that more or less is learning by doing. But it is not the first board I've made.
There are 2 things:

1. one needs a lot of time
2. it is not cheep at all

@slyde, what are you using as top gloss? Creating a nice finish needs a lot of sanding in my case.
Epoxy as top layer always creates fisheyes and pinholes.
Even if I clean it with acton or if I do it wet on wet.