Wedge Cutting Jig

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When making wedged through mortise-and-tenon joints, I need the wedges to be spot-on, and I often require lots of them. To quickly and accurately bandsaw multiple wedges, I use a thick block of wood with wedge-shaped notches cut into its side. To make a jig like this, begin with a squared chunk of 8/4 or 12/4 scrap about 7" wide by 9" long, adding a handle for safety. Notch the edge to match the angle of your desired wedge. (My jig includes 3°, 4°, and 5° notches.)

To make your wedges, first prepare your wedge blank by thicknessing a board to the desired width of your wedges. Then crosscut away a piece that equals the desired length of the wedges. Next, offset the bandsaw fence from the blade a distance equal to the width of the jig. Nestle the end of the wedge blank in the notch, and then slice off a wedge. Test-fit it in your joint, readjusting the fence if necessary to adjust the thickness of the wedge to create a sharper or blunter point.

When your fence is set properly, cut a few inches into a piece of plywood, and clamp or tape it to the table surrounding the blade as a zero-clearance base. Now cut a wedge as before. Then rotate the stock 180° and reinsert the same end in the notch to make the next cut. Repeat to make all subsequent wedges.

—Alan Turner, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania