New use for old tool

[Burnham]

I recently needed to lift a 4x6 beam about 1/2 inch from its position on top of a 4x4 post under my front porch. No need to go into the nitty gritty details of why unless someone is really interested...but after removing the T braces that secured the position, I used a pair of old beat up 8 inch double taper falling wedges, one from each side, driven equally into the joint. Lifted the beam, and thus the corner of the 36'x6' porch, roof and all, like child's play.

Wedges/levers are amazingly powerful technology.

 

[cory]

💯

The corner of my storage shed has some of the gravel holding up one corner washed out. Of course you could never put the gravel back where it belongs and have it be tight so I apply double wedges- the face cut wedge (@Mick! a gob) from a cherry tree for volume and then drive in a plastic felling wedge on top of that for lift to support the corner of the shed. The corner/corner post is one of the strongest parts of the structure so I didn't like seeing it unsupported.

• Simple Machine:
  A wedge is a triangular-shaped tool that converts force into pressure to separate objects or hold them in place.

.Interesting, that notion of converting force into pressure

 

[davidwyby]

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Used one to get one inch clearance to drop a trailer down on the ball. tongue jack was retracted all the way and on a 4x6 to prevent sinkage.
Wedged one in between the coupler and the receiver to lift the tongue and jack just enough to remove the block of wood under it, then knock wedge out. No lift from the tractor necessary this time

 

[davidwyby]

See how the one on the right is black? Got used near torch at work.

Both those big yellow wedges were brittle and broke (before fire exposure)

Bjarne power wedges ftw

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Hard heads for the win

 

[Burnham]

That would be us, no?

 

[davidwyby]

Hard heads for the win

I have a couple. They do seem to drive well, but more vibes.