I'm not sure I really fully understand the use of boards during the bench press. I was wondering if one of you guys would want to elaborate a little on it...or point me to some articles that might explain it a little better. Thanks.

for me, board work is a tool that helps my shirted bench. the bench is a entirely different movement when adding a shirt. when benching w/o shirt your weaker at the bottom of the lift, when training with a shirt you become weaker at the top. the boards allow you to use heavier weight at the upper end where you will need the strength when using a shirt. that said high board work, like a 5 board maybe even six board as tall as you are, is great for tricep work. at this point in you development lot of db, incline, decline and flat benching will serve you well.

Board work can also serve as a simple variation on the bench press itself. It's primary use is simply to work different aspects of the movement. I am weakest around the 3 board area so I tend to do 3 board work as a triceps movement for like 5 sets of 5 reps. Mike is right, however, it is really useful for bench shirt work, but there are still uses in raw work.

So I will benefit the most from primarily flat bench (and variations of) and may see some benefit from 1, 2 and possibly 3 boards right now, correct?

Correct. Use the boards during you max effort work and occasionally a high board for lockout strength. Like Mike mentioned, however, the most difficult part of the lift for the raw bencher is coming off the chest. The best thing for a raw bencher to incorporate is heavy DB bench presses. These actually increase the range of motion and hit the delts really well. You can also change the movement in a number of different ways to keep it fresh: flat, incline, decline, with bands, neutral grip, etc., etc., but they are not used as a max effort movement.

Here is another great article with some great information for the raw bencher.
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/raw_bench_pressing.htm

This is part of my blog called "BENCH PRESS TRAINING WITH BOARDS" from the House of Pain web site:

The goal or purpose of training with boards: 1. Help you get use to heavy weights, 2. Train a specific range of the bench press motion to help you increase your bench press and 3. Increase your tricep/lockout strength.

SET UP FOR THE BOARD

There are several ways to set up for the board. One way is to have a partner hold the board across your chest. The 2nd way is to place the board underneath your shirt. The 3rd way is to connect bands to the bench press and loop the bands across the board. The 4th and easiest method is to use EO Board Vest by EO Sports Gear. EO Board Chest is vest that straps across your chest and holds the boards in place. You can purchase an EO Board Vest at http://www.eosportsgear.com/

TRAINING USAGE AND SET UP FOR THE BOARDS

There are 3 main ways to implement board training into your routine. The first way is training with boards unequipped. The 2nd way is training boards with bands/chains. The 3rd way is training boards with an Inzer Advance Designs Bench press shirt.

TRAIN HARD

"BIG WILLIE" J.T. HALL