The Framers Forum

What is the difference between Cassese hardwood and softwood wedges?

They look identical.

The difference is in how the sharp edges of the leading edges of the wedges are formed, Soft wood wedges are ground to a sharp edge on only one side, which does tend to pull the two pieces of moulding together as the wedge is being inserted. The hard wood wedges are are ground to a sharp edge on both sides and do not tend to pull the two pieces of moulding together in the same way as the hard wood mouldings are capable of pulling the wedges apart in the centre if they are tending to pull the two pieces of moulding together, on account of increased forces due to less give in the wood.

There is also another inovation which appears in the Alphamacchine "power twist wedges" use the small folded over edges to pull both hard and soft wood mouldings together, using both their soft wood and hard wood wedges. Cassesse tell their customers not to use other brands of wedges in their underpinners, suggesting that it will invalidate their warrantee. However the Cassesse wedges in their plastic cartridges are exactly the same dimensions as standard universal wedges as used in most underpinners which don't use cartridges.

I don't buy the Cassesse wedges in cartridges, because I have found the Alphamacchine universal power twist wedges work much better and therefore I refill the Cassesse cartridges with the Alphamacchine wedges instead and get much better nice tight mitre joints as a result. The Alphamacchine wedges are not the cheapest, but no one would pay more for their wedges if they were not worth the extra. Well, I have been using the alphamacchine wedges for years and they really out perform everything else that I have tried.