Woodworking Tip #9: Wedges for Hungarian Shelves

Judging from traffic (see Dec. 13, 2009 post) there is a fair amount of interest in "Hungarian shelves," and though this system is very simple to construct, the required wedges deserve some consideration.  I cut these oversize, about 4" in length, to make insertion and removal a cinch and to provide easy thickening by merely shortening at the pointy end.  Use a precision cutoff blade, and set the miter saw at one degree.  Cut the block of wood with the grain, of course, so that the point has square corners, and then flip the block over to make the next cut.  The resulting wedges will thus be 2 degrees, an excellent angle for locking the shelves in place.  Stock shown is 8/4 to correspond with the width of the vertical standard.  Little practice is required to make nearly identical wedges, but if they vary slightly it matters little.  When the wedges will show, such as in upper shelving, they would probably look best finished to match.  Nonetheless, they possess an aesthetic of their own worth displaying.  See also: Slot Height for Hungarian Shelves

See also our shop at:  www.flyingcircusstudios.etsy.com