Serving Tray

  Occasionally, I do get to make something in my shop.  I seems some weeks that I have time for everything but saw dust. Last week I glued up some boards and made a few cutting boards and a couple of trays.

   This tray is 18 by 10 (ish) and made from oak and roasted birch.  The roasted birch is not a dark as the roasted maple but is less brittle, and so works easier with machines.  The roasting process dries the wood out, not surprisingly and can open the grain and make the wood brittle and prone to splinter.  When the roasted wood is solid the result is deep, dark, exotic wood colour with domestic lumber.

   I was able to buy the handles on clear out and so was able to make the tray without breaking the bank.  Fancy hardware can be costly and cheap hardware, just looks cheap.

   For a couple of years now I have been making cutting boards and trays using Titebond III glue, I have also used Gorilla glue to good effect too.  The whole trick to glue ups is quality glue and careful clamping, in my humble opinion.