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Neil don't be hard on yourself, you do understand this.

resolution as defined by Abbe' s equation is a distance called 'd'. Practically, wavelength/2 is about all you will get.
That's the...

Picture size in pixels is not resolution. It is picture size.
Now with only those pixels, can you see the gap 'd' to discriminate between two objects or are they joined?
I imagine that 1 pixel?...

KMS Tools sold a big bar of CrOx/AlOx. The carrier matrix is a very hard wax of some sort that smells nice.
I know it's a mix as I found a number of pin-head sized white globs of AlOx.

DO NOT...

Top optical glass and lens technology will always be superior to phone camera lenses for resolution.
A typical light microscope in a microbiology lab will be equipped with a 100X oil immersion...

I use a 10X geologist's loupe magnifier and improved my process with LED light.
It's been enough so far for me to judge a wood carving edge. What is the damage?
Should I begin with 600 or 800? ...

I brought up the SEM images as they are the best examples that I can see in this day and time.
Leonard Lee was able to engage the co-operation of the National Research Council of Canada.
Now the...

LED light sources are a godsend for carving. At low oblique angles, the ridges appear which need to be kissed off with fine knife strokes.
Much in the manner of cutting a wood surface to finish it...

Abbe's Equation dictates the depth of field and the resolution of the optical system. You work with reflected light, not even transmitted light and the limitations are severe.
You ought to compare...

Sorry, Neil, I keep thinking in terms of finishing work in wood carving.

The need for the magnifier, USB or a 10X geologist's loupe (solid state, no moving parts, no power required) is this:

If...

A stop chisel for carvers has a double bevel. The total included bevel angle still should be something like 20 degrees.
The term arises in the London Pattern Book. Used by makers such as Henry...

I would certainly like to have a stationary belt sander.
I made a stop chisel (double bevel) from a skew. Very pleased with the efforts.
In any case, best for the rough-out stage, there's no...

The tool edge must be awfully badly banged up to ever need a bench grinder. I have a 6 speed bench grinder that I will never use
for any kind of sharpening of wood working tools. Certainly not a...

So, what's the answer? What's the recommended set up for a beginner that won't break the bank?

I've got just what I need using a variety of 3M fine automotive, wet & dry finishing sand papers up...

I found that seeing is believing. The scanning electron microscope pictures are very revealing.
All steel is too soft and too plastic at the thin edge to expect "really sharp."
Lee Valley Veritas...

The late Leonard Lee wrote: The Complete Guide to Sharpening (ISBN 976-1-56158-125-2.)
You will find 2 pages of scanning electron microscope pictures which show that there is, in fact, little...

There's air in the dry wood which is displaced by any liquid finish. Thus, the wood darkens.
A wax would sit on top of the wood and probably discolor the wood least of all.

I wanted to make...

BobL: These are the two signs which hung my my professor's research lab (LaTrobe/Botany) for decades. I have them in my shop.

A CREATIVE MESS IS BETTER THAN TIDY IDLENESS

EXTRICATE THY DIGIT

I have 4 different benches, different heights and different sizes. They came about as applications for day-long efforts at wood carving.
I can stand, sit and bend over to work downwards as required...

If this is genuine Quercus sp. oak, them the surface pores, the vessel elements, must be sealed as is always done for oak flooring.
Apply the paste sealer, let it dry and sand back all the excess. ...

My local hardware store sells "plumber's flux brushes" in boxes of 24.
They are about 1/2" wide and I'll bind a few together if I have to.
That works out to approx $0.15 each. Not worth my time...

Exactly the style of wood carving that I admire = minimalist. There lots of features which describe "bird." You did everything necessary.

I'm fond of 100x 100 mm x 4m wester red cedar fence...

I'm in

Sure beats the Hello out of Take-away cardboard! I like the subtle colors of the first one.
What did you decide to finish them with?
Will those woods stand up well to a knife or a pizza wheel...

History. I have a few tools (dividers, 1/2" chisel, folding rule) which I know are from my grandfather's boat building shed (mid 1950's?)
I don't suppose that they are the best of the best but I am...

I found that mallet mass really needs to match gouge size to apply enough striking force to get anything done.

