components are positioned either by joints, or by building them in place. other ways of positioning will lead to various forms of heartache.
for this type of construction, I prefer a top-down, skeleton sketch modeling approach. see attached model.
note in the attached-
-this is an example of "building in place" vs using joints.
-sketches that have elements shared by more than one component live one level up in the assembly (skeleton sketch)(you'll also note that most everything is controlled with the dims in the sketch, not by editing extrudes. try changing a few in the attached)
-model all unique components first, then pattern component instances into place
-not shown in the model: when a component can't be patterned into place (odd spacing etc) that is when you would copy it and position with a joint, using points on the skeleton sketch to joint to (as opposed to other component bodies)
-keep things organized: create assemblies and components as you go instead of moving bodies into component after creation.
-keep things organized: utilize the time line. scrub back and forth to keep sketches at the beginning, next unique components, then pattern placements. ie keep the stages of creation together.
-I would probably work out all the primary elements first, then go back and figure out the wood joinery.
