Rik - Gretsch shells had no re-rings and as long as there was an edge for the head to sit on you can get away with a round over on both sides. The other drum companies used shells with re-rings, so an inside relief cut becomes necessary. Most of them used a 30 degree inside relief cut and rounded over the outside of the edge with an 1/8th inch round-over bit. Some others used a 60 degree relief cut.

Jeff- the inside 30 degree cut is a 'relief' cut so that the wood drops away from the actual edge. The head makes contact at the top-most ridge of the edge and an 1/8th inch round-over only increases the amount of head contact with the shell. I honestly don't know which bit they used to create the inside relief cut on the re-ring. I already mentioned that some companies used a 60 degree (more severe) back cut, but I'm not certain what the reasoning/science was that was involved in the choice of angle. (30 or 60)

The bit question is a good one to put the drum-tech guys at Precision! I have repaired and restored many an edge over the years, but I have never cut one from scratch. I always leave that job to the experienced pro's. You really have to know your stuff to tackle a job like that (successfully) anyway. I always caution do-it-yourselfer's away from attempting it. Why ruin a musical instrument while you're learning? Practice on throw-aways and when you have it down, tackle your own shells. But it takes knowledge, practice and time to get the job right. I always give pro's their due respect/props.

John

John, I have alot of respect for the guy who knows when to hand things over to the pro. I see horrible carpenter work all the time, makes me laugh. As for the bit, I have been studing the 30 degree round over edge ever since you introduced it to me, remember? Looks easy, just need a 30 degree angle cutter. Maybe I should forget the router and look into shaper cutters instead.

> shaper cutters

Dude, a shaper cutter is a smart, logical choice. However, it's just not the kind of machine tool that most guys have sitting around in their basement. If you try it, please start a thread. I for one would be real interested to see the kind of results you get and how you went about getting them. I'll be all over that thread soaking up info like a sponge.

And yes, it's just smart to call in an experienced person when you hit a wall in terms of your own expertise. Better, humble and correct, than pig-headed egotistical and wrong. I'm a journeyman trade guy myself. (Printer/Lithographer) You have to respect the experience of a guy who does something for a living for many years as opposed to someone who does it as a hobby. When you need a pro... you need a pro!

John

OK, I will look into this. It will be a while, got several things going on at the moment.

or one of these, if your router has 1/2" shank:

http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=49889&cat=1,46168,69435,62157&ap=1

Technically, its 75 degrees

Ya I have those way back from when I made doors on the router table. It is a 15 degree angle, half way there!

Here we go. Amana makes nice bits, you need the 60 degree bit to achieve a 30 degree edge. The cutting edge is 60 degrees to the shank, leaving a 30 degree edge on your stock, or drum. I think I will order one, only 116.00.

http://www.amanatool.com/routerbits/chamfer-router-bits-49400.html

I see not many here do crown moldings much !i

would something like this work?

http://www.rakuten.com/prod/vermont-american-23129-1-16-inch-roundover-beading-bit/229488630.html?listingId=221449406

Now that the mystery of the 30 degree profile has been slolved we can talk about the round profile. I have not yet measured a drum to see what radius will work. You are on the right track but without even looking at the edge profile I would guess that 1/16 is too small. My guess would be more like 1/8" radius or even 3/16. Now I will have to take a closer look!