: If you are going for a simple curve then beveled srips work great and are
: simpler and faster to make.
: Hope this helps
: PGJ

Thanks Paul,
I like the idea of beveled strips, but also am set up for bead/cove edges. It's possible with this deck design (not being a simple curve, but a combination of curves) to use bead/cove from the sheer, around the first sharp curves, then go to the bevel from the fourth or fifth strip in and work towards the center (where it's a gentler curve). If I were to bevel strips, the tool of choice would probably be my old tablesaw converted to a 10" disk sander. Set the angle of the disk to the desired bevel and set up some sort of feather boards to keep the strips down and up tight to the disk. Thanks again Paul for your insight. Good info.

Any beveled strip builders care to add their experiences?

I was very impressed with Reg Lakes' strip beveling method, but don't think that I have the patience for it. He had a 2x4 base with 1/4" slot running full length and as he dry fitted a strip against an existing one, he used a rating method for an approximated amount of bevel to be hand planed off. I think he just made little pencil marks on the side of the strip with a rating of 1 to 5 as to how much bevel to cut. This is probably the standard method for hand beveling and is very precise, but man is that alot of work. I'd rather send the whole strip through a machine and have it spit out a beveled strip, wouldn't be perfect, but it could do it close enough. Any other ideas?
SMF