Wedges have been used in construction work for a long time. They are typically used in order to fill small gaps or spaces between construction parts. Usually a wedge has a tapered body where one end (the front end) is thinner than the other end (the rear end). Wedges can be used singly, in pair or in pairs.

When used in pair or in pairs, wedges made of plastic or metal tend to slide from each other under driving-in and setting. Many inventions are made to provide frictions between the interacting inclined planes of wedges. In DK141414, EP0844344 and US4135335 the paired wedges are provided with profiles on both their upper and lower surfaces to prevent them from sliding away from each other under driving-in and setting. US 4 625 489 A discloses a wedge with the features of the preamble of claim 1. The profiled wedge surfaces have been named as "rippled surfaces", "grooved surfaces", "toothed surfaces" or "serrated surfaces". When such wedges are applied in construction work, the profiled surface on one wedge become engaged by the mating profiled surface on the other wedge, and frictions between the two interacting surfaces of the paired wedges prevent the wedges from sliding away from each other.

It is obvious that the wedges in pair should be long enough, so their front ends can reach and hold onto each other by at least one row of "ripples" or "teeth".

In cases where the small spaces to be filled by wedges between construction parts are very small compared to the thickness of the wedges, the front ends of the two paired wedges cannot reach each other. In such cases, the profiled wedge surfaces serve no useful purpose. To solve the problem, wedges of different thickness are made. It is not uncommon to see a carpenter going with 5-10 types of wedges in different thickness at a construction site.

In recognition of the disadvantage of the state of the art, it is an object of the invention to devise a wedge that is more flexible and is able to fill both small and bigger spaces between construction parts. This object is achieved by the wedge claimed in claim 1. The present invention will be explained in detail in the following with reference to drawings and embodiments which are:

• Fig. 1-4: The disadvantage of the state of the art is explained in those figures.
  • Fig. 1: A commercial wedge (1) with profiled surfaces (2,3). Usually, the front end (4) of a wedge is thinner than the rear end (5).
  • Fig. 2: A pair of wedges (6,7) are used in order to fill a space between two construction parts (8,9). Profiled surfaces on one wedge (10) become engaged by mating profiled surfaces on the other wedge (11), and frictions between the two interacting surfaces of the paired wedges prevent the wedges from sliding away from each other.
  • Fig. 3: However, when the space to be filled by wedges between construction parts (8,9) is very small compared to the thickness of the wedges (6,7), the front ends of the two paired wedges (12,13) cannot reach each other. In such cases, the profiled wedge surfaces serve no useful purpose.
  • Fig. 4: To solve the problem stated in Fig. 3, wedges of different thickness are made. In Fig. 4, the wedges (14, 15) are made thinner than the wedges in Fig. 2 and 3, so the front ends (16,17) can reach and hold onto each other by "ripples" or "teeth".
• Figs. 5-7 : other examples of wedges are illustrated in those figures.
  • Fig. 5a-5b: The wedge is a wedge (18) that is extended with a second wedge (19) at its front end (20). The second wedge is thinner than the first wedge.
  • Fig. 6: The said wedge (18) extended with a second wedge (19) has profiled surfaces. The profile on the first wedge (21) can be different from that on the second wedge (22).
  • Fig. 7a: When the space between two construction parts (8,9) to be filled by paired wedges (18,37) is small enough, the second wedges (19,38) will reach and hold onto each other. The two paired wedges are thus prevented from sliding away from each other under driving-in and setting.
  • Fig. 7b: When the space between two construction parts (8,9) to be filled by paired wedges (18,37) is big, the second wedges (19,38) serve no useful purpose. The two paired wedges are held onto each other by the profiled surfaces (21,24) on the first wedges (18,37).
• Fig. 8 : An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in this figure.
  Fig. 8: In this embodiment of the said wedge, the front end (35) of the first wedge (25) is extended with a second wedge (26). The first wedge has recess (29) in order to save raw materials. The second wedge (26) is rather a shim where the front end and the rear end have the same thickness. The wedge is provided with an inserting slot (30). Profile on the surface of the first wedge (27) is different from that on the surface of the second wedge (28).
• Figs. 9-10 : other examples of wedges are illustrated in these figures. In this wedge, the first wedge (31) is wider than the second wedge (32).
  Fig. 10: In this wedge, the second wedge (33) has recess (34) of different size and shape.