I don't know how much help this will be because every area has different methods, material and conditions. This is a rough idea of how its done downunder. Most residential streets are 2 1/2 % cross fall and get 25 mill,yes, thats only one inch of asphalt.
So, fill with top course gravel flush to the lip of the curb and to the top of the crown. Figure how high your crown will be and keep checking to make sure you have enough. If you don't have a slope meter, get a carpenter's level that you can put somewhere in front of you, then stop on a paved street and note where the bubble is.
Say your street is 3 metres from curb to crown (2.5%X3=75mill) your rough crown will be 75 mm higher than the lip of curb. So if the top of curb is 110 mm higher than the lip the rough crown will be 35mm (75+35=110) below the top of curb. We still use a string line here. Keep a rough trim going as the gravel trucks dump in front of you. Get the water truck to run a front wheel along the edge of the curb. Don't fill up the whole street, leave an area for the trimmings, maybe 20%.
Once you've made sure there is enough for the crown let the roller start, not before. If the crown is low anywhere, you can't simply add a few mill of material after its been rolled. You'll have to tine it up, wet it, add material, roll it, trim it, ouch!
So,now we have a street over filled 25mm. After rolling it should be 10 to 15 mm overfull.
If the roller driver is inexperienced, you'll have to instruct him, do not, do not, DO NOT, roll the crown down. When you have to go over the crown, turn the vibrator off. Roll right up to the curb but don't chip it. roll the h$$L OUT OF IT.
This is sort of a rule of thumb for filling anything, over fill it, compact it, trim it.
Time to start trimming.
Change to a new set of blades.
Have your ground crew (stringers) measure 3m from one curb (always measure from the same side) and put a paint mark on the crown. Pull a string tight across and measure how much needs to be trimmed off. Because we're now looking for finish level, we'll be looking for 60mm below the string. ( 35rough +25 asphalt =60) Have them put this figure on either side of the crown mark. Articulate so that you can look straight down the crown and the toe of the blade will just nick the crown marks. Roll your blade right forward, 1st gear, low idle. Make a couple of cuts. Have the water truck give it a light spray, have the roller make a couple pass's. Trim,water, roll.
When you have a fair amount of trimmings have them picked up and dumped at the end where you didn't fill. Often you might just have a bobcat to pick up trimmings so go to another area and trim there while you're waiting. Alternate back and forth. Have fun. Simple heh.
In Oz there are no quarter crowns on residential streets. When the council comes for their pre seal inspection, they put a 25mm block about a foot (300mm) from the crown, a string is pulled across this block to the lip of curb and another 25mm block is used to slide under the string. Of course the council doesn't care if you're too deep but at $150 a ton the contractor sure does. Because the asphalt is so thin, 25mm, if you were to average just 5mm too deep (less than a quarter inch), that's a 20% overspread. Like Randy said, there's no place to hide.
Hope this doesn't confuse the matter too much. As my Australian Lady said when I moved here "It's not right or wrong, it's just different".
