wrote in
:


For most species I can see the rings despite the saw dust. The reason
I want to cut rather than sand is that it will save time, money, and
provide a better image when looking at rings that are only a few cells
wide. For those who might be confused here is a pictures similar to
what I am trying to achieve:
http://www.wsl.ch/medien/news/video_...1/Picture2.png
http://cfile6.uf.tistory.com/image/2...56826992205E1A

Easy to duplicate. Take two sticks and place them on either side of the
work to be planed. Somehow (ok, this part isn't so easy) hold the core
steady and run the plane along with the smooth parts of the plane running
on the sticks. A block plane would be ideal, but a good jack plane will
be of some use.

Lee Valley has a variety of planes that are well worth looking at, from
the really inexpensive miniature planes to the unbelievably (until you
try it) expensive ones. The most important thing is getting a sharp
iron. If you can sharpen, you're all set. If not, well that's another
thread or 20... I'll just say for a standard plane iron the Work Sharp is
as close to "no experience but nicely sharp" as you can get.

If you actually want to save the slice, that will take a little more
effort.

Puckdropper