Advice for making a multiple bead

[Bob Jones 5443]

What is your favorite way to make one of these (the vertical board):

425082

It's a one-by board attached to the backer. About four feet long and the beads go to the ends. Note the outer border of the beads is a straight bevel, not a rounder. Can this be done on the router table?

[johnny means]

I always make them with a stopped bead at both ends. IMO, that separates a bespoke piece from a commodity. I use a router table and do drop cuts. It gets to be a little tricky on unpainted work, as the bit likes to burn at the end of the cut.

[Bruce Wrenn]

What is your favorite way to make one of these (the vertical board):

425082

It's a one-by board attached to the backer. About four feet long and the beads go to the ends. Note the outer border of the beads is a straight bevel, not a rounder. Can this be done on the router table?Correct me if I'm wrong, but did you say inner beads are round, while outer two are "V" grooves. Make board longer than needed. This piece most likely was made with a wide molding knife that cut all in one pass. You could rip board down into three pieces, cut inner beads, then using V bit route the outer border, then glue board back together. I would do this on table saw with a molding head. Main problem is finding a cutter to match the size of the beads. From picture, could this be a fireplace surround? If so replace both sides with new which will match.

[Jamie Buxton]

Yes, you can make that on a router table. You can buy router bits which are like roundover bits, but instead of a bearing at the tip, they come to a point. One pass with that bit creates on of the valleys in that board. Move the fence over to make the next valley, etc.

For example https://www.amazon.com/Whiteside-Router-Bits-1572-Diameter/dp/B000ALY4EC/ref=asc_df_B000ALY4EC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241901362930&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12695698637338278849&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1013581&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-642870423264&psc=1

[Bob Jones 5443]

I always make them with a stopped bead at both ends. IMO, that separates a bespoke piece from a commodity. I use a router table and do drop cuts. It gets to be a little tricky on unpainted work, as the bit likes to burn at the end of the cut.

Johnny, so the end of the run comes to a little convex valley between the beads? Sounds elegant if you run the board face-down over a single-bead bit. Or are you talking about using a multiple-bead bit with the board on its side? Then the end would be a concave upsweep, I believe.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Bruce, yes, I did say the outer profile is a V or bevel back out to the board's face. I agree that this looks like the work of a shaper, or perhaps a combination of molding knives, or even one long molding knife on a tool I'll never own.

That's a clever idea to do it in pieces and glue up. It would be relatively simple and home-workshop-sized on a router table. Hmmm.

Alternatively, this two-part cutter combo looks like it might suffice with a table saw molding knife head:

http://corobcutters.com/233bead-14moldingknife-1.aspx

http://corobcutters.com/45thumbmoldingknife-1.aspx

The outer edge would have a slight curve, but that might be attractive. I'm not matching, just reproducing for a new installation. Yes, this is a mantel support on a fireplace.

I never hear about anyone using a molding knife head on a table saw these days. I remember reading about them 20 years ago and thinking they sounded exotic and full of potential. But would this be a viable course to take? I wonder.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Yes, you can make that on a router table. You can buy router bits which are like roundover bits, but instead of a bearing at the tip, they come to a point. One pass with that bit creates on of the valleys in that board. Move the fence over to make the next valley, etc.

For example https://www.amazon.com/Whiteside-Router-Bits-1572-Diameter/dp/B000ALY4EC/ref=asc_df_B000ALY4EC/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241901362930&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12695698637338278849&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1013581&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-642870423264&psc=1

Jamie, I have that Whiteside bit. It would leave the outer edge rounded up to the board face instead of a straight bevel. That might be OK I suppose.

I have used the bit on soft pine (Home Depot white wood, really), to make beadboard backing for a cabinet. In that wood it left fine dust in the grooves that I had to etch out with an awl. I assume Doug fir would behave similarly. A useful suggestion, in any case. Thanks.

[Tom M King]

In matching old work, I have always had to use a hand beading tool. The quirks go to fine, sharp points with the hand beading tools, whereas with power methods, or even combination planes, the bottom of the quirks always have some width. I don't think they can make a shaper cutter, or router bit that will hold up with sharp points between the beads.

I have several hand beaders, but my favorite is actually the cheapest one from Lee Valley.

[Bradley Gray]

I have done this several times dropping in with a table saw moulding head to make stopped flutes. I used stop blocks to keep the flutes even.

[Matt Day]

Looks like there wouldn’t be a reason to do drop cuts (RT or TS), since the profiles appear to go from one end of the board to the other.

[Bob Jones 5443]

Unless we wanted to follow Johnny Means's advice for "bespoke" work.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I never hear about anyone using a molding knife head on a table saw these days. I remember reading about them 20 years ago and thinking they sounded exotic and full of potential. But would this be a viable course to take? I wonder.I own several of the Craftsman ones from Sears. I don't like the single cutter, but prefer the three wing cutter. Bought all of them at yard sales for less than five bucks each, and most with a box full of cutters. You do have to sharpen cutters. You do the face just like flattening the back of a chisel.

[glenn bradley]

Have you been to a lumberyard that sells molding? That is a pretty standard piece of molding you could just buy a piece. Just a suggestion.

[Edwin Santos]

At the risk of looking like a moron (or a complete herb), I cannot for the life of me understand or picture what Johnny is describing with regard to stopped cuts.
If we were talking about flutes, it would make sense to me but the detail in the photo does not look like flutes to me. Or a bead for that matter.

There is space between the rounded details so the nearest I can tell, the cuts were made by what some of the manufacturers call an Ovolo bit like shown below. A plunging roundover might be another description. With a bit like this, I think you would have to make a through cut like the OP's picture shows or it just wouldn't look right.

Edwin

425181

[Bob Jones 5443]

At the risk of looking like a moron (or a complete herb), I cannot for the life of me understand or picture what Johnny is describing with regard to stopped cuts.
If we were talking about flutes, it would make sense to me but the detail in the photo does not look like flutes to me. Or a bead for that matter.

There is space between the rounded details so the nearest I can tell, the cuts were made by what some of the manufacturers call an Ovolo bit like shown below. A plunging roundover might be another description. With a bit like this, I think you would have to make a through cut like the OP's picture shows or it just wouldn't look right.

Edwin

425181

Edwin, Not sure if the photo provides enough detail, but there is essentially no flat between the beads. The pointed roundover bit Jamie posted would come closest to making the insides of the shape.