This is an elegant and functional item you can make in a couple of weekends. Wood with beautiful design, such as wavy maple, will add extra interest to the tray.
First make the handles
1. From a 25mm cherry board, cut four blanks of the specified length for the halves of the arms A (Fig. 1 And photo A)(read the “Tip of the Craftsman” below to correctly orient the workpieces relative to the direction of the grain of the wood). If you keep the original parallelogram shape of the workpieces, the next step will be easier.
Mark the handle blank as shown so that the grain of the wood is oriented diagonally. We oriented the squares at a 30° angle, but the angle may be different depending on the width of the board and the direction of the grain in it.
The temples will be strong if the fibers meet at the top. Distribute the blanks for the halves of the arms A in pairs and choose the most attractive combinations. Orient the fibers in each pair so that at the junction they form a triangle, the apex of which is directed upward, as on the left arch. Mark each pair by placing appropriate marks at the joint to ensure alignment when final gluing. The right bow is glued together from halves, the fibers of which meet at the bottom. Such a bow will be fragile, since the fibers are directed across the cross-section in several places, and it may break during assembly or when using the tray.
It is difficult to saw end grain, so grooves with a depth of 51 mm are best made in several passes. Press the workpiece firmly with the pusher against the longitudinal stop of the machine.
2. Install in sawing machine groove disk 10 mm thick and make halves at one of the ends of each workpiece A groove (Fig. 1 And photo B). To reliably support the workpieces, attach a high wooden pad to the longitudinal (parallel) stop of the machine. Having cut out the grooves, file the workpieces until square shape with a side of 114 mm.
3. From wood of a contrasting color (we chose wavy maple), cut a 114x305 mm blank for the dowels IN, two blanks 51×483 mm for longitudinal walls WITH and two blanks 51×330 mm for the end walls D. Plan these blanks to planer, adjusting their thickness to the width of the grooves cut into the blanks of the arch halves (Fig. 1 And 2). Set the wall blanks aside and cut out the dowels of the specified sizes. Glue two blank handles, connecting each pair of halves A using a key inserted into the grooves.
Laying the workpiece flat, lift saw blade so that it passes only through the inner wall of the tongue, without touching the other wall.
4. Once the glue has dried, carefully align the bottom edge of each piece A/B and in four passes cut out a tongue and groove with a cross-section of 10×51 mm (Fig. 1a). Saw off part of the tongue wall from the inside to a width of 12 mm (photo C).
5. Using a compass, mark on the workpieces A/B outer and inner radii (Fig. 1). Also mark the centers of the screw holes on outside each workpiece. Make counterbores with mounting hole in the outer wall of the tongues. Band saw or using a jigsaw, carefully cut out the handles along the contour, sand them to the final shape, and then mill 6-mm curves on the ribs. Give the handles a final sanding. sandpaper № 220.
Making a tray
1. Take the blanks of the longitudinal and end walls that were cut earlier and planed to the required thickness C, D. Arrange them as they will be glued together and mark each one for later processing and final assembly. Cut a tongue at the bottom edge of each workpiece from the inside, the width of which corresponds to the thickness F (Fig. 2).
2. Tilt the saw blade at an angle of 45° and file the bevels at the ends of the longitudinal WITH and end D walls, giving them their final length (Fig. 2).
When cutting narrow grooves on the bevels, guide the wall workpiece with a transverse (angular) stop, and longitudinal stop will serve as a limiter. This operation is safe, since the cut will not be through.
3. Without changing the position of the saw blade, make bevels of the longitudinal and end walls C, D 5 mm deep cuts for dowels (Fig. 2, photoD).
Quick tip! For these narrow keyways, it is better to use a combination saw blade with 50 teeth that have a variable oblique sharpening, as well as teeth with a flat tip that form flat bottom cut, which does not require additional processing.
4. From cherry wood, make a blank measuring 51x305 mm for the dowels E and sharpen it to a thickness of 3 mm, adjusting it to the width of the cuts in the walls C, D. Saw off the dowels to the required length so that they fit snugly into the corresponding cuts. (Fig. 2).
5. Saw out the bottom F and file down its corners so that you can insert the dowels E (Fig. 3). Assemble the tray dry C-F to check and adjust all connections. Finish sanding internal sides walls C, D and both sides of the bottom F sandpaper No. 220.
6. Assemble the tray C-F by applying glue to keyways, on bevels and into tongues for inserting the bottom. Once thoroughly dry, sand the edges and exterior surfaces with 220-grit sandpaper.
