Working the arching down, at the same time working the channel -- the scoop around the edge. Still a ways to go on the arching, but it's starting to look like a fiddle.
Cutting the channel around the edge of the plate, it's hard to tell how deep you are. Since I cut my plate with it sitting flat on the bench, I built a very simple height gauge.
A blunt nail is the indicator, with little black stripes (at the top, near the head of the nail) marked at 3 and 4 mm above the bench surface. When I get in that range, I can be a little more careful, and go to a more accurate caliper to finish up.
The top is still quite high, about 18 mm in the center. I want to get as much as I can, reasonably, out of this one, but my back is at 16 right now, so I still have wood to remove here.
