I ripped to width, then resawed to 3/16, then planed to exactly the thickness of my WWII kerf (so the joint areas would glue tightly). Dividers are removeable but fit very snug. Lacquer finish.
Fortunately the padauk seems to be pretty stable so I didn't have a problem with cupping, bending after resawing. I've done the same with purpleheart with no problems.