Hi ozzie,

Wow man, some really nice figure there! This is going to be one amazing looking axe.
Personally, I would recommend getting some "goof-off" glue remover for those glue spots on the veneer. It may not remove all the glue, but it will definitely reduce the amount of sanding you need to do and reduce the risk of sand-through. On my current LP build I used 3 passes of the stuff on each glue spot and I was really impressed with the results. Anyway, something to think about.

cheers,
Gav.