Luthier workshop set up ?

[MIGNAL]

The only problem with the tape/glue method is that it would be a pain to keep removing the plate to check thickness.
It might be quicker if you had a dimple machine.
Second pic down.

https://www.bluebo.cx/jp/creations/the- ... -a-violin/

 

[thick_mike]

So it's homemade double sided tape?

 

[profchris]

So it's homemade double sided tape?

Yes, but much, much easier to apply and remove. If you stick a 2 mm plate down with double sided tape there's a high risk of cracking it when you try to unstick.

Mignal, the dimple device looks useful, might have to make one. Currently I just tape scraps of wood the desired depth alongside the plate and stop when I start to shave them. My final thicknessing is with a cabinet scraper.

 

[MIGNAL]

Leave the dimples on the inside, not the outside. It does compress the wood a little, so you'll know about it if you varnish it.
I suppose with the dimple machine you don't need a long reach caliper, an ordinary cheap digital caliper will do. Just make various thickness gauges that you can set it to.

 

[whiskywill]

Although it is a luxury, and I have made an acoustic instrument completely by hand, a drum sander is useful for so many things. I use it for the front, back, sides, fretboard, neck blank, head veneer and even sanding the braces to thickness before installing them.