Update
Well, it went better this time. I resawed all the pieces, and they fit together. The black stuff is some ebony dust I used to fill some gaps around the hair, but even those were minor. I feel so much better about the world now.
Also, I found I had a new buddy on my workbench. He kept hanging around, disappeared, and then came back. I needed the piece of wood he was sitting on, so I brought him outside and put him in the tall grass. He looks more grasshoppery than crickety; he’s got nice desert camos, though.
