My First Dulcimer

Hello everyone,

Ive built many acoustic instruments in the past but am just about to attempt my first dulcimer. So far Im having great difficulty buying decent timber here in England as there is a distinct shortage of merchants in my area, I was planning to buy some when I visit the USA next week but just realised that my suitcase isnt long enough!

I have a few questions:

What is the best way of joining the peghead (a scroll type) to the sides? Ive seen a few photos of dovetail slots sawn into the headstock but think that the resulting feather edge may be prone to snapping off during construction, any thoughts?

I plan to use geared banjo tuners, they are designed for thicker timber than I would have on my scroll, would this cause any problems?

I wanted the fret-board to be of the arched bridge type, do I still rout the slot down the centre of it?

Why drill holes or a slot in the soundboard under the fret board? I thought the bridge transferred vibrations to the soundboard which then vibrated in sympathy, amplified by the sound box and then out through the sound holes .. or am I on the wrong track?

Thanks for any comments.