Mountain Dulcimer Building 101 (or 214 ways to skin a cat)

Reasons:
I always wanted to build an MD.Instrument building isgoal-oriented and I'm not. There is gratification in making it to the next step.Thereis a great sense of accomplishment when one has completed a project like this (and sometimes a great sense of relief). On the other hand, it could be the process itself that one might derive the greatest joy (" Life is a journey, not a destination.")Another reason for thepost isto help other beginners like myself. Even if she or he gleans just one idea from this blah, there are not a lot of resources out there.The last reason is that none of my friends play dulcimer.

References:
There is not a plethora of dulcimer building books available. I bought Dean Kimball's book, "How To Build A Mountain Dulcimer", through Amazon.com. Published in 1975, some of the techniques are out-dated but he is thorough enough to give one the gist. The photos are black and white, but they proved to be helpful. I bought teardrop dulcimer blueprints from http://www.elderly.com/ , which were also helpful. I bought three acoustic guitar building books, which were a good source of woodworking and other valuable information. Then I just surfed the net for dulcimer sites. Some people do share their dulcimer experiences, but you really have to look. I downloaded a lot of photos of dulcimers, whichwere very helpful. Seeing what other builders are making was educational. Man there are some talented craftsmen out there. Then I found FOTMD, where the people are friendly and willing to share their ideas with the inexperienced builders like me.

Experience:
None really. Iam just finishing a lap steel guitar, so the projectaddiction has taken hold.I have had minimal woodworking experience. I can read though, and I can follow instructions. I fixed a broken neck on a banger guitar that I was going
to pitch. Now that Sigma plays great, and it is my main campfire guitar. Then I thought, if I can repair an instrument, I can build one.

Tools:
This was one of the most challenging areas for me. I had some of the basics like chisels, files, and some clamps. But I had to buy planes, moresaws, measuring sticks, glue, and more clamps, just to name a few. I have limited access to power tools (a drill press and table saw).However, because of the simplicity of the dulcimer, one does not need tons of tools. I found that, with a limited budget, I buy the tools as I need them.

Note: I will be posting my build progress, along with photos, for the benefit of other beginners and forsome comic relief for the veteren builders.I welcome any comments or suggestions along the way. I do want to emphasize that this build is only one of many ways to skin a cat, and I will learn better techniques, time savers, jigs, etc. as a result of this experience.That being said, the cat I skin the next time will bedone differently.I will try to give as much detail, without becoming too protracted.

P.S. This was originally posted as ablog almost four years ago. Now it is born again as a thread.I started the project, ruined some wood, and was self-defeated right out of the gateand gave up. Now, with renewed interest and eagerness to succeed,I begin anew. Please excuse the delay.