I've done amateur woodworking longer than I've done amateur mandolin playing, but so far the two have never met. In 2022 I aim to change that. I've been getting a little more into hand tools for my woodworking, and I think a great way to learn a lot more about tool sharpening/setup would be to try my hand at my first mandolin. Can anyone recommend a good resource for the construction of a fairly traditional A-model? I want to carve the top/back. I could go a couple of directions on the neck joint frankly; a dovetail would be my preference but for my first attempt at this I could see doing something simpler. Similarly I could go either way on binding or not. I'm planning on a snakehead, F5 length, and a radius fretboard is a must (personal preference since I'll hopefully be playing it someday).
I need a good guide on the construction, and some plans. Is the Siminoff book still the best option for something like this, or are there some other resources that might fit my goals better? What A5 plans might I find that would mesh well with the construction methods in the Siminoff book (or others)?
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