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The inside mold is NOT a great idea. But I did it, it was easy, it was fast, and it makes you come up with other things to make later:

Like the quick and easy ribcage manager. A 2' X 2' sheet of plywood, 5/8" dowel rod, and a 5/8" spade bit in your drill press. And some screw you have laying around. I got rid boxes of that sort of thing, and it seems at times that it was a bad idea.

Draw the outline on the board, and then draw your actual sides on it. They SHOULD be close. Sorta maybe. Spot the dowels with the bit marked 5/16 from where you want the edge, andscrew them in from the bottom. The pilot hole drills through for you. Keep adding dowels until it is held solidly where you want it. Now I can glue the back on right on this fixture. But first I wanted to fit the neck. I always fit the neck on violins before I glue the back on. Some do it last. Why?

The fixture works great for that too. You can line up the centerline, ( sshhhh. it's different from the one on the plan, but I didn't have to say that) and see immediately that it is off to the bass side before you get too far along and have to add shims or something.

It seems I cut the neck narrow. Nice. Maybe that's where edge work and binding will come in handy?

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Why be normal?

Someone must be thinking, "Wouldn't it be better to cut out the area at the top for the neck and dovetail?"

Yes it would be. But the neck is STILL crooked. But at least I know that it is in the right spot.

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Why be normal?

It gets even better.

Flip it over and you can check for tilt:

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Why be normal?