How many planks

[rkchapman]

For a shelf about 20 inches by 11 inches by 3/4 or so (maybe a bit thinner), am I better off joining 2 pieces or 3 ?

 

[oddsocks]

For a shelf about 20 inches by 11 inches by 3/4 or so (maybe a bit thinner), am I better off joining 2 pieces or 3 ?

Richard, you are on the cusp there of 2 or 3 and to some extent it depends on the choice of wood. As a rule of thumb I use 120mm (approx 5") as my maximum width and joint if wider, but have broken that on many occasions if the piece of timber is quarter sawn - in which case anything up to 200mm (8") has been used.

 

[rkchapman]

Richard, you are on the cusp there of 2 or 3 and to some extent it depends on the choice of wood

The wood is Sapele, and it does seem to be prone to twisting a bit. That suggests I should be thinking about 3 rather than 2 then.

Thanks