> David Sawyer wrote:
>
> One question for the group, are there any techniques to making the perfect
> wedge besides carving away with various blanks? Mine is close, but not
> perfect, and it comes loose fairly easily.
>

I tried something yesterday while making a plow wedge that seemed to work
pretty well.  I'd be curious what others think.

I learned from Tod Herrli that a good way to get good contact between the
iron and bed is to blacken the back of the iron with lamp smoke (I used
a candle), insert the iron and wedge then tap the iron a bit.  Remove the
iron and where the black rubs off the iron you'll know you have a high
spot.  Keep working on the bed until you get a fairly even distribution
of scrapes in the black stuff on the back of the iron.

It occurred to me that I could use the same process to fit the wedge.  I
blackened the back of the iron then inserted the iron and wedge, but
reversed them.  In other words, the back of the iron was against the
front of the wedge mortise and the wedge was sitting on the bed.  I gave
the iron a few taps and it left nice black smudges on the high spots of
the front of the mortice.  Remove the smudges with a float (you could use
a chisel) then repeat the process.  I did it until I got good contact along
the entire surface.

Don't know if it's the right way to fit a wedge, but it worked for me.