I went to my favorite hardwoods outlet today, Northwest Lumber in Indianapolis. Took my banjo and some parts in progress; they're always interested in what someone is building. One of the guys there makes guitars using their extensive shop in the back. I played on his latest build: a nice dreadnaught guitar with quarter-sawn white oak back and sides. The back was beautifully book matched, and it has a great sound.
They told me of a local guy that built a very simple banjo, using.....GET THIS...hide from a rawhide chewing bone that you buy for a dog. He bought the rawhide bone, unrolled it, and used in on a banjo!! Never heard of that before, but they said it worked just fine. Hopefully I can see it sometime.