First off, great job!!! As far as leaving staples for extra confidence... just make a sample glue joint & see what happens when you try to tear it apart (that will build confidence, lol) - go ahead and remove them... I do understand the dread of removing them all - that's why I built my 2nd (and 3rd) jig so I could glue both sides at the same time without any staples... Anyways, looking good & if we can help in anyway - let us know... david