This is not bragging, my first bow worked and I shot a deer with it. Why? mostly luck, partly it was reading the info on Jawges site, talking with Jawge when I had questions, choosing the right board. I think for many a board bow is the way to start because it takes away the fear of wrecking an expensive stave, it takes alot of the variables out of the wood, staves can have alot of problems. One of the most important things to keep in mind is "Walk away" when you get frustrated or confused walk away, give it a day, go back with the answers you need and continue. I have to tell you that later on after my first bow chrysalled and I built more bows, I had failures, a pile of them with sucess mixed in, probably because I thought I had it all figured out. This is a longterm learning experience, you are going to learn from the people here, and from your own experiences. You'll get there, ask alot of questions, and have fun.
VB