The 'annual question'... Ask sensible questions and you will get sensible answers. However, research before you ask. We get very exercised when someone is too lazy to look at previous attempts to answer the 'burning questions' every novice has. I absolutely guarantee that any question you may have has already been covered here many times over.
This!
All those here who have useful answers learnt those answers through extensive reading and hands on building. So if you ask a question which shows you didn't bother doing any basic research, either no-one answers or, if you catch someone on a bad day, you get told to go away and do some reading.
As an example, OP, it won't take more than a few minutes research to get a rough idea of back and side thickness then you can come on here and ask a better question - if backs and sides are usually 2 mm or less, would cocobolo work best at the high side or low side of that range?
Once you've done that basic work, the experienced builders can be very kind and helpful. I still recall one of my early builds where I planned a four piece top, with end grain butted at a joint across the (very narrow) waist. Pete Howlett made some very helpful comments, whilst pointing out that as a professional he couldn't risk such a technically bad joint but adding that as a hobby builder I had the luxury of doing it anyway and taking the risk. So I went ahead, and I suspect Pete's comments helped me do it such that the uke remains playable and in one piece.
But I started by explaining that I knew this was technically wrong, why I was planning it, and why I thought it would work. If I hadn't, Pete would either have ignored me or told me I was an idiot. Because I wasn't asking him to do my research for me, he was kind and helped me do it in a way which stood a chance of working.
The OP's post raises questions which I'd need to write a book to answer. If a Noob subforum asked those kinds of things I wouldn't respond, as I don't have time to write a reply that long! So I'd probably ignore the subforum. Probably only the ignorant would bother to respond.
If the questions were based on research, then they fit well here and will receive helpful answers.
