Decisions, decisions: Upgrade my plow plane vs buy a beading tool?

[Frederick Skelly]

What do you folks think? I already own the Veritas small plow. It's $59 to upgrade to beading capability plus $63 for 3 blades. A Veritas beading tool with 6 cutters is $75.

What do you folks see as the advantages of one over the other, for beading?

Thanks,
Fred

[Tom M King]

The real difference in work produced is that the beading tool can make really small quirks, while a multi-plane cannot, or at least that the way it works for me. Almost all of the old stuff I have to match has small quirks (from a tool with sharp points instead of the flats beside a multi-plane beading cutter), unless the bead is a part of some more complicated molding.

[Tom M King]

The only time I can remember using the beading cutters with a multi-plane (which the LV plow plane becomes with other than plow cutters) is the bead on a molding like a Grecian Ogee with Bead, which is very common around here in 18th and 19th Century houses, if I don't have the right sized dedicated molding plane for it.

[Jim Belair]

A scratch stock is easy to make yourself, beading cutters for a plow not so much.

Edit: Here's a "Lee Valley" one

335434

http://www.leevalley.com/en/newsletters/woodworking/1/1/Article1.htm

[Tom M King]

Also, a beading tool can go either way on a board, while a multi-plane requires you to pick the right stick to work.

[Pat Barry]

I would buy the wooden beading tool with the 6 cutters for $57 if it were me. Looks to be a lot more flexible for that sort of thing.

[Reinis Kanders]

Plow plane might give you a better bead in a softwood if grain is in favor. I recently did some scratched beads and reeds in pine and they were ok, but I am not that picky.

[Allan Speers]

Another monkey in the wrench is LV's router plane, with ITS beading option. I haven't used either (I'm using a scracth stock right now) but it seems to me that I'd be more prone to pop the beader into the router plane, vs reconfiguring the plow plane. - but I'm just guessing.

I'm hoping that someone soon will compare these two planes, specifically as they work for beading.

[Jim Koepke]

One thought on this might be a consideration of future value of an unmodified plane. Not sure it would ever make collector status soon.

I have not yet had the opportunity to handle the Lee Valley plow plane. I do like the beading abilities of my various Stanley combi-planes.

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

Another monkey in the wrench is LV's router plane, with ITS beading option. I haven't used either (I'm using a scracth stock right now) but it seems to me that I'd be more prone to pop the beader into the router plane, vs reconfiguring the plow plane. - but I'm just guessing.

I'm hoping that someone soon will compare these two planes, specifically as they work for beading.

Allan, I'm confused by this statement. Are you mixing up the inlay cutter on the router plane with a beading iron?

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Allan Speers]

Allan, I'm confused by this statement. Are you mixing up the inlay cutter on the router plane with a beading iron?

Regards from Perth

Derek

You're right. I mistakenly thought it was the same thing. For both inlay and beading.

But say, that's not a bad idea. Maybe LV should make beading cutters for the router inlay adapter?

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks guys! These are all good thoughts and much appreciated. I'm still going back and forth with myself. The fact is, I was perfectly happy with the plow as-is, along with a shop-made scratch stock.. Like so many things woodworking, there's more than one way to do something. But I've found that sometimes, having more than one way available can help me out of a problem.

It might make sense to hedge my bets and upgrade the tool while I can, so it's cabable of beading, and wait to buy the blades until I actually nèed them. We'll see.

Thanks again for your help and advice.
Fred

[lowell holmes]

I think the logical thing to do here is have one of each. That is the woodworker way to do things. I have four or five knives I use for marking.
:rolleyes:

[Mike Cherry]

Fred,
thats what I chose to do. I sent my plow in to get upgraded but I have yet to pull the trigger on the blades. I just wish I knew about the free shipping before I sent it in haha

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have the beading tool but I dream of the plow plane. I would upgrade. It would be easier to cut beads in soft wood and wood with variable grain.

[Jeff Heath]

Don't discount dedicated beading planes. You can always buy new for a couple hundred bucks, but with a little bit of patience, you can easily find quality used ones for short money. I would hesitate to buy on ebay unless you really know what to look for, or trust the seller. Several tool dealers can put you into a good quality beader or two in the sizes most likely to be used by a woodworker for under $100.00.

If you know, or learn, your way around tuning one up, you can reshape one that's been used a bit and make it a fine user. I've got a few that cost about $10 apiece, and after a little bit of reshaping, some re-gluing of boxing, and a tune up of the iron to match the profile, they work as good as a new one.

As far as plow planes and multi-planes, I prefer to keep my plow plane dedicated to what it was designed for. I've never been much of a fan of tools like the Stanley 45, because while they can be fussed with to be adequate, there are far better tools to do a better job with beading, and other profiling.

I can't really comment much on scratch stock, because I've always been very satisfied with my beading planes and never needed more capability.

Just something else to consider.

[Derek Cohen]

I have the beading tool but I dream of the plow plane. I would upgrade. It would be easier to cut beads in soft wood and wood with variable grain.

Malcolm, cutting beads in variable grain with a plough plane is tricky. Ploughs do not have a mouth to close down. The open blade is vulnerable to tearing out in most woods that are not straight grained. The rule with the Stanley #45 has always been "choose your wood well".

Of late I have been beading in curved pieces. Both this and interlocked grain work best with a beader.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Shawn Pixley]

Hre is my thinking:

The plow plane with the beading cutters will work nicely on straight grained & straight beads
A beading tool would be necessary for curves or badly interlocking grain

that said, I modified (in process) my LV plough plane.