I completely agree with putting the rotary tool in the closet before the job is started. The gentleman admits to being a novice, and a rotary tool will eat away far more wood than you want before you know it. It's conceivable you could use one for some exterior shaping, although hand tools work better, but you can muck up inletting before you can pull the bit out of the wood with a powered rotary tool. Hand inletting tools are the only way to assure a good job. I think the remark about not using the original stock as a pattern is intended to say that the original stock would be screwed up, not the newly cut blank. A method of attaching the original stock into the machine duplicator must be used, and this most often will make the original unusable for use on a gun again, although it can be kept and used again as a pattern. I am sure Mr. Hughes was sincere in his "Best Of Luck" statement. He is simply trying to point out pitfalls to be avoided.
