==starting out==
you will want to buy a low ql, high coc pickaxe. if you're on Freedom i suggest you /tell zuperman as i have been buying enchanted tools off him for ages now and he is cheap. Go to your rock surface and check that there is no other mines anywhere near your mine as you may break into their mine, also you may want to prospect to check for ores. ==mining in==this will take around 60 tunneling actions to break into the mountain after that you may want to mine 5-10 tiles into the mountain. If you hit an ore just mine around it. ==searching for ores==after you've mined 5-10 tiles into the mountain mine one more tile into the mountain then mine each way so you have a + shape. say into the mountain was north, you would want to mine north then east/west 4 tiles and then mine 3 north then 4 tiles east/west. ==reinforcing==now this is where the carpentry and woodcutting come in! make as many [[support beams]] as you need and fit them in your mine, leave a shaft off if you are transporting them in a cart/boat. also many people normally wait untill they find iron then make the ribbons at their mine and finish them there.