Kitset Harp

I’m on to Plan C for my harp. My idea of using .08ml plywood to make a lizard to attach to the side won’t work – the wood is too brittle and coarse, and turns into splinters. My next thought is to use pine – or if I can get it, a piece of something like oak, about 1cm thick, and actually carve the lizard into it, and then glue it to the harp.