Last July, I was in the same position you are. I bought and read TBB, and I watched as many buildalongs as I could. I lurked on forums (especially this one!), I researched the aspects that had me baffled, and after a month or so of this I dove head first into bowbuilding. But only when I had (or thought I had!) a good idea of the challenges I had to face, and some ideas about how to handle them with my tools and (limited) skills. And, even then, I knew there would be failures, and that persistence would, eventually, get me there...so, no fast gratification was expected. It worked well, I think, but I am only on the very first steps of a very long, but rewarding, stairway. Tools make things easier/faster/require less effort, but more important is knowing what you want to do at each step. How you do it is a matter of what you have available, and how much time and effort you are willing to put in...but, if you do not know/can`t decide what you should do next, no tool will help you! That`s when the real bowyers here, and their willingness to help, are really invaluable! Just my opinion...and I am not even close to being a beginner, just sampling the water. BTW, I have only done two pairs of limbs, two risers and a longbow, all fiberglass laminated. I had previous experience with fiberglass and it seemed easier to me...I would be scared stiff if I had to make a selfbow! 99% sure it would break in some early stage! Perhaps if you try to keep some part of the process closer to other skills you have, like I did with the fiberglass part, you would feel more confortable on your first efforts...just a thought.
DF