Permanent and Transitive Wedges; the Axe-Head
Two natures of wedge - one that cannot return, one that enters and exits - and how a permanent wedge holds an axe-head
The page distinguishes two natures of wedge: the permanent, which once driven in can no longer return backwards, and the transitive, which enters and exits as the case requires. Diagrams show objects with barbed voids - an ordinary wedge enters and can be withdrawn, while a barbed wedge locks in place and cannot slip out. A drawing of an axe-head introduces the axe as a hammer that becomes a 'female' to its handle, wide above and narrow below, fixed by a permanent wedge.
On this page
Permanent versus transitive wedges
Wedges are of two natures. The permanent, once it has entered, can no longer return backwards; the transitive enters and exits according to the necessity of the case.
Barbed voids that trap the wedge
Two objects are drawn with barbed voids for receiving a wedge. An ordinary wedge penetrates the first and can be removed, while the second wedge's barbs match the void so that it cannot be withdrawn or slip out once driven in.
The axe-head fixed by a permanent wedge
The axe is a hammer that becomes a female for its handle. It should be wide above and narrow below, its handle thick below and narrow above, and then widened above by a permanent wedge so that the head stays in place.