Beading advice

[Keegan Shields]

I purchased a few beading cutters for my small veritas plow plane. Any tips to make some nice crisp beads? I’m getting some tear out in soft maple and oak when the grain gets squirrely. Should I use a marking gauge to score the outer edges of the bead?

Thanks!

[Jim Koepke]

Yes, scoring the edge that is prone to tear out can help.

If the grain is running at an angle to the edge, at the blade one side of the blade is cutting rising grain and one side is cutting grain falling.

This is also where a side rabbet plane can help clean up the fuzzies after cutting the bead.

If you have a carving gouge close to the same size as your beading blade you can have some fun:

496647

That is my initials in Morse Code on the edge of one side of my tool tote.

jtk

[Derek Cohen]

I purchased a few beading cutters for my small veritas plow plane. Any tips to make some nice crisp beads? I’m getting some tear out in soft maple and oak when the grain gets squirrely. Should I use a marking gauge to score the outer edges of the bead?

Thanks!

Hi Keegan

Yes, score the sides, but also add a backbevel to increase the cutting angle.

I wrote about this here: http://www.inthewoodshop.com/ToolReviews/VeritasSmallPlowasaBeadingPlane.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Keegan Shields]

Thanks Jim and Derek! I’ll give it a try.

The Morse code gave me a chuckle.

[chris carter]

You could also do the final 5% of cutting with a scratch stock.

[steven c newman]

Afraid I won't bead much help on this one....as I use the Stanley 45 for bead work....

[Jack Dover]

Yeah, was about to suggest it, sometimes maple has quite a wild grain and it will tear no matter what. Esp. when molding it, because there's neither a chip breaker nor a narrow mouth. So I usually make a scraper by copying a molding plane profile and plane as much as I can while tearout is still in the waste area. A scratch stock does the rest, goes pretty fast once you collect profiled scrapers for your molders.

[steven c newman]

496728
Steps for a ladder, needed this feature...done by...
496729
Stanley No. 45 with a single bead cutter...
496730
Had to move the fence a time or two..wood is Ash...
496731
Ash again...bead detail for a small box..
496732
Double bead..because this is to be a spline..
496733
To connect the corners..
496734
Add a lid..
496735

A bit too fancy?

[Derek Cohen]

Yeah, was about to suggest it, sometimes maple has quite a wild grain and it will tear no matter what. Esp. when molding it, because there's neither a chip breaker nor a narrow mouth. So I usually make a scraper by copying a molding plane profile and plane as much as I can while tearout is still in the waste area. A scratch stock does the rest, goes pretty fast once you collect profiled scrapers for your molders.

True.

Rule #1 when beading is to choose your stock carefully - straight grain preferred. But sometimes there is no choice, and then higher cutting angles are the primary option (as these are single iron tools).

Into the grain with a standard Small Plow cutter - massive tear out ..

https://i.postimg.cc/2kMCWSkm/151-EB933-4250-427-C-9-A20-F11-CD179-E2-B7.png (https://postimages.org/)
https://sawmillcreek.org/blob:https://sawmillcreek.org/aabaabe8-d099-434d-947d-87ed085e5a4c

Planed in both directions with a 15-degree back bevel (60-degree cutting angle) …

https://i.postimg.cc/b8Syhkgv/3-E99-E8-B1-2-F41-4-F4-F-B640-140673-B61507.png (https://postimages.org/)
https://sawmillcreek.org/blob:https://sawmillcreek.org/eaea5f47-e506-4e7c-bcb4-c83ea8c831d8

Regards from Perth

Derek

[steven c newman]

Note: when using a Stanley 45 to cut beads...both skates should be behind the cutter's quirks, to support them. Also, as soon as the bead takes the shape you want it to, STOP cutting, as the plane is not using a depth stop...and will just keep going deeper..(BTDT, not a good look)
496780
To make this spline, I also needed to do rebates..
496781
I'll let you guess how that was done...
496782
Fun little corner joint to try, sometime....

[Keegan Shields]

That’s a neat joint Steven, I’ll file that in the mental index of wood joints. Although I’d probably split the spline during dry fitting and ruin everything.