I have a few blades that need scales and a host of hard woods to choose from. Sadly, I really don't like the look of wood scales, but I need to practice on something..

First two sets... The first from Yellow Heart. Not a hard wood by any stretch, but I have a ton of it and it's easy to work...



Once I got a rhythm I did a second set in Blood Wood.. A serious hard material.



Actually has a lot more red to it, hence the name. Iphone doesn't do a great job with white balance.

These are destined to go on a blade I restored a while ago and I am going to use a white Corian wedge.



I am thinking of finishing the Blood Wood with either CA, epoxy resin or a product called Craft Coat..the stuff used to cover bar and table tops.

Here's the question. The wedge needs to final sized. When do I do that? If I do it before the scales are finished, the tolerances won't be as tight as I would like, because the finish is going to add some thickness. If I wait until after I finish the scales, I am vulnerable to dinging or scratching them as I final size the wedge. Or should everything be finished and pinned before I do the final fitting of the wedge?