A tire building drum has a drum shaft and a circumferential surface for receiving a tire component, wherein the circumferential surface is defined by segments which are radially movable between a contracted position in which the circumferential surface has a first radius and an expanded position in which the circumferential surface has a second, greater radius. The tire building drum includes cover plates, wherein each segment is provided with a first section having a first support surface for supporting the tire component and a second section with a second support surface for supporting the cover plate. Each second section is movable relative to its respective first section from a recessed position in which the second support surface is recessed with respect to first radius and an extended position in which the second support surface is raised towards the second radius.

A molding drum is provided in which a sheet-shaped rubber member for a tire is wound around an outer circumferential surface having a cylindrical shape. A plurality of segments are arranged in a drum circumferential direction, and the outer circumferential surface of the molding drum is formed by outer surfaces of the segments coinciding with each other. At least one of the plurality of segments is a tip-end holding segment including at least a first small segment and a second small segment that serve as small segments arranged in the drum circumferential direction. The first small segment can take a first state in which an outer surface of the first small segment coincides with an outer surface of the second small segment, and a second state in which at least a portion of the first small segment is disposed outward of the second small segment in a drum radial direction.