A router and a triple bead

So I've mentioned before that I'm not a router lover and haven't spent a lot of time routering. I have a good PC router (I can't see the model # upside down in it's little table) and a hillbilly table for it and a hillbilly fence, not shown. (I also have a little trim router.)

Question: What are my odds of a good result if I wanted to rout a triple bead centered on 3 1/2" boards? Is that going to be tough to get a good result? Not for the faint-hearted?photo 1[3].JPG
 
Should be pretty easy if the board is flat using a round bit like this...

71hK8ROsCgL._SY355_.jpg


Just set the fence and maybe some featherboards to keep it held down and agaist the fence for each pass. If you need to do stop cuts, you may have to do it without the featherboards.
 
If I am visualizing this properly, this is not a job for the router, but rather a job for a molder head on the table saw. Somewhere I have a Craftsman (that'll tell you how old this is) molder head with insert cutters. Including a triple bead cutter.

A router it would have to reach 1 3/4" vertically to get your cut centered and the board would have to pass vertically as well. Don't know that I have seen a router bit that can this cut. You could cut a 'vee' 6 times on one board to get the beads, but that would be a bear of a set up to get right - and how many boards? And a bunch of hand work to 'round them'.

eBay has several for sale. "Google triple bead molder head cutter for the table saw." So far, less than $30.
 
Well, Darren, I can see there are two ways to look at this. I see a cove in your post. I had envisioned something else as a bead. Looks like we need a picture, Cynthia.
 
Agree a molder head would be the way to go if there isn't a shaper around. Getting a router bit that would chuck-up and stand tall enough to be centered in a 3-1/2" board would no be something I would want to walk up to.

Also agree that what Darren shows is a cove.

Worst case; could you bead two edges and have the joint where they meet as opposed to beads down the center? This would make your router table feasible.

Capture.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hmmm... Interesting to see those tablesaw heads for that price on ebay!! I wonder what the availability of new cutters is for the old craftsman heads (I see magic molder is still in business but much more $$$'s). Double hmmm http://corobcutters.com/moldingknivesbycorob.aspx
Also: http://vintagemachinery.org/pubs/222/2260.pdf

I was thinking more like (first example found on google search, but I've also had ok luck with most mlcs bits for the price):
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shop...t_groove.html#point_cutting_round_over_anchor

Whiteside part #'s 1580 (1/2" shank), 1570, 1572, 1574 (1/4" shank different sizes) also appears similar: (sold by rockler, etc..)
http://www.whitesiderouterbits.com/wm_catalog_03_2014.pdf (page 10)
Or part #'s 2050 through 2066 (page 12) for beads with a gap.

Would require somewhat careful fence setup and +1 to all the featherboards/holddowns but seems pretty doable.
 
Last edited:
Sorry if I wasn't clear. I meant a bead like with this kind of bit:

triplebead.jpg

And this below, is what I was thinking:
Getting a router bit that would chuck-up and stand tall enough to be centered in a 3-1/2" board would no be something I would want to walk up to.

I'm so bummed! I wanted to use some braid, but none of the local people who usually have it in stock can get it. And I really don't think I'm set up to do a triple bead myself. I noticed that on at least one of the grizzly molders there's an adapter so you can use whatever router bits you already have......
 
Well, Darren, I can see there are two ways to look at this. I see a cove in your post. I had envisioned something else as a bead. Looks like we need a picture, Cynthia.
You're right, had a Cove in mind not a bead. I have a bit that curves inward though that would do a bead. However the outer two would have half curves next to them.
 
While a molding head on a tablesaw will cut the entire triple bead in one pass, there is a way to do it in multiple passes on a small router table. You use a pointed end roundover bit in several carefully-spaced passes to cut the beads. Here's an image borrowed from the MLCS website -- I hope that's OK. They also have a pdf set of instructions for making beaded panels.

pointro.jpg


I expect other vendors make similar bits. Here's the link to these:
http://www.mlcswoodworking.com/shop...t_groove.html#point_cutting_round_over_anchor

You could also use a V-groove bit in a router or a rip blade tipped to 45 degrees in a tablesaw to cut parallel grooves, then round them over with a scratchstock, scraper, or even sandpaper.
 
Last edited:
Top