Re: make - forge? - wedge for feathers-and-wedge rock-split

On 30/03/2024 16:25, Jim Wilkins wrote:

"Peter Fairbrother"  wrote in message news:uu999l$128v0$1@dont-email.me...
 Are the insides of the feathers straight?

[...]

No, they are tapered to match their side of the wedge, and the end that protrudes from the hole is quite thin. I think chatter would be a problem unless they were supported near the cut, and extended plus lowered in steps as it proceeds. Or they could be slit from mild steel rod stock in a jig that supports them at the angle.
 They need to apply pressure evenly over their length, else the rock will just chip off at the hole mouth.
https://trowandholden.com/wedge-shim-sets.html
 

OK, a bandsaw then shaping in a fixture on the mill then.
Matey next door says they can be made so that either the bottom is slightly thicker than a simple wedge, or the wedge is thinned at the top, so that the maximum pressure is at the bottom. I don't know whether that is necessary, trowandholden don't seem to do it, some others do.
I was watching a video about Hilti capping rock, seems easy enough, if a little energetic.
You don't need a license to buy Hilti cartridges in the UK, though maybe you shouldn't if you have a criminal record.
Peter Fairbrother