Bill Howland says that he uses smooth on all the time. Also says that the developers say the strongest bond is made by allowing it to cure 24 hours then add the heat. So my understanding is to check moisture, form the billet, let set for 24hrs, cut lams, glue up.That will create the strongest bond it can.
I have access to a sawmill and wood presses so I began to think about making some.
I have often wondered why maple, birch, and boo are the only "action woods" that I know of. I have a large abundance of walnut, cherry, elm, hickory and osage strips that could be made into veneers and then glued into a billet using the wood press.
The idea behind the "action wood" is too have a more consistent product, is it not? If that statement is true then the engineered billet should be of equal or better quality than natural wood.