You have already cut your strips apparently, but next time you might try this time saver:

Scarf your boards together to make longer boards. Then rip your strips from the longer boards.

You'll cut full length strips in 1/4 of the time it is taking you now to create them from shorter strips.

the scarf length can be longer, giving a longer and stronger glue joint, as well as a very even bend through the joint.

You won't spend any time at smoothing or re sanding the overlap of the scarf joint. And if you try to avoid having an overlap you'll likely have thin areas -- these are eliminated, too.

How do all these nice things happen? Very simply. I start with a 1x8 or 1x6 and rip it the center to make two 1x4 or 1x3 pieces. I then flip one of the pieces so that either the two ends which were formerly the tops, or the bottoms, overlap. This keeps the color and grain pattern very close at the joint. I overlap the boards about 2 feet and draw a diagonal line through the area. The boards are aligned at this time so that the two 8-foot pieces form a 14 foot long arrangement. If I start with 10 foot pieces I get 18 foot strips.

I clamp the boards and then cut along the diagonal line. Usually I use a circular saw, but this could easily be done with a handsaw, too.

With a 3 inch wide board, cut over a 24 inch length I get a 1:8 scarf. With a 4 inch wide board it would be 1:6. With a strong glue these ratios work fine. Of course there is no technical reason why you couldn't overlap the boards 3 feet and get finer ratios -- but you would waste more of your lumber, and it just isn't necessary. Since the boards are stacked while being cut the cut areas should line up almost perfectly without any additional work -- but sandpaper or a plane can improve on the fit at the joint if you think it needs it. Usually this is a VERY SLIGHT effort. If it looks really ugly it is faster for me to jsut recut the diagonal line and take off another 1/4 inch.

I can clamp each joint with two clamps, but some people may want to use three. The boards are big enough and stiff enough to make aligning them fairly easy.
Once the glue on this single joint is cured, each strip you rip will automatically have clean, even, edges at the scarf joint area.

It is a convenience to have several full length strips on had when you start your stripping, but after the first row is in place it provides a suitable "base" against which shorter strips are easily aligned. Then you can use shorter strips. these are very easy to join by just butting them together. If you fear that these joints may be less than desirable, then go ahead and cut the ends at 45 degree angles. This angle is easy to reproduce, aligns well, and gives a 40 percent greater glue area than a butt joint.

I find the end inch or two of many of my boards is a different color than the rest of the board. This is undoubtedly from storage conditions. As a result I cut off an inch or two from the ends, giving me a neat, fresh-cut end. While I cut these ends off at 90 degree angles, there is no reason why you coudn't cut them at 45 degree angles. My simple miterbox works fine for both angles, and the cedar cuts in just 2 or three pulls of a handsaw.

Hope this helps

PGJ