[TheForge] Feather & wedge (Re: Free the Stake!)

[Andrew Vida]

Mike Spencer wrote:
>...I figured out that the reverse taper
> in the feathers is as important as the taper in the wedge and that the
> tapers should more or less match.

	IMO there is nothing more or less about it.  The tapers should match 
with good precision.  You want as much sliding contact as possible to 
avoid jamming the wedge or otherwise ruining the surfaces.  Also, the 
better the contact, the better the distribution of the force will be. 
Point stresses may cause the stone to fail unpredictably and in 
undesired ways.  You want the force nicely distributed along the lengths 
of the feathers.