There are a couple of tips, shows a tool rest made from an old hollow turning tool (The Beaver, from Crown Tools) I had an accident with mine and broke the cutter so I cut it off and made a tool rest, works great.



Also Ashley Iles sell a 3mm bead cutting tool which can be used to round over the beads as in the pictures, this is a tool well worth adding to your tool set.



Finally the best parting tool for the beads I have found is the one Robert Sorby make the handle length is small enough to work in tight spaces without compromising on the length of the steel, sadly mine was lost in the time I was away from the lathe but Crown do a good alternative slightly to long to get into small spaces but works, don’t opt for too small a tool you need a tool you can get a firm grip on to work well.



I have tried to break this down to 14 steps, it is not always easy to get the point across in a short text so if you need any further help just ask and I will get back as quick as possible



Lastly if you want a more in depth explanation to follow there was an article written in Practical Woodworking, June 96, I don’t know if it is still available in back orders or maybe someone might have a copy.



Good luck and enjoy.