George's site has a great tutorial on picking your boards along with loads of other stuff. Well worth your time.
Sinew will work with other types of glues, but you will get your best results from hide glue. If you don't want to invest in a half pound of hide glue, run to the local grocery store, find the Jello, and look for the Knox unflavored gelatin box. That's A#1 finest grade hide glue, colorless, odorless, tasteless. 1 packet to a cup of cold water, let it dissolve for about half an hour, and warm just slightly in the microwave about 10 seconds at a time. When it is a little more than body temp warm, it's just about right.