DIY Basic Wooden Serving Tray

DIY Wood Tray

3/28/2017

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For a recent live demonstration of power tools, we made two versions of a wood tray. A pallet version you can see here and this version using purchased lumber.

Learn how to make a wood tray from store bought wood. Great for home decor, breakfast in bed, or laptop table.

Materials:

1x3 piece of lumber
Two cabinet handles and screws
Ryobi AirStrike nail gun
Sander and sandpaper
Ryobi Drill Driver and bits
Wood Glue
Kreg Cabinet Hardware jig (Amazon)
Forstner bits

Distressing Tools
Speed Square
Tack Cloth
Finishing supplies--we used black tea, Amy Howard's Better with Age, and Rust-Oleum Chalked paint
Plastic stick on feet

We used a tape measure and speed square to mark the cut lines. We cut three boards 20.5" for the base of the tray.

Steph used the miter saw to cut the boards--a miter box and saw could also be use as well as a circular saw.

The three boards were laid on top of the end board and the cut line was marked.

These two boards were cut to size using the miter saw.

To age the boards, we used a set of Varathane distressing tools which add a little character. Fire up a little "Beat It" by Michael Jackson and have a little fun! Sand any rough surface at this point.

Our finish consisted of three steps starting with wiping on brewed black tea...

...we then wiped on Amy Howards Better with Age distressing product.

We used a heat gun to speed up the drying process. Don't hold it too close to the wood as it will char it and that's an entirely different look! The tea reacts with the Better with Age product to produce a darker finish than if the Age product would used alone.

A highly diluted chalked paint was wiped on and then immediately wiped off. Use plain water to dilute the paint.

Once dry, the boards were lightly sanded to further give them a distressed look.

Everything was turned over, the three bottom boards were lined up on the sides pieces and wood glue was applied.

The AirStrike was used to secure the bottom boards to the side pieces.

We used a Forstner bit so we could countersink the screw head.

The Kreg Cabinet Hardware jig was used to make perfectly placed holes for the handles.

We used a Phillips head screwdriver to screw the screws into place.

To finish the tray, small plastic button feet can be added to the bottom to keep the tray from scratching surfaces.

It's important when buying wood that you get the straightest lumber possible. Take time in the store to look down the piece to see how straight it is as well as laying it on the ground to see if it is warped at all. Keep looking if it doesn't lie flat. The board we used ended up being a bit wonky and not at all straight which we didn't discover UNTILL we started nailing the pieces together. We got it to work, but it's not ideal.

These trays are so useful. They can be used as breakfast in bed trays, a laptop desk, a fun surface to showcase decor, or even as a chalkboard if you finish it with chalkboard paint and use an easel to prop it up.

How would you use a tray like this? Would you use pallet wood or lumber?

Please note: We are not sponsored by any of the companies/products that we used. These products were picked and bought by us.

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don’t claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

FYI: Affiliate links are being used on this page. Purchasing via these links help support MDP!