don't soak the board. When wood absorbs water it expands. If you soak it it will slowly dry from the faces and ends and as it does it will shrink. Air drying takes a long time. When wood is put into dry kilns at the mill it is typically air dried on spacers for at least a couple of months and even then it will warp if not supported properly. The strips you cut out of a wet piecxe of wood will shrink and may cause problems down the road. Also damp wood is a lot more difficult to cut and will tend to have a hairy surface.