Do yourself a huge favor and invest in the jig. I can recommend the B-Square jig. If you follow the instructions you will be amazed at how professional a job you can do the first time, without risking harm to the stock in any way. Trying to grind the pad on the stock, especially the first time, is inviting disaster. A minor nick in the finish is no big deal, however, it is way too easy to cause a major gouge in the stock with a slip-up. This usually occurs while you are trying to shape the toe- line as you are working around the curve and at an odd angle. You can find yourself with a gouge in the wood so severe that it harms the lines of the stock because you will have to remove so much wood to correct the gouge.
The above is from the School of Hard Knocks 101.
Best,
Dan
