What plane to cut beading?

[rob.]

I need to cut a 4mm round nose bead to go around a drawer face, I presume I cut it into a length of wood then cut it through a saw to give me the bead? What are my options? A quick google is bringing up planes from hundreds of years ago.. so I'm not sure if I'm searching for the right thing

 

[undergroundhunter]

look for either a 1/8th or 3/16th beading plane (the ones from a hunderad years ago work perticularly well), cut the bead into a piece of wood and then saw off. easy.

Matt

 

[AndyT]

I presume you mean'cock beading' - a slim strip of wood, square on one edge, rounded on the other.

Most beading planes are side beads, designed to cut a bead and a quirk beside it. For this job, you don't need the quirk, so your options are wider. If you start with a square edged strip of wood the right size, your options include:
You could use the curved part of a small side bead.
You could use a small hollow, maybe a no 1 or 2.
You could use a small flat plane - such as a block plane - to knock the corners off and round them over.
You could use sandpaper.
You could use a scratch stock.

Or, if you prefer, you could use a side bead on the edge of a bigger piece of wood and then rip it off by sawing down the quirk. If you don't have a wooden beading plane, you could use the smallest beading cutter in a multiplane such as the Record 050 or 405 or Stanley 50 or 45.

 

[ED65]

Scratch stock! You could make the tool needed for this for yourself from a scrap of wood (even pine) and a broken bit of hacksaw blade or a paring knife in about half an hour.

 

[monkeybiter]

I once looked up cock bead on google. Wasn't a pleasant experience.

 

[rob.]

Thanks guys , lots of options then. The bead I need to cut is 1/8 cock bead. I fancy one of those old 100 years ago wooden planes, like this one,

Is there anything I should look out for when buying one? Can they be sharpened and set up easily?


I also fancy a multi plane like the Stanley 50 for their versatility, they do attract a decent price on the bay so I'll keep my eyes peeled.

 

[undergroundhunter]

Any wooden plane you buy will need some work to get it singing. things to look out for wedge in good condition, blade is present, that the body is not twisted or bowed (assuming you can handle the plane) and that the boxing is present and relatively undamaged. Sharpening is pretty easy, I wouldn't touch the beveled side (unless you really have to), flatten the back and give it a try. If you do have to work the bevel do it very carefully as you can easily alter the profile of the iron.

I have a couple of Stanley 50's and I've never been impressed with their bead cutting capabilities. Maybe its something I'm doing but I prefer the wooden bead planes.

Matt