Update time!
A “kerf” is a cut made by a saw and it lends its name to kerfing, the flexible wood strips that are attached to the sides of the guitar as a glue point for the subsequent attachment of the back and the top. Here is how Mike uses it:
Mike is putting a small shoulder bevel on my 00 and he builds the base for this using multiple layers of kerfing:
Mike says he picked up this approach from Kathy Wingert, via Isaac Jang. He likes it as it gives him a top that is livelier than a single, carved piece for wood, which is an alternative base for a shoulder bevel.
Col