Thanks for the post Hank. I was at Home Depot on Sunday - had to go to a more distant one where they carry cedar. I think you have tipped me in favor of going back and getting some. It was fairly knotty and a little bowed but the price is right. My dilemma is the local yard has beautiful clear western red up to 18'. It's mucho expensive though. I'm in the process of ripping an old redwood sauna (still) and it's coming out nice so I dont really feel like going "uptown" to the lumber yard for the cedar. I think I have a useful tip on the bead & cove. Use a fence there also with a featherboard pressing downward. I'm using a nice piece of aluminum bar that's been lying around forever. It has exactly the same dimensions as the strips and this creates a nice true "channel for the strip to slide along. I get the strip started and then go around to the other side of the router table and gently pull it through. I'm using the 1/4" bits on 3/16" strips. It works great. I've seen some posts suggesting this and once you get your distance right it beads well and gives a nice concave on the cove without coming up too thin at the edges.

Hope you enjoyed sunny California. La Jolla is my favorite spot on the planet. The Buick golf tournament is on at Torre Pines this weekend. I'll be looking out for kayaks from chilly New Jersey. Happy Routing Jim.