The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
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I was looking for this thread a while back to post this wedge. I think it came out of a TT Jersey, but I can't remember. Never seen one before, and never seen any wedge with a patent date on it.
This thing was a Pain in the a$$ to get out...
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I don't know if CB-R is still around, but I'm pretty sure those wedge came out of a Diamond Edge product from Shapleigh Hardware. Here's a couple scans from their 1929 catalog showing these wedges:
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Lots of nails and screws, but the only one I haven't seen mentioned, was the broken off tip from a sickle mower blade. These are very common in farm country- look like this when new:
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I've pulled a couple interesting wedges recently. These are the first I've seen that had a manufacturers name on them - Red Devil. The one-inch wedges are marked 1 0. The half-inch wedge is marked 'RD' and '5'. I suppose it means 1.0" and 0.5". These are made of very soft steel.
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Keeping it sealed up with an oil like BLO should help. The nice thing about BLO (and others) is that it hardens and seals as it dries. Probably nothing new to you. Thanks for showing us.
I've read to use hardwoods from some sources, and softwoods from other sources. I've tried a variety of woods just to see, from as soft as white pine to a local shrub/tree that is very similar to ironwood (we've always called it bitter brush, but I don't know if that's its real name). So far, all of it works. However, my strong preference is for a reasonably hard wood that is very resistance to cracking as it is being driven. The "bitterbrush" cracks just a little too easily. The Oak is great. I recently used a scrap of what I believe to be alder, and it was fantastic. I think more important than wood type is shaping your wedge and kerf appropriately so you get a tight fit without bottoming out your wedge.
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I knew something was up when I couldn't get a drill bit started anywhere in that old handle. So much junk and it blended in all together. Counter sunk everything to boot. Things just kept coming!
I don't know if CB-R is still around, but I'm pretty sure those wedge came out of a Diamond Edge product from Shapleigh Hardware. Here's a couple scans from their 1929 catalog showing these wedges:
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This wedge I just pulled out of a Lakeside DB. Pretty sure not the original handle and there was not a screw in it. So pretty sure a re-used wedge.
Is this a Plumb take up wedge?
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Not sure what it is but given the scar on that wedge I'd say it wasn't entirely effective. Looks like somebody drove in a screw in next to it to tighten a loose head. Still cool to see. I wonder what other proprietary wedges were used.
This wedge I just pulled out of a Lakeside DB. Pretty sure not the original handle and there was not a screw in it. So pretty sure a re-used wedge.
Is this a Plumb take up wedge?
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Looks to be a Keen Kutter wedge. I guess the flat sided nails were not in that one? The wedge was made so a half, or flat sided nail would curl in to the tongue of the haft when driven.
Looks to be a Keen Kutter wedge. I guess the flat sided nails were not in that one? The wedge was made so a half, or flat sided nail would curl in to the tongue of the haft when driven.