checking the back with a big straight edge

again lengthways

the no 7 plane helps keep things true

checking with the ribs as this is the real test

this swivel lights really bring out where the faults are

you can see here by looking closely

there is one big dent/mark on the surface but I can work around this

now it is pretty much flat, there is a small amount left but hey it's wood and by the time it is carved it will be all over the place

clamping the rib assembly down to trace out the front

using the same washer as the back but a slighty darker pencil as the back got pretty hard to see

with the back overlaid it hels with the corners

you can see small differences with the ribs from the top to bottom

again here as the front is slightly more out

this is the only knot I have to avoid

the corners are drawn in but oversize to start

getting ready to cut it all out

the front is so much easier to cut than the back, this only took 5 minutes

still hard work but not as much as I thought it would be. Plus only one broken blade

lots of wood to remove to bring it down to the line

this wood is so much easier to carve than the back, I am a little surprised by it

it took three days on the back to get as far as one on the front