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I need help on this...

how do I go about voicing a top? I know they should get thinner as the body size is smaller... but how thin do I go for ukeleles? I am building one with a Cedar top. I tapped it over and over again but what exactly am I looking for? do I thin until it taps out a certain note?

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Cat-gut strings are made from kitten guts, stretched out to near breaking point and then hardened with grue saliva. As a result these give a feeling of Pain and anguish whenever played, and often end up playing themselves backwards as part of satanic rituals.

Typhoon Guitars
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I do tap, but at guitar size, they usually sound pretty dead a while before I'm done thinning. I haven't built a regular nylon string ukulele yet, so I'm not sure on those. May still have some life in the tap. I mainly judge by flexing with my fingers. Measured deflection testing is more consistent, but I prefer the hands-on approach.

Then glue braces and it stiffens back up too much, so shave until it sounds and feels good. I'm not entirely sure what "good" is yet, but I do know that "stiff as a board" is bad

I glue ribs to soundboard, rather than the style where you glue the soundboard on last, so I can shave on the braces some more around the perimeter, while tapping and seeing how it sounds when constrained by the ribs. Also can spool clamp the back on and get an idea of the closed box tap before I actually glue it. If it sounds "solid", I shave some more. Should have a hollow, lively sound. Although it does sound different after gluing, without the weight of the spool clamps all over it, or their pads damping out the perimeter area a bit. And different again with the bridge glued. So there's still some guesswork.

I generally subscribe to the principle of "building on the cusp of disaster". If it's not pretty close to caving in, keep thinning. Of course, you'll have to cave in a couple to get a feel for when that happens... either build a test body, or buy a cheapo and peel its top off. Make a top or two or three that push the limits of what you think will survive. If they don't deform badly within a week or two with strings on, you're probably good.