Last month I wrote about the process of fitting a countertop to existing walls and noted on construction drawings as "scribe to wall".  This work was done by Fox Marble of San Francisco.  The preparation of the marble slab is also fascinating.  After looking at the actual slab, you can manipulate the shapes of the cut pieces on top of a computer image and get the best features of the slab in the right spot.  Thanks Fox Marble. 

I also moved the deck mounted faucet set to the wall in order to keep the countertop free of obstacles - both for easier maintenance and for a cleaner appearance. 

Building construction still relies to a large degree on on-site cutting and fitting to accommodate specific site conditions.  I knew that fitting a countertop snug against existing walls meant a full sized template needed to be prepared to take back to the shop for fabrication.  

Above, Fernando from Fox Marble in San Francisco is making a template from thin strip of wood that can be easily cut with a matt knife.  Using a glue gun, he makes sure the outer edges align precisely with the existing walls.  Where the walls are not flat, he shaves the edge of the template until it fits properly.  He then, forms the cut-out shapes and makes notes on the template showing the radius of the cut-out corner, the overhang on the front edge and the edges that need to be polished.