Final assembly
1. Apply thin layer glue on the inner walls of the tongues of one of the handle-bars A and put it on the end wall D, aligned exactly in the middle. Drill 1.6×20 mm guide holes for screws by gluing a flag made of masking tape, serving as a depth limiter. Then secure the bow with screws (Fig. 2). Wipe off excess glue with a damp cloth. Install the second handle in the same way.
2. Using a 6mm plug drill, make maple plugs and glue them into the counterbores to cover the screw heads. Once the glue has dried, trim the protruding parts of the plugs flush and sand smooth.
3. Apply finishing coating. We used a natural compound (called Danish oil) to enhance the iridescent pattern of the wavy maple, and then applied three coats of semi-matte polyurethane varnish on water based which will provide reliable protection from moisture and dirt.
In this article I will talk about several simple techniques with which you can give a wooden surface a slightly aged look. This makes it convenient to process any soft wood products. We will practice using the example of a tray made of pine wood. This tray is convenient to use, looks good simply as an interior item, as a background when taking photographs, and simply lifts your spirits with its brightness! And extremely easy to make!
Necessary materials:
A board or piece of shield made of soft wood;
Wire brush / drill attachment + drill or screwdriver;
Brush to remove dust from the surface
stain
Artistic acrylic in several colors
Bristle brushes, flute
Palette or container for mixing paints
Container with water for washing brushes
Sandpaper (60 or 80)
Acrylic primer for wooden surfaces(or acrylic varnish diluted with water 1:1)
Acrylic varnish for finishing coating
Handles (for example, for furniture) and screws/screws for fastening them
A few words about the basis. Ideally, I would choose a board with interesting edges. But in winter time It’s difficult to find a nice board, but construction stores have furniture panels and there is free cutting with purchase. The disadvantage of the shield is that it is spliced from several bars and a single relief on the surface will not work. True, when painting, which will be discussed, this will not be noticeable on the finished product. However, if you cover the wood only with stain and refrain from painting, it will be visible. But this material is easily available at any time of the year. I chose a 30*2000 shield and sawed it right there into 4 pieces - 4 blanks for trays.
For the first stage we will need a brush / drill attachment + drill or screwdriver. At this stage, we will remove soft fibers from the wooden surface, revealing a natural relief. It’s cheaper to buy a brush and use it - but it’s quite time-consuming physical labor. You can buy an attachment for a drill or screwdriver; it works much more efficiently. When removing soft fibers, a lot of wood dust is produced, so I highly recommend not doing this indoors. It’s most convenient in the country: there, as a rule, there are no problems with electricity near the house and you can use a drill. In the city it is quite problematic to find electricity on the street, so I used a screwdriver. This is convenient, except that its battery charge is not enough to process the entire board and it has to be recharged. But the dusty part of the work can be done outside.
Both the brush and the nozzle need to work the same way - run along the grain, and not across it. Then the soft fibers will be thrown to the side, and the hard ones will remain in place. Exactly how much to rub is a matter of taste, I get to work quite diligently, as a result deep grooves are formed, the relief looks like old wood, as if the board had been left outside for several years. 
This is what the board looks like after processing 
Using sandpaper (or a sander - this is more effective) sand the edges of the board, this can give it a more finished look and protect the user of the tray from scratches that can be left by the sharp corners of the board: 
At the end of this stage, be sure to clean the board from wood dust with an elastic brush, cleaning it out of all the recesses. I use a slightly damp brush to avoid breathing in dust.
Now you can start painting. There are many options here, but in general the order is followed: the first step is to set the lowest, main color. The first layer must be laid with high quality and all the recesses must be painted over, it is in them that it will be visible on the finished product. I use a dark stain called "Old Wood" dark color will shine through and create an antique effect wooden base. In addition, the stain spreads very well over the fibers and fills all the cavities on its own, so you don’t have to worry about unpainted areas. Through testing and after a number of bottles of stains went into the trash, I chose Liberon stains. The most important advantage of these stains is their uniform distribution over the surface, without streaks or bald spots. I've come across stains that roll off the surface instead of absorbing into it and end up with unsightly stains that give away the color (when a good stain looks like the wood was that exact shade from the very beginning). There are hybrids of stain and varnish on sale; you can also use this option, in which case you can skip the next step (applying primer). I apply the stain with a flute brush (a wide bristled flat brush). 
Even if you use the best stain in the world, it is better not to allow streaks to ensure that the color will be applied evenly. 
