Stick to a timer and trust the process.

My first dive was on some ancient Navy tables from the 70s, and I did a 30 minute deco stop that I'm pretty sure was just for fun. Newer computers make me feel like a rookie every time I plug in my numbers. Those old timers probably just held their breath and kicked harder, ha.

Went with the glue up myself and learned the hard way that 2x4s from the big box store are basically gambling. Those little gaps showed up around month 10 for me. Figured I'd just handle it with some wood filler and a prayer but now I'm three tubes deep and it looks like I filled the cracks with spackle on a drywall patch. Solid wood top would have saved me some shame.