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Sandy,
I finaly think we hit the key of understanding. Key / wedge = the small, triangular woodden things used for expanding the canvas after mounting, IF it is needed.
I recently carryed out an enterprise for a manor house, stretching 23 canvasses, several of them more than 10 x 10 feet. These were to cover the upper part of the walls. I mounted them on stretchers and glued with animal glue. When glued the linen shrink so much that some of the wooden stretchers on the big canvasses actually broke, so I had to repair them afterwards. (The carpenter had made a lousy job.) But when the glue had dryed the canvas was back in shape. After finishing and painting the finished color I just had to knock a little on the keys, with a hammer, to stretch the canvas to be drum tight.
Whenever I mount a small canvas with raw linen I always make it drum tight from the start. And so with custom primed canvas in all sizes. I try to avoid to use the keys as much as possibly. I also use a plier, but I used to call it a "l
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