Bicycle Mechanics - Cross patterns

I'm getting ready to build a new set of wheels
using NOS Campy Victory Strada rims and
Record hubs (8 speed). I'm building
3x 32 spoke wheels.
While reading the Barnetts manual they state that
2x and 1x are essentially a bad idea.
Jobst Brandt, Sheldon, and Damon Rinyard (sp?)
all mention nothing about this.
So, my questions are:
1) what cross pattern for what # of spokes
(i.e. 2x for 28 spoke, etc.), is there an accepted
standard here? (my LBS looked at me like I was
nuts when I built my last wheels 3x 28 spoke)?
2) Is there any basis for Barnetts comments on
1 and 2 cross patterns?

thanks,
Marty

Marty, wrench gurus like Barnetts, Brandt, Brown, Rinard, Zinn would probably agree that the 'best' spoke pattern depends on factors like weight of the rider, road quality, racing versus touring, front or back wheel, etc.

Your 3x32 spoke wheels make a lot of sense, I think. I have heard/read from various sources that those are the most durable (apart from 3x36, perhaps).

3x has worked for me, but it depends on some other factors. On some wheels, depending on the spoke number and size of the flange, the spokes will cross over the other spoke heads with a 3x pattern and create a stress riser but if you go 2x they clear.
They may have been looking at you like you were crazy because if you are going 28 you are looking for light and 2x is, very slightly, lighter than 3x.

Depends a little bit on what you are looking for.

The old answer was that you should divide the number of spokes by 8 to get the cross pattern for the most durable wheel. That pattern will result in spokes that are most tangential to the hub which, in turn, results in the most material between the spoke hole and the edge of the hub flange along the line of the spoke.

If you try to cross too many spokes, two things happen. The first is that the spokes on one side of the hub flange cross over the heads of the spokes on the other side of the flange. Consequently, it gets lots harder to lace the wheel. The other thing is that the spokes become less "radial" at the rim and tend to bend at the nipples. This sometimes results in broken spokes right where they enter the nipples.

A year or so ago, I rebuilt a wheel for a customer who owned a Bike Friday triple with 20" wheels and a Sach's 3 X 7 rear hub. Despite previous rebuilds by Green Gear (the manufacturer) and another wheel builder, they kept breaking spokes at the nipples. I bebuilt the 36 spoke wheel cross 2 rather than cross 3 and solved the problem so more crosses don't always result in a more durable wheel.

Usually when people ask me to build a wheel for them, it's bacause they have a history of breaking spokes. My preferred patterns are:
24 and 28 spokes Cross 2
32 and 36 spokes Cross 3
40 spokes Cross 4
48 spokes Cross 5