Beader redesign questions
Skip in Falls Church
>I picked up this beader a couple of weeks ago. It's not quite 12" long and the main body is about 7/8" square. I've been looking at it and thinking about reproducing it in a little larger size and with a few changes. (I have a series of Jatoba spokeshaves and chairdevils, why not a beader to match?) I think I'd like to raise the handles a bit in respect to the bottom of the beader to allow a little more hand clearance when using it on a wide piece.
I think I'd also like to widen the body and set the wedge a little farther back from the front. I'm not sure how old this one is but it has a slight crack in the body at the front of the hole for the wedge. It's nothing that endangers the tool - it just seems like a reminder that a wedge that close to the front weakens the design IMO.
I'm also planning on making the new one so that it will take wider blades as well. The blade on this one is only about 3/8" wide and I think I'd like to enlarge the capacity to 5/8" blades. (I noticed that was the size of the blades LN sells so that seemed appropriate.) There is a hole just above the blade at the front and the wedge has a groove in the front of it to allow any shavings to escape. I sharpened the blade and fooled with it a bit and it seems that the throat jams with shavings but the tool continues to function.
The fence is a brass piece with a slot in it. It is held in place with a wood screw and a thin piece of steel that wraps around the body and is riveted to the fence with small brass rivets. The wood screw is just screwed into the body and I'm thinking about using threaded brass inserts on the new one.
Does any one have any ideas that would make the design any better? Are any of my planned changes a bad idea? Given that the throat seems to jam would it be better to open the throat a bit or is there any need for a throat at all?
Skip