A distinctive feature of good quality stains is that they exhibit the texture of wood, that is, soft fibers of the fabric, due to better absorption, are colored more strongly and become darker than denser, harder fibers. At the first stage, we created a relief, which is very successfully emphasized when painted. 
After drying, the painted surface looks like this: 
To be honest, every time I fight the temptation to varnish this beauty and not do anything else with it. But this is not sporting. Therefore, we continue and before the next stage (color application), I recommend covering the entire surface with an acrylate primer (from any company, most importantly suitable specifically for wooden surfaces). Because acrylic paints water-based, if you do not lay a layer of primer, the water will wash away the stain and the paint will turn dark, its brightness will disappear. The soil allows you to avoid this. 
This is what happened - it could have been left in this form! What could be more beautiful than warmth? natural wood.
But let's continue! For the next layer we will need acrylic paint and bristle brushes, as well as sandpaper. The whole principle of painting is a cycle of actions “paint - skin”, these actions must be repeated until you like the result. By adding new shades that are close to the previous ones, the color can be made more complex and voluminous, achieving the feeling that the board has been painted several times over many years and the lower layers of paint are visible through the rubbed areas in the upper layers.
I advise you to choose a color for painting that is present in your interior as a main or additional one (depending on what background it will be located on later). this element). This color needs to be divided into two or three tones (the color present in the interior and two colors, lighter and darker in tone than the first), you can select and subsequently perform a couple of bright strokes. It is better to apply the lightest shade first. Although acrylic paint is opaque, in some places a thin layer of paint will still show through. And a color laid over white or light paint will look brighter than the same color laid over a dark base. Thus, by applying a light shade first, we prepare the basis for a bright and rich second and subsequent layers. A little about acrylic paints: these are very easy to use water-based paints. They are odorless, dry within an hour, depending on the thickness of the layer, which allows you to work with them without interruptions. They have bright, rich shades in palettes from different manufacturers, which can also be mixed with each other to obtain any shades. Thickened paint can be diluted with water. Brushes should be washed immediately after use under running water. If the paint dries on the brush, it will not wash off. You can choose acrylic paints from any manufacturer, but it is best to take art acrylic - it has a dense consistency and is well applied to the surface. Interior paints that can be tinted are also suitable. I do not recommend using cheap acrylic from office supply stores for children's creativity, it often comes across as slimy and rolls off the surface, making it completely impossible to work with. In my arsenal I have acrylic paints from Maimeri Acrilico and art acrylic from Ladoga and Gamma. The light blue shade is already in the Maimeri Acrilico palette, it suits me quite well, so I’ll start with it. 
To work, I take a bristle brush with hard bristles. It is important not to wet the brush in water before work, otherwise the bristles will become soft and will follow any curve on the surface, when, as for me, it is important to preserve the darker, original color in the recesses of the relief. When painting a relief, hold the brush perpendicular to the stroke you are making (as in the photo); in this case, individual bristles will not fall into the recesses and, accordingly, paint them. The paint should be thick; if it is fresh, then there is definitely no need to dilute it with water. Squeeze out required amount paints on the palette, if necessary, mix several colors to obtain the desired shade. There should not be a lot of paint on the brush, it should be semi-dry. When applying paint, do not press hard on the brush; strokes should be made with light movements, lightly touching the bristles to the surface.
1st side of the board: 
2nd side of the board: 
Add acrylic colors as desired. We sand and paint as much as your soul and your taste require: 
A few strokes of white: 
After that I decide enough is enough. Finally, the board must be varnished - preferably acrylic too. They come in matte, semi-matte and glossy, and are sold both in art stores in small volumes and in hardware stores in liters. Acrylic varnishes do not change the shades of the base, also dry quickly and have no odor. I usually choose a matte or semi-matte polish.
After the varnish has dried, you will have to decide complex issue: which side will be the front? You can buy handles that can be easily screwed to the side of the board, and not through it, then you can turn the board over according to your mood. My version has a through mount, so you have to think hard about choosing the front side. 
What to give for the holiday to the woman who has everything? Of course, the holiday atmosphere. And you need to start from the very beginning. We only give what we made especially for her. What woman wouldn’t want to start her holiday with a fragrant cup of coffee in bed? And only the closest people know the lady’s preferences - vintage luxury or expensive simplicity. Tray - simple detail, which can emphasize your attitude towards the woman you love.
What is a tray?
Of course, you can easily buy any tray in the store - expensive or not, for everyday use or special occasions. But making a tray with your own hands will be much more interesting. First, let's figure out what it is.
