Wedging

nounStandard termWoodworking

The process of driving wooden tapers into a joint to lock it permanently.

A mechanical fastening technique where thin, tapered pieces of wood are driven into slots cut into a tenon or dowel. As the wedge is hammered home, it expands the wood inside the mortise, creating a tight friction fit that prevents the joint from pulling apart. It is heavily used in chair making and timber framing.

Heard on the job

The wedging on these through-tenons will keep the bench legs solid for good.