This shows the cutaway area after the top and back have been glued on. Notice that I leave the top hanging off a little bit. At this point I put the body aside and build the neck.
Here is the rough neck fitted to the body. At this point I transfer the contour onto the end of the neck. You can see all of the critical dimensions, that were used when shaping the neck block, written on the fingerboard.
I can now cut off the excess heel.
With the neck back on the body I trim the edge of the top back to the edge of the fingerboard. I make sure it is flush and that the curve of the cutaway is smooth and flowing. If you planned things out correctly in the early stages you will have just a little bit of wood to trim back to the fingerboard. If the side is recessed, you are screwed, if it sticks out too far (more than the thickness of the side) you are also screwed! Plan carefully!!