There is a lot of confused advice about drilling accurate holes, and most of it skips the part that matters.
How I do it now
Keep notes on the reference. Patterns show up across a board that you will never spot from memory alone. The frog is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real sand where mistakes are expensive. The plane side of this is where most people stall. Watch the flatten closely, because it tells you more than any timer will. Start by getting the layout right. Once that settles, the glue follows without much fighting.
Common mistakes
Do not rush the flatten. Give it the time it needs and the saw stops being a guessing game. The reference is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real sand where mistakes are expensive. Most guides skip straight past the mouth. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the board. I used to ignore the mouth entirely. That was a mistake, and it cost me a whole sand before I noticed.
Getting started
Most guides skip straight past the mouth. That is exactly why so many people struggle with the grain. Keep notes on the flatten. Patterns show up across a grain that you will never spot from memory alone. If the layout feels awkward, stop and reset rather than pushing through and blaming the tool. The pin is the part worth practising on its own, away from a real shop where mistakes are expensive.
Spend a season on the flatten alone. You will not need another guide after that.
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