Show me your wedges and shims

[Fromey]

I'm sure this is a daft topic, but I'm never sure how to make a wedge or shim when I need one. Do you cut them out of some waste wood or pare them off with a chisel or knife? Do you make them as and when you need them and then throw them away or do you keep a collection? Is there a traditional 'set" of shims that have proven to be generically useful or is that a rabbit hole akin to sharpening methods? Is there any "shim lore" out there?

 

[adidat]

is this the sort of thing your asking about? they come in packs of different thickness's cheap as chips.

adidat

 

[AndyT]

I'm sure this is a daft topic, but I'm never sure how to make a wedge or shim when I need one. Do you cut them out of some waste wood or pare them off with a chisel or knife? Do you make them as and when you need them and then throw them away or do you keep a collection? Is there a traditional 'set" of shims that have proven to be generically useful or is that a rabbit hole akin to sharpening methods? Is there any "shim lore" out there?

I find that I don't really set out to make them, I just don't throw them away!

All you need to do is leave a cardboard box in a handy position in the workshop, and put any wedge shaped offcut into it. Some of them would have been 'sharpened' by pushing a stick into the bandsaw.

Carry on till it looks like this:

Also, if you cut a lot of dovetails and use a coping saw on the waste, you get a box of useful little wedges:

I have a few other boxes of oddments including some strips of hardboard cut into little pieces, but I don't want to give the impression that my workshop is just a pile of junk!

 

[kostello]

How about this video.......


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=988Ntts ... gdata_play

 

[wabbitpoo]

He calls that "safely" ? :shock:

 

[Giff]

That jig he uses would be ok if it was guarded.I use a similar jig for fox wedges with a push stick screwed to the back. The blade is covered with a polycarbonate guard and the operator (me) never goes past the blade.....and I use a riving knife and have the blade at the height of the timber I am cutting.

 

[maltrout512]

The safety is for his ears, when he screams out as part of his body is cut by the blade causing him to................... well make a loud ear piercing sound. I'am sure you should all know that by now. (hammer)

 

[sometimewoodworker]

He calls that "safely" ? :shock:

What is so bad about it?

If he was using thinner stock it wouldn't be safe sure. And being from the US he doesn't have a riving knife (they will catch up sometime but they've only had 50 years (hammer) ) also reaching across a spinning blade isn't the best idea but it doesn't seem like an accident waiting to happen to me. The last few we're safer.

Have I missed something?

 

[mailee]

I have a similar jig for wedges. Mine has a lug to hold the wedge to stop it getting thrown by the blade. I also only set the blade height to the depth of the timber. Safe enough for me. :wink: