Being I am a newbie, and fumbling my way along,

You shouldn't need to fumble. Aren't you working from instructions?

Yes, doing a seal coat will increase your chances of having a transparent lay-up.

If you're using System Three epoxy you have up to 72 hours after applying a seal coat to glass and get a chemical bond.

For other epoxies you'll have to get information from the company on the chemical bonding time window.

You can just scratch the seal coat lightly with 80 grit and have a mechanical bond.
There's nothing wrong with a mechanical bond.

If you do a seal coat to the bare wood, roll on one even coat. Different areas of wood will absorb at different rates, no problem. Don't go back and try to add more resin in areas which look dry. The trick to using a roller is to pour your resin over the foam roller cover in the tray and give the cover a minute to absorb the resin. Then the roller will not create bubbles.

Then as soon as the seal coat is tack free lay out your glass and wet-out. If you wish to have a transparent glass lay-up you must wet-out above 72˚.

An 80˚shop is best for a transparent wet-out. Resin and everything at the same temperature.

Rob