rules are rules" is exactly what my buddy heard from his lead down in Amarillo when he flagged a wick that looked short. He went ahead and swapped it anyway since it was a 20 minute job, then checked the old one against a straight edge at home and it was maybe a quarter inch under. Plane flew fine for years before that and years after, so yeah the number feels more like a vibe than a limit. Long as the thing is bonded solid and not flopping in the breeze, I don't lose sleep over a tape measure.

My grandpa cut dovetails on a sawhorse in his Portland garage for 40 years without a jig.

You ever notice how the guys who trim the hardest are the same ones drowning everything in sauce later? I've seen it more than once at comps. They hack off every bit of that good fat, then wonder why the bark turns out dry and crusty instead of that nice mahogany color. Bet that guy's flat wouldn't hold a slice without crumbling, and mine always bends without breaking when I leave a quarter inch on there.