Thread: wedge angle

By wedge, I mean the spacer type, not the blade grind. Now that we have that cleared up, here is my question. Have any of you guys ever figured out a good included angle and fat end thickness for your wedges?

Nope. I just wing-it. And fiddle til I'm tired of messing with it. But I'm sure there is some technical equation that someone has.
I know it's not what your lookin for, but that's what I do. Let's see what they say, I'm qurrious as well.

the angle of the wedge is the same as the angle of the of the tang. The thickness is where it gets tricky as it needs to relate to the thickness of the tip of the razor at the point of contact with the scales.

This is a good question because I have never seen a detailed explanation :<0)
The thick side is where I start. Calipers on the razor where I want it to come to rest. Sand the wedge to get around an 1 1/2" of spread between the scales on the pivot end. This can vary depending on the material of the scales. Test pin and see how the razor moves. It should get tighter when the blade is parallel with the scales. This helps keep the scale from moving when your honing and stropping.

Now there are guys that have been doing this a lot longer than I have but this is what I have discovered on my own.
Will be watching to see what I may be missing !

As a general rule, the angle measured from pivot pin to thickest part of tang that needs to sit within the scales - should be the same as the angle on your wedge. In practise this need not be exact and is mostly achievable by eye rather than measurement.

The wedge width will depend on how far in the scales your blade is designed to fit. Obviously if you design the scales but then put in a fatter wedge you run the risk of the edge protruding through the bottom.

So it would a good answer to the angle question be if you are looking for precise repeatability, then you set the angle of the wedge and the taper of the tang the same? I would think that you could do that ver consistentlywith say the surface grinder attachment that Travis Wuertz sells or something similar. The reaming quustion would be how thick would your big end be and the answer to that would be the good lawyer answer "it depends? "

Originally Posted by UKRob

As a general rule, the angle measured from pivot pin to thickest part of tang that needs to sit within the scales - should be the same as the angle on your wedge. In practise this need not be exact and is mostly achievable by eye rather than measurement.

The wedge width will depend on how far in the scales your blade is designed to fit. Obviously if you design the scales but then put in a fatter wedge you run the risk of the edge protruding through the bottom.

Wedge starting thickness would also depend on the grind and the thickness of the stock used ofot he balled, right?

JMHO for production of wedges for a mass produced "identical razor" the surface grinder may be beneficial ( a mill may be better for the longer side travel of a length of wedge material),
but you would still need to make the prototype & work from it if all the blades are the same.

as soon as you start looking at individual razors the above mentioned criteria's will come into play eg. width/grind of blade for set in, tang thickness, length of sales & scale material used as some don't like a big flex.
my rule of thumb is to try & make my scales about 6-8mm (1/4-5/16") each side wider than the tang at the pivot to allow a bit of flex dependent on the scale materials flexibility, wood the lesser then horn & acrylic more
YMMV

Okay , look at a razor closed. Note how the thickness of the razor (where it hits the scales) is the same thickness as the wide part of the wedge?

SO if you make the wedge wider, then the razor is going to drop farther down into the scales. (hopefully not out the bottom of the scales)

If you make the wedge thinner, then the razor will not go down into the scales as much. (the blade may hit the sides on the way in)

Make one and see what you did/need to do next time.
Start fat and work your way thinner. Then start working the angle.

" ofot he balled, right? " ....... I have no idea how to answer that 1 :<0)

I just angle mine down, test fit, and aim to modify the thickness in order to get a closed sitting height that I'm happy with. I make sure that there is a wedge to the wedge, but don't pay much attention to how much so.