This is a surface on which you can place several objects and move them to another place. Trays must have sides. There are also products without them, but this does not add practicality to them. It is not advisable to serve a tray without sides in bed, since the unstable surface of the bed can cause liquid to spill on the linen, and this, you see, will upset any housewife. So, a tray is not just a board with handles, but always with sides.
Photo frame tray
How to make a tray with your own hands? There are several ways. The simplest ones involve taking almost ready-made trays. For example, you can purchase cutting board without a handle. The board can be wooden, plastic, plywood. The main thing is that it does not bend under a slight weight and that it can be worked with.
Select a photo frame based on the size of the board. You shouldn’t skimp on glass, as you can hide any decor under it, for example, a photograph that for a long time will remind you of a pleasant day.
The frame should be screwed to the board with self-tapping screws or nailed. If the material does not lend itself to this method of fastening, you can glue it. To make it easier to take the tray, we attach furniture retractable handles on both sides. Everything can be pre-painted in the desired color or decorated in any way.
Old cabinet doors
Many craftsmen suggest not throwing away cabinet doors, but using them to create a tray with your own hands. To do this, take a door that has sides. We disconnect all the hanging fittings from it. We clean out existing irregularities and eliminate defects. If necessary, we rub the places where the hinges were screwed on with putty.
Don’t leave flaws in the hope that they will be covered up when decorating. It is better to eliminate them and not then sculpt decor where the hole or chip is. Decorative elements It is better to place it where the sense of beauty suggests. We decorate to taste. Next we screw on the handles. The tray is ready.
Old picture frame
If there is old frame, in which there was a mirror or photographs were stored, you can also use it as a beautiful rim for a tray. Cut the bottom out of plywood to the size of the frame, decorate the resulting surface with a piece of fabric. The bottom can also be painted or decoupaged using patterned paper napkins.
If there is glass along with the frame, you can use it as an additional decoration. It is possible that a painting stored in a frame can be used to decorate a tray. You can screw the handles to the frame from the side so as not to disturb the design.
The frame itself can be updated using golden paint. Good decision will use varnish or resort to a burner to emphasize the beauty of the design.
Boards in action
If you want to make a tray with your own hands and get something original, you need to take a board and a lath. It's good to polish both. Cut the board with a saw or jigsaw into equal pieces. At the edges, connect them with a strip, nailing it to the end parts of the boards. You can stain or varnish, paint in any color or decorate to the taste of the future owner of the tray.
To make a wooden tray with your own hands, you don’t need any special skills. Next, we screw ready-made furniture handles or make them from thick ropes, having previously drilled holes in in the right places. If you make the rope handles longer, the tray can be used as hanging shelf, and the length of the handles can be adjusted from below using special clamps.
Beauty from plywood
You can make your own tray from plywood. It has long been known that plywood is a very malleable material. If you have skill, imagination and a minimal set of woodworking tools, you can make an amazingly beautiful tray with a unique design.
Of course, it won’t be easy to call it practical, but any housewife will definitely like it as a decoration for the kitchen. The main thing is patience and desire. You can think through the design yourself, or you can just look it up on the Internet and make something already invented by a real master.
Trays with legs
Some tray models require legs. Making a tray with legs with your own hands is not difficult. Currently, you can purchase ready-made legs, which you just need to attach to a homemade tray.
If you want to think through everything yourself, then in stores building materials you can find a large number of tubes that are suitable for a DIY table. In addition to the tubes themselves, there are all kinds of connectors that can act as decoration. If you have the skill, attaching them to the tray will be easy. If you don’t have the skill, you can simply watch a video in which masters share their best practices.
Decorating trays
Making the tray is half the battle. It needs to be decorated. Several ways to decorate trays:
The simplest one is to varnish it. If the tray is made of wood, its texture itself will become the most pleasant decoration. You can purchase a tint varnish that will add liveliness to the design.
If you are not interested in wood for decoration, you can decoupage it on a tray. Always original, fashionable and attractive. Plus it's quite easy to do. Choose the pictures you like, stick them to your liking, cover them with varnish - your unique tray is ready.
You can paint the tray using stencils.
Mosaic will also become a worthy solution. Only to implement this idea requires skills. If a lot of small coins have accumulated in the house, they can also be used to decorate the tray.
The main thing is to remember for whom the tray is being prepared and what the tastes of the person to whom it will be presented are.
DIY wooden tray, design drawings, detailed description and assembly order.
