Wee B. Bridges

Having a quality visual reference can only help— https://www.violinbridges.co.uk/ Michael Darnton has a section on the bridge— see page(s) #17-34 http://www.darntonviolins.com/violinmagazine/book/setup.pdf

spirit varnish requires more coats oil varnish requires less coats

I don’t know if it has been stated earlier—however it will help immensely if you have a finished scroll in front of you for a visual reference.

Varnish it first, set it up with a traditional fingerboard, let it settle in for 6 months. 29.5 projection is not outrages.

Unless you are making a bench copy, I would suggest you shoot for the typical standardization . (Figure 1) shows a violin set up in the modern style. The stop length is 195mm. The neck length is 130mm from the top nut to the belly edge. The neck is set 6mm above the belly edge and the fingerboard edge thickness is 5mm, making a total of 11mm. https://www.roger-hargrave.de/PDF/Artikel/Strad/Artikel_2013_03_Period_of_Adjustment.pdf

Seems like you are getting the picture. A 6mm soundpost I would consider a bare minimum; 6.4 not uncommon to support upper harmonics. There is no need to fight getting a soundpost in place and bugger up the ff sides in doing so.

What diameter post ?

Would not give it a second thought—carry on. Most often in woodworking, this type of “character” is a feature not a draw back, unless you plan on putting strings on it and bringing it up to pitch.

Ouch. —Maybe this will help in cultivating your eye: https://www.violinbridges.co.uk/ Think about purity of line; and sharp tools.

There is no advantage to run a locating pin up into the neck heel. The locating pin typically gets cut away, as in this example off the bench :

reference: https://trianglestrings.com/reinforcing-cracked-pegbox-wall/

Stewart Pollens publish "The Violin Forms of Antonio Stradivari” in 1992. Maybe you can get your hands on a copy for full size forms and patterns.

I have certainly tried all variations. I keep coming back to purfling after the plates are fully attached. I then finalize the edge overhang on the corpus, and then cut the purfling channel by hand. I find this method allows you more control, establishing the progression of line and uniform edge overhang, even if there is some slight deviation from the scribe line when glueing up the box. Blending the channel and finishing the edge work all after the fact to complete the corpus. Isn't this what Sacconi writes in "I Segreti di Stradivari."

I use an old Stanley #8. Independent of the size of plane and blade, what is just as important is a true and flat bottom sole. You can have the sole milled back to flat at a machine shop if necessary—this will solve a lot of problems.

One of the more interesting non-traditional violins I have seen. Props.