Wedged Joints

"... Verdigris; where engineering becomes art ..."

Mortise and tenon joint with through the tenon

Steel clock with wedges as feature joinery

Coffee table made using wedged mortise and tenon joinery

Wedges are used by blacksmiths to make creative and expressive joinery which is also strong and secure.

Often they are used with a mortise and tenon in a similar way to a traditional carpenters wedged joint. The joint is secured by driving the wedge through a punched hole in the tenon. This holds it firmly in place but has the added advantage that the joint can easily be dismantled if needed by hammering the wedge back out.