: The grizzly site sure looks good and is about 100% cheaper than the quoted
: local prices (even with dollar exchanges). My problem is that the cove and
: bead bits in the router bits section of the grizzly site don't quite look
: like what I was expecting.

: Am I missing something or do you use those half bead and half cove bits and
: have your strips set on an angle? or am I just looking in the wrong place.

Most bead and cove bits are for producing wood mouldings for building trim and picture frames. They typically give you a cut which is 1/4 of a circle.

If this is all you can find, then that is your only option. But I think it would be a bad option. You'ld have to make twice the passes through the router. With the extra setup time it would take you much longer to mill the strips: More than twice the time for certain.

What you want are also commonly called Canoe bits.

Depending on the manufacturer, their country, and their local use of language, the cove bit may be called a flute bit. The bead bit may also be called a bullnose bit.

They give a cut which is 1/2 of a circle. They are sometimes identified further by the radius of the cut. For 1/4 inch strips or smaller you want bits which have a radius of 1/8th inch or more. With a radius of 1/8th inch the entire width of the cutting edge will be the diameter of a 1/4 inch circle. Center this accurately on a 1/4 inch strip.

Bits which have a slightly larger cutting radius (say 1/4 inch or 3/16, or even 3/8 inch) give an edge which is more gradually rounded. Some people prefer these as the edges of the coved cut are more durable, and you can rotate the strips over a wider range when you assemble them -- which can be quite useful. If you are making larger craft and wish to use 5/16 strips for greater strength then the larger bits would work here, too.

If router bits are going to be very expensive, look for a 3-blade shaper head for your table saw. If you can't find bead and cove cutters for this you can have a local tool sharpening service make the cutters. You'll then use a table saw, and have a different setup than with a router. Also, since the table saw turns at a slower RPM than a router your shaper will be cutting slower, so for smooth cuts you should feed the stock slower than if you were using a router. But cedar is so soft that you'll hardly notice the difference.

PGJ

The picture below is of a bullnose bit (what we would call a bead) It is from Carbide.com:

http://www.carbide.com/catalog/RBits_Radius.cfm?GroupID=0201.02.02

This link will take you to a picture of a Freud canoe-joint beading bit:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004T7LX/ref%3Dnosim/epowertools-20/103-3004413-4094252

And this should take you to a picture of a canoe joint cove ( or flute) bit:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004T7LW/ref%3Dnosim/epowertools-20/103-3004413-4094252

The illustrations are of bits with 1/2 inch shanks, and the prices are a bit steep, but hopefully this will give you som idea of what they look like.

Hope this helps.

PGJ