As always, a great post Paul.

I would add a couple more thoughts ...

First if you keep track of where your strips came from when you ripped them (I number the edges and make a sketch in my notebook), you can flip an adjacent strip end for end (the result would be the numbered ends face each other) and get matched grain. I did this on my walnut sheer strip and can hardly find the joint (but I have not wetted out yet!).

Another thought is that beveled strips are slightly more forgiving (compared to bead and cove) for a mismatched joint as you can fair the edge of the strip (but only a little).

I have been thinking about using a steeper angle for my next set of strips. The area below the waterline looks to be about 16 square feet and I have about 17-18 sqaure feet of the same colored wood. I would like some increase in surface area over a butt joint, but a 6:1 scarf causes too much waste. I have been thinking about a 30 degree scarf as a way of making my strips go farther.

Steve