Re: Half a mandolin question
I'm very familiar with the banjo neck attachment you describe. It's not the best, but it works. Taking material off the heel won't get you anywhere; you'll just end up with a gap. Does the end of the dowel stick mortise into the rim? If not, it's easy to plug the hole in the dowel for the tailpiece bolt and redrill a little lower [ that raises the end of the dowel and allows the neck to angle down]. Then use a shim between the rim and the fingerboard to force the neck back as you tighten up the tailpiece bolt and tap the wedges.
The dowel has to be solid in the heel cavity of course. It will have been glued with hide glue, and if it's loose you will need to reglue it. The two reasons the action raises on these old things is the neck itself bowing [unrelated to the joint, obviously] and the rim deforming ["potato chipping"].
The tolerances are always loose, and when reassembling it you grab the neck and twist it one way or the other to get the fingerboard in line with the head.
Shade Tree Fretted Instrument Repair, retired
Nevada City, California
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