The design allows you to carry various objects in such a way that nothing rolls off it, thanks to the sides around the perimeter of the bottom. A carefully crafted wooden product will suit any kitchen if it is designed in the same style.
The picture shows the details of the tray:
1.
Cross side.
2.
Longitudinal side.
3.
Bottom.
4.
Pen.
5.
Wooden dowel 5 x 20 (mm).
6.
Wooden dowel 5 x 25 (mm).
7.
Wood screw 3 x 16 (mm).
Material for making: oak, beech or other types of wood that will fit well into the interior of the room.
Materials Dimensions Specification:
Cross border 10 x 25 x 340 (mm) – 2 (pcs.)
longitudinal side 10 x 25 x 440 (mm) – 2 (pcs.)
handle – 10 x 30 x 80 (mm) – 2 (pcs.)
bottom – 6 x 348 x 448 (mm) – 1 (pcs.)
TRANSVERSE SIDE
LONGITUDINAL SIDE
PEN
The transverse side and handle can be made from different types of wood.
Cut it from a sheet of moisture-resistant plywood 6 (mm) thick. Mark the center and drill through holes for the countersunk head screws used. From the back side, we drill the holes with a large drill, the diameter of which should be equal to the diameter of the head of the screw used. Smooth out the sharp edges and apply a decorative paint coating.
Manufacturing technology wooden tray:
1.
Let's prepare the necessary material.
2.
We will make all the assembly parts.
3.
We connect the longitudinal and transverse sides into a tenon using an adhesive joint. We fix the resulting frame, strictly observing a right angle between the sides. We will drill through holes Ø 5 (mm) in the corners. Insert wooden dowels 5 x 25 (mm) into the holes using glue.
4.
Insert handles into the grooves of the transverse beads onto the glue. Along the edges of the handles, on top, we drill holes Ø 5 (mm), depth 20 (mm). Insert wooden dowels 5 x 20 (mm) into the holes using glue.
5.
Carefully remove the squeezed out glue.
6.
After the glue has dried, we will begin finishing the assembled tray frame:
Let's polish the surfaces
smooth out the sharp edges
apply wood antiseptic
We will cover the front surfaces with a decorative paint layer
7. Using wood screws, screw the bottom to the frame.
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What features should every tray have? Naturally, this is convenience and practicality. In other words, so that the food carried does not roll off it. The product provided in this article fully meets these requirements. The right color and material make the tray very beautiful and comfortable, so it fits into most modern styles.
To create a wooden tray, you don’t need to rack your brains over tools and materials; you can easily purchase everything you need at your local store. hardware store. Decide on the color of varnish and paint that will ideally match with. But you should understand that you need to avoid buying varnish with very pungent odor– this can harm your health.
Below are standard sizes tray, but you can choose the ones that suit you.
Wooden tray - tools and materials
There is a lot of work ahead, but don’t be afraid of it. By following our recommendations, you will definitely succeed! But first you need to prepare the following:
- jigsaw;
- electric drill;
- drill with a diameter of 2.5 cm;
- hacksaw with fine tooth pitch;
- hammer (where would we be without it?);
- roulette;
- massive scissors;
- a simple pencil;
- paint brush;
- a pair of rubber gloves and newspaper.
For a high-quality and reliable product, it is best to take hardwood. Red oak is ideal. Approximate thickness - 2.5 centimeters. In this case you will need:
- a pair of boards 9x32 cm;
- a pair of boards 6.5x56 cm;
- one board 32x61 cm.
Choose a varnish depending on the drying location. If the products will be dried on outdoors– you can take the varnish to oil based. Otherwise, opt for water-soluble varnish.
Manufacturing instructions
Initially, you need to make marks for future pens. There is nothing complicated here, just rely on the drawing. 
Determine the middle on the board (9x32 cm), then step back to the left and right by 5 centimeters. You need to drill holes there. In our case, drills with a diameter of 2.5 cm play a very important role, since this will all affect the dimensions in the end. You need to drill only at right angles, avoiding uneven holes.
After you have drilled the holes, you need to align them with a simple pencil. Then go along these lines with a jigsaw, thus forming handles. Be sure to sand them down as they should be smooth.
Now that all the parts are ready, you can start connecting them. To do this, use 2 cm nails, glue and a hammer. After assembly, you also need to sand everything down, getting rid of any unevenness and roughness. 
Only after this do we start painting - this is the simplest thing left for you to do. Prepare the surface, coat it with varnish and let dry. That's it, you have become the owner of a wooden tray with your own hands!
