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The main reason for multiple strips is wood craft basics.
Example
You make a coffee table 12 inches wide,out of 1 piece of wood that piece of wood can :
a: cup with the grain
b: warp in its length

Now take that same piece of wood cut it in half glue together with the grain pattern in opposite directions.
Now the grain of the wood is working for you.They will oppose each other and help keep its original shape.

now take multiple lamination's. same as above but many times.

Nowadays tho supply and demand of certain materials do lead to buying smaller pieces of wood and having no choice in quantity or size.

Any time you laminate wood it is always better to use multiple lamination's compared to a single piece of wood.
This of course refers to solid stock not plywood's.

Also edge grain lumber will give better flex and strength in its length than Flat sawed lumber will.

just my 2 cents worth

I make all my boards with cedar strips, It keeps it from warping and if you have the vertical grain facing out the epoxy sticks much better.
Some boards of the same wood can be up to 3/4 as strong as the other pieces so smaller strips all mixed up will keep the flex even on both sides. Smaller strips helps me get a more rounded concave also.
I'm using cedar and not paulownia because its much easer to get in the US unless you buy bulk from China.
Cedar weighs a bit more than paulownia but you can make it a bit thinner with close to the same strength. Check out my website I have construction photos on how I build my boards.
http://www.mthboards.com

mthboards, your boards look nice.
I have some cedar around still from a boat project, and am thinking of making a board of it instead of plywood (have done that before).
Looks like your strips are around 1/4."
Is that right or are they thicker?
I have been thinking about 1/4" versus 1/2" with more taper and less glass....

Wondering if you can give any advice about how much glass you use, here or offline....
Different folks say different things....
Anyway, nice pictures, thanks.

mthboards wrote:I make all my boards with cedar strips, It keeps it from warping and if you have the vertical grain facing out the epoxy sticks much better.
Some boards of the same wood can be up to 3/4 as strong as the other pieces so smaller strips all mixed up will keep the flex even on both sides. Smaller strips helps me get a more rounded concave also.
I'm using cedar and not paulownia because its much easer to get in the US unless you buy bulk from China.
Cedar weighs a bit more than paulownia but you can make it a bit thinner with close to the same strength. Check out my website I have construction photos on how I build my boards.
http://www.mthboards.com

Wow those are gorgeous!

I have built or helped build 4 strip canoes.

The CNC must be a pleasure.

A friend has a wide sanding machine that comes to mind for a job like that. My planer would work but you'd have to do it in 12" sections.

You have inspired me as I have a lot of cedar from a house covering that I salvaged. It is old and dried out completely.

Thanks!
Al

I edited this after I saw that you had cut the wood in what appears to be wide strips rather than 3/4" by 1/4" strips as I did with the canoes.