I want to glue up some scrap boards into panels, but the boards I have are
shorter than the panels I need. So, I'm curious if there is an easy, and
Inexpensive method of gluing boards end to end?

I'd like to glue up a couple of boards end to end. Then cut those to width,
and glue them side-to-side into panels (staggering end joints, of course).
Then I'll run the panel through my planer and cut to size. That's the
theory anyway....

I thought about getting a finger jointing router bit, but Rockler wants $75
for one of those ($137 for the adjustable kind)! Ouch... The wood isn't
worth that much. I'm just trying to use up my scraps, and then I won't need
to do this anymore. So I don't want to make a huge investment.

I thought about a tongue and groove, but that's a fair amount of labor, and
I'm not sure how it would look when I plane the panels to thickness.

Also thought about cutting the two boards on a bevel, but wasn't sure if
that would really be any stronger than a simple end-to-end butt joint. It
would also be difficult to clamp up?

Any tips?