A while back, I made a desk that had 36 tenons, each slotted for two 3/4 × 1"-long wedges. Here’s how I managed to make so many efficiently and safely: Begin with a piece of squared stock that’s 1-1/4" thick by at least 6" wide (for feed stability). Also for safe feeding, it should be at least 8" long. To set up the cut, first make a wedge-length cutline on the face 1-1/4" up from one end. Lean your blade over 8°, and then outfit your rip fence with an auxiliary tall fence. Locate the fence for a cut that will slice to your line, then saw a wedge from each opposing face. Invert the workpiece and perform the same 2 cuts at the other end. The 4 wide wedges you just cut can now be knifed or bandsawn to their desired width (trimmng them flush to final length after installation). If you need yet more wedges, tilt the blade back to vertical and adjust the fence to cut a new wedge adjacent to each of the first cuts, as shown. Then crosscut these wedges free of the stock.
—Richard Libera, Newark, Delaware
