Let me join in. I just finished building two Cape Charles stitch 'n glue method kayaks. In making the deck beams, I had a number of bent lamination failures when using fir lattice strips as laminate layers. I felt that, as already mentioned, resins migrating to the surface functioned as a bond-breaker between West System epoxy (even with thickener added) and the wood. I suggest a cabinetmakers advice (my own) on working with resinous woods such as ebony etc... (I believe cedar has the same class of resins.) Wipe the surface (scrub it) with acetone, rubbing with an absorbent cloth. This should come close to eliminating the surface buildup of resins. Then epoxy away using thickeners, of course.

It is going to be best, and no scrubing with acetone will be necessary, if you glue up within, say 12 to 24 hours after machining. If you must wait longer, it makes perfect sense to seal the joint with some epoxy. This sealer WILL bond to the wood because it is freshly cut. The resin down in the pores of the wood will be physically locked in. It will also be thin and dispersed as opposed to the kind of concentrations you would find on the surface over time which only gets there do to natural and ongoing capillary action. Wood is always a living moving thing. A lot of the way it acts is logical, rational, and predictable.

Never fear, and as somebody already said, it's great to learn in advance but don't let that delay your biting-the-bullet (or should I say epoxy brush) and get out there and HAVE FUN!!!