/2-inch diameter, 5-foot long wooden dowel
• Saw

1. Lay one of the boards out flat and draw a line straight down the length of its middle.

2. Measure and mark a dot every 2 inches along the line you made, starting and ending 2 inches away from the edges of the board.

3. Drill a hole with the 17/32-inch bit at every dot marking. Make each hole just 1 inch deep.

4. Cut the wooden dowel into 4-inch long segments.

5. Drill a hole all the way through each dowel piece, 1 inch down from one end.

6. Cover the bottom of each of the shallow holes you drilled in the lumber piece with wood glue.

7. Place a dowel piece in each shallow hole, drilled-through end facing up and oriented so that the 1/8-inch holes in the dowel pieces all line up with the line you drew along the length of the board.

8. Place the extra board on top of the dowels; its only function is to weight them down evenly. Leave this in place until the wood glue has set. Check the bottle for the manufacturer's instructions, but in most case it'll be 24 hours.

Resources

• Peg looms and rag rugs