JacksonMaberry

Neuner? I don't even know 'er!

Indeed. Which is why it's so instructive to compare it with the much more recent 1668 NMM Stainer technical drawing. It's evident that the overall graduation scheme is the same between the two. The asymmetry is almost certainly irrelevant and immaterial.

Right, but fortunately even that is a moot point, because it's not. Instead we're getting a lot of wild things like nitrolignin, and nitrocellulose. Not enough to cause problems with the ATF thankfully

The hygroscopicity of nitrites and nitrates is not of practical concern when used either in mild solution of lab grade salts or when found in organic mixtures like Roubo primer. These salts of nitrous and nitric acid are not sticking around in their original form - they are reacting with the material they are applied to, principally but not exclusively cellulose, oxidizing it. If you're imagining the compound simply sitting in the wood unaltered, that is not what is occurring.

The 1679 Stainer poster and it's accompanying article were done by Roger Hargrave. The quality is high especially for the period (pre CT scan posters). You should get the 1668 from the NMM in Vermilion as well. Both instruments survive in essentially original condition and are as a result an interesting time capsule. As Davide noted, you should not copy the thicknesses or even the arching slavishly. Study them thoroughly to make an educated guess at the guiding principles at play.

I'd agree the arching is more important. You see this kind of very thin in the flanks, thick in the middle on a lot of Amati school instruments including Stainer, and it works well. The "Amati smile" can be seen in CT cross arch sections.

Any relation to Gom Jabbar?

Jokes aside, I'm not a drinker!

Bitrex isn't too bad, once you've developed a taste for it

Still interested

Wow that's a beautiful gouge.

Yes, of course, the survival imperative has a way of overriding other concerns.

"Tend to" in my original post, which you quoted. This implies my recognition that not all behave in this way, just the majority (more than half).

I'm not suggesting there is any advantage - I'm pointing out a fact of use, that's it. But yes, maple makes lousy fenceposts. Maybe that's why they pulled them up and turned them into violins.