# TO BEdan OR NOT TO BEdan?



## Mike Mills (Jul 25, 2017)

I have a blank (1/2" sq - 8" L) that I haven't made a tool with yet.
I have thought about a bedan but....
Using with the bevel up I can not round the bottom edge which I know will quickly leave divots in my tool rest.
Using bevel down I can round the bottom edge and still maintain the sharp points on the top.
Or, I can just grind as a normal parting tool and any rounded edges won't matter.
It will probably just be used for parting since I already have a bedamn (skew) and I am OK with it.
What would you make and why?


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## DKMD (Jul 25, 2017)

I've got a bedan, but it's been relegated to a drawer for lack of use. I know there are folks who use them very efficiently, but I never devoted the time to learning it.

I'd probably just keep the steel until a need arose. If pressed, I'd make a scraper... I love a good hefty scraper.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## barry richardson (Jul 25, 2017)

I have one too, never could figure out what it's for, I ground it with an angle to make perfect tenons for my chuck to hold, works great for that. Sorry I can't give you any suggestions.....

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Mike Mills (Jul 25, 2017)

Thanks, you confirmed my thoughts. Guess that is why I have had them a long time.
I already have a handle with a square (1/2") connector.
May proceed with a slightly <90* at one end and a French curve at the other and swap as needed.


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## Schroedc (Jul 25, 2017)

I have a Sorby bedan I use a lot for rounding up blanks, cutting shoulders, tenons, etc. Gets used constantly in my shop, always used bevel down, haven't rounded anything and it hasn't gouged up my tool rests.


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## woodtickgreg (Jul 26, 2017)

I just use carbide, lol.


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## Mike Mills (Jul 26, 2017)

Well, I had a consensus... until Colin messed it up. 

Maybe I'll make one end a scraper and the other a bedan. I think the blank was just HSS ($9) and not HSS w/5% cobalt ($15). If I don't like it I can regrind into something else. It's been burning a hole in my projects box for several years so time to scratch that itch.

Reactions: Like 2


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## Schroedc (Jul 26, 2017)

That's me, always making trouble


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## NYWoodturner (Jul 26, 2017)

I have one that I really like - Used bevel down. I use it for squaring tenons and cutting tenons the chuck. I used to use a parting tool for that and find the bean more efficient and repeatable because of the width.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Graybeard (Jul 27, 2017)

Same use here as Colin and Scott. Use it all the time.


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## David Hill (Aug 1, 2017)

No Bedan for me yet. Do use the carbides for shaping my tenons & whenever I need'em otherwise when I don't want to chance a catch.


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## barry richardson (Aug 1, 2017)

So you all mention the bevel side. Mine and others I have seen are ground with the bevel on both sides, lile a fat parting tool. Sounds like you are using a different grind?


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## Mike Mills (Aug 1, 2017)

The ones I have seen only have one bevel.
Per Steve Havens the French use it bevel up and the English bevel down. The French is also straight where as the English is trapezoid.
Here are images from Bing...
https://www.bing.com/images/search?...-22&sk=&cvid=E2227A46F9A54D5090BE1A8D58A340C1

These are a couple of videos in use; one by Stu In Toyko and one by Steve Havens.











I will probably end up with a fat parting tool.


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## TimR (Aug 1, 2017)

Mike, I'm with most here on how I've used the one I have...a wide tenon tool. I'm familiar with how traditionally used by French, which is more like how we use a skew. Given the use in that fashion, I don't think it would be good to round the corners too close to where you might eventually make a fresh grind on the bevel, if using it as shown in the video with Stu shaping the egg. It does seem that using it "French style", bevel up, requires a higher positioning of the tool rest above centerline, but that also looks to me like a less prone way to get a catch vs bevel down. In watching the video, you can see that his tool rest is 'Robust-like', with the hardened top rod, which should allow use without having to round the edges of the tool. I may have to dig mine out and try to see if I can do an egg!


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## barry richardson (Aug 1, 2017)

Well I just learned something ha ha... I bought my tools used and the bedan was ground on both sides, so I figured thats how they were meant to be. Funny thing is one was ground the same way where I worked.


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## Todd Halleman (Aug 12, 2017)

barry richardson said:


> Well I just learned something ha ha... I bought my tools used and the bedan was ground on both sides, so I figured thats how they were meant to be. Funny thing is one was ground the same way where I worked.


Me too! My "bedan" was grounded on both sides. I bought it that way. Turns out it is called a beading and parting tool. I always called it a bedan.

Reactions: Like 1


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