Little more than a holder for a scratch stock, or cutter, beading tools were the original embellisher of edges. Where Lie-Nielsen chose to replicate the tried-and-true Stanley 66, Veritas designed its beading tool from scratch (no pun intended). I compared the Veritas back to back with my Stanley 66 and found that even though the Veritas cutters are half the thickness of the Stanley cutters (1/32 in. vs. 1/16 in.) there was less blade chatter with the Veritas. The 5-3/4-in.-long handle and adjustable knob are comfortable to hold and the fence can be positioned for straight and curved runs. I especially liked the fine-pointed quirks of the Veritas beading and reeding cutters compared to the flat-bottomed Stanley cutters. The Stanley’s angled blade makes it easier to start a cut, so make your first pass very light with the Veritas. The Veritas costs $70 and comes with six cutters, one profiled and the rest blank for you to file custom profiles. Profiled beading and fluting cutters come in sets of three ($9 each set) and reeding cutters in a set of two ($7 per set). For information, go to www.leevalley.com.

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