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Always...... And thanks for the link..... those are definitely on the list. I like the idea of 'hand stitched' but wonder if I would notice the difference at my skill level........

Received the microplane rasp and given a quick try. It works quite well even though it feels insubstantial. It may not be coarse enough to remove large amounts -slightly coarser than my ******* file, and slightly rougher finish. I can see it being useful, but I still need a coaser rasp...

Thanks RXH another option.... It seems that many of the good rasps come without handles. I normally buy in the part of the market where handles are supplied, fitted. Where would I get handles, and how do I fit them? Do I need to buy tools to fit the handles?

Thank you for your kind words XY. Jan is very special to me and she deserves my best efforts. That box stretched my skills further than I had thought possible. Odd that the timber was salvaged from a set of shelves and so the box cost nothing but time. The ropework and the simple regular twist...

ks Thanks HarvestBarn - I had never heard of those. They look like a useful tool for the 'hogging' stage (and for many other jobs).

A pleasure, although I only found out recently what the technique was called. A lot of what I do is not really 'bas-relief' as I do not generally carve gradations as perspective. Mostly I just remove 'ground' to leave 'relief'. I have never had formal training - just doing it for fun. Give...

Ah.... I see. Obviously missed a bit of my education. Thank you for that. My project is the twistiest so far, but not yet those levels (yet).

Thank you, though I do not get the 'Harry Lauder' - maybe I am thick? Bas relief is when you flatten perspective to make a sculpture/carving protrude less. This is a start. I do not think that still pictures will do the finished result justice - the carving will be 'wrapped around' too small a...

Thank you, and some more to remove before before smoothing. Then I can get on with the bas-relief carving.......

The stick has been mostly roughed out:

Lots of ideas there, thanks, Bugbear, Andy, NazNomad The cheapskate in me likes the idea of making a sanding-mop... Looking at some of the quality planes as a birthday pressie. (later this month hint hint) Why are there are always more tools to buy/make?

Just looked at Lioger and Auriou rasps. Nice. Expensive. Workshop Heaven are sold out of their own ones that I would want. Tool acquisition disorder is rearing its ugly head.....

Interesting ideas Phil. I have a bench grinder somewhere. I will search it out.... I can get a flap-wheel for a drill, neh? Do they last well? I could imagine the bench version being easier, but there might be awkward access to parts of this project. I am collecting ideas. The shaping disc...

S*****L*** ? If so I have some of their stuff and it works.... this sandpaper was worse. It came from our only source on a saturday pm (Hint: well known store with only one price label) but it was "recommended by Tommy Walsh". Watch out for that name.

Hi SunnyBob, sandpaper is my usual next step (after the surform), but this time seemed to be very slow. It could be the cheap sandpaper (better stuff on order) or it could be the hardness/knottiness of the wood. I still need to remove some volume from the piece, so sandpaper could be...

Thanks, Mosian. I have risked ordering one - round-handled, long - to try. The finish sounds good; I am sure sure it will be very useful at some stage of shaping. I will need to find out if it fits this stage of shaping.

Thanks Mosian - I had noticed those and was tempted, but wondered if they were worth the money.... your endorsement is appreciated. How coarse are they? How long do they stay sharp? I have never blunted a sureform blade - but I have snapped a few. How robust are the microplanes?

The drawknife does leave a smoother surface, but I seem to be tearing the wood quite often. It is a knotty piece, and I am working mostly parallel with the grain so it is a bit too easy to tear. It is also quite a twisty piece and the two-handed nature of the drawknife means that I have to...

That's a thought. I have a drawknife (flexicut) which I have used on other projects. I think that this wood will be too hard and it may not work well on the inside bends..... still, no harm giving it a try. Phill

I am shaping down a hardwood branch to make a carved stick. I have done the initial reduction with a sureform. It is quick but leaves a marked surface. I am thinking about what to use for the next phase. I tried sandpaper, and it is too gentle to remove the marks left by the sureform. I...