Newbie Question, back strips, how do you typically install them?

I have been trying to figure out how to set up to rout a channel to install one, but I can't seem to come up with a workable way.

Simple to do, hard to get right. A jig is a must.

The biggest question though is...why?

If you are talking about a decorateve strip down the back, then if your equipment includes a router or laminate trimmer, it's pretty simple.

Careful set is essential. Clamp your back plate down to your work bench by using a fence that offsets the base of your router the required distance from the channel you want to cut. Set depth on the bit and cut away.

You might want to do a test cut on scrap to determin the correct distance first.

Aleternately you can use template collars on your router and use a template directly over the area you want to route out. If you don't know what they are, here's a picture.

Decorative strips, not a full piece of wood the same thickness as the back pieces, a thinner decorative strip. My apologies, should have been more clear.

I've never done a back stripe, but I did some research a while back. I did unearth the fact that Martin used to just butt the back plates against a strip of herringbone and glue the whole thing together making two joints instead of one. This is an alternate way to do it without jointing and then routing. Just butting the strip in seems to me to double an already weak join, but it worked for Martin and they knew what they were doing. I suppose with back bracing and joint patches there will be no threat of failure. Don't know if they still do it this way.