Crafting a piece of work as sophisticated as a guitar headstock requires intricate carving and shaping.  You could almost say there is “whittling” involved.  Here Tone is paring the wood to get to the perfect shape for the design, almost as a sculptor removes bits of clay to reveal the perfect image.  In this case, one slip may move the process back to an earlier construction phase.  Or it might mean a band aide is required?