The rounded bead here was made with a scratch stock rather than the more common beading plane or router bit.
A bead is a woodworking decorative treatment applied to various elements of wooden furniture, boxes and other items.
A bead is typically a rounded shape cut into a square edge to soften the edge and provide some protection against splitting. Beads can be simple round shapes, or more complex patterns.
A bead may be created with an electric router, a special moulding handplane[1] or a scratch stock.[2] Beads are usually cut directly into the edge of the item to which the bead is being applied. However, beads applied across the grain are usually cut into a separate piece, which is then fixed in position.
A bead is also an important design element in wood turning, a ring-shape or convex curve incised into a piece by the use of a chisel or skew.[3]
Types of beads
Angle bead, a projecting wood moulding at the corner of a plastered wall[4]
Corner bead is similar,[4] but is usually fully embedded in plaster or drywall, and usually plastic or metal
Nosing bead, the rounded projection of a stair tread over the riser below[4]
Parting bead, or parting strip, the feature that separates two sashes in a sash window[4]
