Materials

I have decided not to worry that the starting materials, the raw ingredients for my obsession, are going to cost more that the finished article could be sold for. That line of thinking is for business-minded individuals only, and when it comes to my mandolin such rules cannot apply. However...for the record, here is my current inventory (I've still got more to add later..):

Mould Base, free, a kind gift from Pete Lemon
Quadrant, about £2 from B & Q and from

Touchstone Tonewoods
Spruce wood for the belly, £8.95
Ebony veneer 600 x 100 x 2mm for the peghead, £6.
Lining wood, willow£4.00
Ebony binding: 4 off 800 x 5 x 2mm £5.60
Ebony fingerboard £5.95
Back & ribs wood (european maple) cost £22

Craft Supplies
Neck wood Sycamore 76mm x 76mm x 610mm, £7.15