: Chip,
: what is that plane that you used to trim the bottom strips?? Looks more
: "lefty" friendly.

Hi Steve, that looks great. The plane I used is a Clifton shoulder plane. Here's a shot of it http://www.nwlink.com/~chips/cedarstrip/images/KnifeEdgeStrip.jpg I recommend it highly. It's low angle (cuts easily), fits in the hand well, and has a good weight to it. It will set you back about $200 but it's worth it. There are some other comparable models that may cost a little less.

You may be able to make a jig to give your block plane the same functionality - I haven't tried it but I think that's a "shooting board".