charlieb wrote:

Would you take a 26” x 32” rectangle, diagonally, out of a 4x8 sheet of
birdseye maple if that’s what the piece required? How about ripping am
8”wide part - out of the middle of a 12” wide mahogany board?

Sure!

There's always a need for glue blocks, back parts, braces, drawer guides
& slides, pulls, stops, dust cover frames, internal stretchers, bottom
parts... G

I didn't always, though. I did exactly your described beginner and
intermediate technique.