To start, you'll need some hardwood. At least 1" thick, 3" x 3" for the fence, and 7/8" square and about 15" long for the lath (the "stick") and the wedge. I am using Cherry and Padauk here. Also note I have not cross cut the cherry to the final 3 inches yet. Leaving it long gives me a lot more room to clamp things down

To lay out I marked out the center lines on the board, and made a line 1" up from the bottom. This is where the mortise begins. My lath strip is already milled and I drew a line in the center. I match that with the center line on the board, 1" from the bottom. This is not super critical so pencil lines are fine. 

I then find the center of that "square" and drill out the waste. I like to pare most of it away with chisels so I used a 3/4" bit

Getting ready to chisel the waste. Before I do this it's important to transfer the marks to the back side. Here I used marking gauges. This does need to be critical.

I reinforce the gauge lines with a chisel to prevent tear out

Then I start removing the waste with a mortise chisel using the "center V" method. 

You can see how the mortise chisel removes the waste. Stop half way; do not go all the way through

Now I pare down the sides, and repeat. Once I am half way through, I flip the piece over and work the other side

Test fit shows I have a lot of room on the sides. I pare it square with a bench chisel a bit

Then plane a little off the lath. IMPORTANT - the lath is no longer a perfect square. That's fine, but I make sure to mark it

It fits!  Time to make the wedge

This piece is about 1/2" thick. I measure 3.5" along the length. mark it, and draw a line following a 10 degree angle. The "fat" side is on the end

I left the fat side on the end because  I want a "Head" in the front. This will do 2 things. It will prevent the wedge from falling out when loose, and it will give me something to grab onto when I adjust. I am using a washer here to draw a circle

I saw straight down in front of the circle stopping at my 10 degree line

Then I saw the wedge. 

It was a little rough, so I pared it down with the chisel. Like with the fence I left the piece long so I have room to work

Final shaping done. I did ALL the shaping before proceeding. I am cutting the next mortise for this exact wedge. If I made an error and had to trash it and make a new one, I'd have a hard time adjusting the wedge mortise I cut

Laying out for the wedge mortise. I'm not big on measurements. I want it closer to the top than the bottom

 bring a line up from the edge of the lath mortise

Now I have a reference line to lay out the angle

I lay the un-tapered edge of the wedge on that line, and estimate the amount of projection I want when fully locked. I then draw a line against the tapered side

Line drawn, now I can finish laying out the mortise by transferring the locations from one side to the other (like with the lath mortise) 

I secure the piece with the "wide side" up and get ready to bang out the mortise with a chisel

When I said bang, I meant it.. I'm not being nice about it. I just eyeball it at an angle much steeper than the actual wedge angle. I work my way back to my line with a mortise chisel

I flip often to check my progress. Here I am pretty close to my line on the bottom side. 

I switch from a mortise chisel to a finer bench chisel and pare away the waste - checking after each paring stroke until I have connected my lines    

Done! Now time to lean up the cheeks a bit

Here I test the wedge for fit. I want it snug, but not super tight. I got lucky on this one. If it's too tight I find it easier to either plane the wedge, or rub it on some 120 grit sandpaper to fit it. Adjusting the size of the mortise is risky

Perfect fit. There should be very little to no space between the wedge and the fence when locked. If there is that means I probably have a hump in the middle of my mortise I need to take care of. 

Now I am going to finish it off. I like the traditional fence shape, so I draw it out

I also like to add a personal touch to my project, so I cut a padauk plug and drilled a hole for it. This is easier before the piece is shaped 

I cut the plug flush and smooth it

I lay out a first class cut to get to my final 3" size

And cut it at a bench hook

Here the piece is separated and ready for final shaping 

I cut the lath to length. I cut this about 9". I have a panel gauge for larger layouts

Everything fits and is comfortable to use. But what about a cutter?            

I'm going to sharpen a screw to use as a cutter. Here I am marking out for the pilot hole in the center of the lath, about 3/4" back from the edge

I drill the hole and chamfer both sides. This will prevent spiltting

All the pieces cut, shaped, smoothed, and ready for finish. I used boiled linseed oil and shellac

Finish is done, now I move onto the cutter. Here I have a wood screw, screw driver, and a small triangular file. 

I turn the screw in BY HAND. I just want a little bit poking out of the back

This is right for me, some people like a little more or less cutter exposed

I then file the front of the screw square. Once that is done, I also file the back of the screw square. Why a screw? They are already pretty hard and will hold an edge for a long time. When dulled, it's very simple touch up with a file or simply replace

Done! Very crisp and straight line in this hard maple