Originally Posted by
FBinNY
......
Take a rod of some kind, ie. a knitting needle and locate any pair of spokes going in the same direction, from opposite flanges. Using the rod as a reference, or eyeball, and identify which is a half hole position forward of the other. Follow both to the rim, and they should get there in the same order.......
Once I realized the flange holes weren't exactly opposite, it made building/clocking much more sensible.
It took a couple wheels before the light bulb went off.
To address (I think) one of your other questions when dealing with a "left hand" vs "right hand" rim re: the nipple holes.
If you consider RH the :norm", when dealing with a LH rim, start the key spoke in the 2nd hole from the valve.
Scroll down to Key Spoke-
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/wheelbuild.html