Making a board, not the easy, wimpy way

I recently decided to expand my woodworking skillset by making a board.It turns out that this is much more difficult than it sounds. Yes, I could have simply gone to a lumberyard and purchased some wood. Or I could have wandered into a home improvement megastore where I likely would have gotten lost and forced to live off the land by swilling sports drinks and chewing on leather toolbelt...