[Neil K Walk]

FWIW I don't think Charles was trying to be condescending. During the course of my own first build I've found most luthiers (including) Charles to being very helpful and willing to offer advice when asked, short of giving away proprietary secrets of course.

BTW, you know that I like cedar. The smell doesn't bother me, in fact I enjoyed the aroma when I was running my top through the thickness sander. Of course, the dust does get everywhere so I bought a mask and I learned early on how soft the wood is. You have to be very gentle with it and from what I was told you have to leave the top a little thinner than you would a spruce top. IIRC my top was somewhere around .125" before I called it quits with the sander. I've probably taken off another .005" doing the final sanding by hand in an effort to level my rosette and eliminate dents and dings.

PS: I have a 9yo son with autism and an intellectual disability. Part of his difficulties include an attention deficit that is caused by a combination of sensory processing difficulties (both internal and external) and a lot of nervous physical energy. Thankfully, his allergies are mostly manageable but I understand second hand the difficulties that such things embody. I commend you for undertaking this project and wish you luck. FWIW I undertook my first build to channel my frustrations and I really threw myself into it, though my life is centered around my children and that has caused me to take many breaks. I hope that you are able to stick with it and avoid any frustration you might encounter.