A 12 oz ShopFox mallet is OK for gouges like 8/7 or 5/12 but just about useless for...

I've bought pairs of 12 mm Narex skews at the factory bevel of 25 degrees, that's just fine.
For wood carving, I've revised them to 20 degrees. They hold up very well and are much less of a "push."...

Agreed. We used it to clean out the entomology labs ( orchard and vineyard pests). The virtue was a short half life.
Chase everybody home 3 PM Friday and gas the place. Open the doors 5 AM on...

I have a square island bench in my work shop where I do mostly wood carving.
Miter saw, band saw, drill press and scroll saw. I drilled 5/8" holes in the bench top,
every where I needed to mount a...

I was taught freehand sharpening of wood carving tools with waterstones and honing on a box card strop.
Three little things you need:
1. A 10X magnifier such as geologists use. You must be able...

Given your location and summer coming on, I guess that a snow knife is the last tool you need.

Old saw blades here are used for crooked knife blades for the Pacific Northwest First Nations wood...

I've found a router to be as accurate as I've needed. Miter saw cuts precisely to length only.
Steam-bent wood box joints need to be precise or the undercuts simply will not fold at the corners.

Yes, "it's 5 o'clock somewhere."
How might it look with 3 or 4 clock movements installed for all your favorite time zones around the planet?
Local, UTC, and some strange ones from the outbacks...

Revealing! Some top quality photography to make this all worth watching.

I was taught a fairly dogmatic ritual for free-hand sharpening of gouges and such for wood carving.
The end was a 4K waterstone then hone on a strop with CrOx/AlOx.

This has always been entirely...

Scanning electron microscope images indicate that going above 1500 grit is of little incremental benefit.
The iron is so very plastic, the edge is always shredded.
I stop with 1500 then hone my...

Canada. Jasper National Park. The new(?) 40' totem pole by the railway station.
The Tale of Two Brothers, carved by the Edenshaw boys and apprentices in Haida Gwaii.
Concrete foundation and a...

Synthetic stone quality depends on a mix of grit size, grit hardness, adhesive hardness and proportions of grit and binder.
How carefully was the screening done for nominal particle size? I can...

I suggest that you turn shallow salt and pepper grinders (mortar and pestle) from Serpentine stone.
Make a performance of the preparation of the condiments.
I collect salt from all over the...

Unlike any of the other conifer woods, Douglas-fir shows a spiral thickening in the S2 of the xylem secondary cell wall.
This warps unequally to make a fuzzy textured surface after wetting with...

The great thing about JJ's carvings is that he always has the patience to stop often to take progress photos.
There's a big lesson in the sequence. That's a thing in itself to watch the 'what' and...

This is just about the same a wood carving with western red cedar, pine and other conifers.
Extremely carefully sharpened tools.
Density: Do a ring count. Anything less than 15 rings per inch is...

1. The vibration from machinery on wheels can walk around your shop.
You need some kinds of blocks, weights or skid pads under the wheels.
My Ryobi table saw is really cheap and really bad for...

Dimensional stability for gears and puzzle pieces.
The gold standard here is "Baltic Birch Plywood."
Usually available in 30x30 cm squares, void and knot free.
Most that I have is 12 mm which I...

Years ago, I had a list of simple wood working projects which required reasonably accurate holes (screws and dowel pegs) at 90 degrees
to the wood surfaces.
The little Delta 8" bench top drill...

Not so, Graeme. Simon Fraser University has a team of light bulb & fluoro changers who work every day.
It's much cheaper to replace everything than to send out a guy to change one bulb at a time on...

Ladders. You get what you pay for, here. I always bought top quality ladders to last in service.
True enough, they do. However, my sense of balance was damaged in a fall and no recovery
so...

Gallery-grade again. Thank you.

I can appreciate that people speak loudly enough and clearly enough.
However, many of the sounds that people make do not match any words in my head.
The Dr. knew immediately what it was when I...

I'd swing those. What is UHMW? Is it at all slippery on carving gouge handles?
Your 18 oz mass would be really nice to swing all day. Plus, they look really good.

It took some getting used to...

Excellent! From the thread title, I was expecting something more totemic, in view of where I live with paleo culture around me.
Poles always take a long time to carve, no surprises there.
I'm...