How to Put Pegs in Wood

Make a coat rack by installing pegs in wood.

You can put pegs in wood for aesthetic or functional purposes. Aesthetic purposes include mission style architecture that is found in the Southwest. Functional purposes include inserting pegs for a coat rack or even when building furniture. The key to installing pegs or dowels into wood is to bore a corresponding hole that is clean, and exactly the right size for the peg or dowel. To do this correctly, use a Forstner style drill bit and a drill press. You can build a coat rack in about an hour.

Things You'll Need

• Board, 1 1/4-by-3-by-72 inches
• Straightedge, 48 inches
• Pencil
• Forstner bit, 3/4 inch diameter
• Drill press
• Glue
• Hammer

Instructions

1. Draw a line centered lengthwise down the center of the board with a straightedge and a pencil. Measure and draw lines intersecting the center line every 3 inches.

2. Install the Forstner bit into the drill press. Pull the handle on the drill press until it is within 1/4 inch of touching the table. Lock the depth of the bit by tightening the chrome wheel on the side of the drill press clockwise.

3. Slide the wood underneath the bit. Center the bit over the first mark. Pull the handle down slowly, letting the bit bore down into the wood until the bit bottoms out. Bore a hole at each mark on the wood.

4. Squirt some glue into the first hole. Insert the tip of a peg into the hole. Tap the peg into the hole with a hammer until the peg bottoms out. Do all the holes the same way.

Tips & Warnings

• The measurements here are examples. You can install any size peg in the same manner. Cut your pegs from dowel rods with a band saw or buy them already cut.

• Sand off all the sharp edges with sandpaper.

• Always wear safety glasses when working with wood.