What I do is, after the scales are attached, place the knife edge down with the spine facing up(so I'm looking down on it). Then I draw out the outline of the shape I want. I make it a little larger so I have a little bit of wiggle room once I get close. Then I remove the majority of the meat. I do NOT worry about rounding the handle at all until I get it down to the outline. Once it's too this point I check and see if it will match up with my palm(or the customers). If everything looks good I start rounding the scales. From here out it's a slow process.
Take the time to stop and check for hot spots. Check, sand, check, sand, check, sand, repeat. Once the shape is where you want it then do the finish work. It's a long process but I get some headphones on and really enjoy it. It's the par where the knife is coming together and your hard work is coming to fruition.
