: I begin to wonder what the point is?

Well, the point is easy and fast production, hopefully accompanied with great precision.

Unfortunately, in many cases it can be slow and difficult to achieve fast and easy. I guess that is the reason so few people bother with using ganged blades to cut multiple strips.

The strips cut between the ganged blades should have the correct thickness. Those cut on the outside of the blade may have variable thickness, as will the last strip cut from any board. The planer can take a few thousandths off of a strip to even out any which are a bit oversize, salvaging those that were not fortunate enough to be cut right in the first place. Planing the other strips seems to be a belt and suspenders approach. Of course, if one has the tools there are always jobs that one can find that require you to use those tools--particularly if the tools are loud, dangerous, and otherwise fun to play with.

PGJ