Trimming the back ...
You can really see the Manzer wedge in this one...
Scraping the top flush with the sides
Tom says:
"Cleaning everything up with a razor sharp card scraper.
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Scrapers are a fickle mistress, the best advice I can give is to treat them with the same care you would a chisel. That is to say the cutting edge should be perfectly flat and polished to a mirror finish (I go to 2000grit). The same with the faces. Only then should you reach for a carbide burnisher to create and then roll the edge.
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You might have to roll the edge a couple of times after the first preparation depending on the hardness of the steel. Note that the angle of burnishing should be just shy of 90° to the face, anything more than this and you’ll create a weak cutting edge or lip, more likely to break than withstand multiple cutting strokes on tough timbers.
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A more ‘agricultural’ scraping edge can be achieved simply with a few strokes of a ******* file. Failing both of these methods, shards of freshly broken glass work too. Just be careful with yer paws."
Bing bong!
Tom says: "Super satisfying bing-bong on this Model L baritone. Given this is my first Bari (with a boat load of wild features besides), I’ve left the braces a little taller than I normally would to afford me a little room to manoeuvre once the guitar is complete via retro-active soundhole voicing. As such the top has a much higher frequency and a sustain character that I’m not used to hearing. I actually really like it. Guitars are so gosh darn interesting!"