: was able to get a tight fit right down to about the final 4 inches of the
: very point. Planing that thin end seemed to either break it off or rip it
: out. Sanding seamed to get it a bit finer but it was very fragile and I
: ended up breaking it off too. I ended up with very thin gaps of about
: 4" long that I tried to slide in some shavings. Still not perfect
: though.

for the real thin feathered ends use a fine rigid sanding board clamped or fixed, pull strokes on the strips and finger pressure on the part(s) to thin down. Gentle, gentle, gentle, heh heh.

If you just keep breaking them, then clamp the strip (at the thick end) down edge up on a sacrificial pc of wood on the bench and then stroke sand with a sanding block towards the thin tip. Gentler strokes, the thinner the piece.

mick