Practice makes better

There's only so much work you can do on the scroll with a saw. Eventually, the blades have to come out, and if you're as amateurish as I am, they come out very timidly. A little nibble here, a nick there. This is one of the differences between a tyro and a pro. Even if they produce something that is nearly the same, the beginner does it in a thousand little pixelated nibbles, while the experienced hand does it in a fluid stroke. Consider a couple of days work for me:
As far as possible with the saw, then patiently nibbling with the chisel and knife.Timidly approaching the "eye" with a delicate knife and a gouge.
Putting a very timid chamfer on the edges--that bevel that goes around the whole curve, and really sharpens everything up. I would put a little bit on, and Michael Darnton (the teacher) would tell me to make it more so. Over and over again, a contest between my timidity and his patience.
A bit of comparison with the model, and starting to rough out the heel. It doesn't closely resemble the Stainer, but it's not a classical Cremonese scroll either. What is it, exactly? Stay tuned...

So, all that was two nervous days of work for me. An experienced maker at the workshop, Ray Lee, did all that in one morning, and his flows more nicely. I must practice a bit more.