Nothing prevents an enterprising young designer from going to the local art-and-craft supply store and buying a sheet of basswood, and cutting out a model of his or her own design. However, the step from purchase-and-assemble to building-from-raw-materials is large: The designer must decide and draw the parts, determine how they will join, then carefully cut them from the sheet. Tolerance errors have severe consequences; a small mismatch between notch size or position and material thickness means the model won’t assemble correctly. The process also requires considerable dexterity with a razor knife, a skill that takes some time to.
