Analysis paralysis: Should I cut a board only to edge joint it again?

[el_Pedr0]

Feel daft asking this...

I need to create a flat piece (ca. 350mm x 700mm) out of solid ash. The boards I'm making it out of are 240mm wide. Therefore I need to edge joint just under 1.5 boards to make the 350mm width.

Question: Should I
A) cut three equal-width (ca. 117mm wide) pieces and edge joint them to create a 350mm wide piece out of three members
or
B) edge joint a 110mm width member to the 240mm board to create the 350mm wide piece with just two pieces?

The application is the diagonal pieces in this wine cube. I want it to look proper because it will be in a visible location - not just shoved in the dusty dark cellar never to be seen again.

 

[Jacob]

Save wood - leave out the middle board?

 

[el_Pedr0]

Save wood - leave out the middle board?

Nice idea, but in that configuration the bottles sometimes catch on the leading edge of the back board when sliding them in. Very minor irritant, and only happens on the top triangle, but one that I've encountered and don't have to repeat.

 

[Jacob]

Nice idea, but in that configuration the bottles sometimes catch on the leading edge of the back board when sliding them in. Very minor irritant, and only happens on the top triangle, but one that I've encountered and don't have to repeat.

OK . But you don't have to join the boards, you could have three with just a small gap between them.

 

[Ttrees]

I don't see any joinery, so question is it worth semi doing furniture stuff, like the edge jointing,
but leaving out the feature of say dovetails or whatnot.
Have you looked at a traditional approach of design?

 

[Jacob]

OK . But you don't have to join the boards, you could have three with just a small gap between them.

Or you could do narrow slats alternating but same length through, without the difficult join in the middle.

 

[Essex Barn Workshop]

If you are edge jointing them nicely, the joint won't be instantly visible. So if it was me, I'd edge joint two planks at 240mm, assess the quality of the joint and if it was, as I'd hope, tight and not obvious I would then rip the board down to required width by either removing 130mm from one side or, possibly better still, 65mm from each edge to leave the joint central.

 

[Fitzroy]

Only advantages I see of 3 x narrow boards are option to avoid defects / cut them out, less chance of cupping through orienting boards up/down/up. For me neither of these are a big enough 'win'. I'd be picking the nicest boards for the front/more visible part of the rack and joining a narrow board on the back where it is less visible.

 

[StilwellDesigns]

I think you're over thinking this

 

[Jones]

I'd go equal boards and glue up, then there's no problems with orientation when you cut up and assemble.

 

[hlvd]

Three equal width boards for me every time, a wide and narrow board just wouldn’t look correct, especially with Ash’ bold grain pattern.

It’ll also make it easier on assembling the carcass as you won’t have to worry about aligning the wide boards together.

 

[--Tom--]

I’d make the three x shapes with halvings and then join them all together . That way you’ve jointed the boards as you go.
If you make a 350 wide board how are you going to then make the x?

Three 117mm x shapes solves 2 challenges at once

 

[Myfordman]

See here for a possible approach using less timber and a few dowels
https://www.thewoodhaven2.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=5975&hilit=Wine+rack

 

[el_Pedr0]

If you make a 350 wide board how are you going to then make the x?

That was going to be the next question!
I'd figured that it might be easier to get the members aligned when making one wide board, but that introduces a weakness because in order to get the x, I'd have to cut through an entire member, so it would just be relying on the jointing. That said I'm often told that a glued joint is stronger than the wood itself.

But if I can make three x's and still align them perfectly, then I'd have more confidence in the strength.

Might have to do a trial with some scrap

 

[throbscottle]

I'd do a wide and a narrow, and put the narrow one at the front (foreshortening). Depends on how your joint looks really though. If the rack is permanently full it won't matter so much anyway