Making boards wider...

[Greg Cuetara]

I have some 9” wide beech right now and need it to be 10” wide for some cnc projects that I am working on. I was thinking about ripping down to 2” wide then gluing back together to give me the width I need. In the process I could rotate the boards and it may provide a flatter product over time. Is 2” a good width to use or should I rip to 1” strips? The boards are only going to be 16” long so not huge pieces here. TIA

[Ron Citerone]

I think I would rip a heavy inch off the edge of the board and glue it onto the 9" wide board. That should give you a good grain match. I am not a fan of glueing up a bunch of 2" strips. If the wood is dry and acclimated 9" wide plus the strip sshould be fine. My 2 cents.

[lowell holmes]

I would what Ron suggested or rip two 5" wide boards together. I would join them using biscuits or dowels.