> I'm thinking about cutting my own strips and wonder if I really need to
> mill the cove and bead. It sounds like beveling the edges would be easier.
> Could one use a joiner to bevel the edge? It sure would save some money.
> Any advice would be helpful.

I did not use bead and cove strips for my canoe. There were a number of strips along the shear that needed no bevel at all. When I did get to strips that needed a bevel, I used a small, inexpensive block plane (1 inch I think). I kept the blade sharp and checked the fit often. The amount of bevel that is needed changes along the length of the strip, so you just have to do it by hand and eyeball, though you could make some marks on the strip, as suggested here in this thread. After doing a few, you'll get a pretty good idea of what is needed and things will go along pretty well. If you are in a hurry, it may be better to use bead and cove, because the fairing time might be less and the time spent fitting each strip would also be less. Bead and cove would be a good idea if you are planning staple-less construction......I found it necessary to use staples in between the forms to keep the strips in line...this would not have been needed if I'd used bead and cove. I kind of like the looks of the little imperfections that the staples left though....it makes the boat look more like an extremely well kept "old boat", and I don't worry so much about the little dings the boat gets.