I have finally finished the last Christmas gift that needs to get shipped! I built three nesting serving trays following the plans and instructions in Wood Magazine. The surface is cork (as suggested in the plans) adhered to a 1/4-inch thick piece of hardboard. These are for my sister and her husband whose kitchen cabinets are a dark cherry. I didn’t have any dark cherry, so I decided to try staining some Oak. I used RustOleum’s product called Varathane Wood Stain – Black Cherry. I’m pretty pleased with the results and look forward to seeing if they match my sister’s kitchen. We finished the trays with three coats of polycrylic with a light sanding between coats. I found it interesting that we removed some color, espcially at the edges, while lightly sanding the first coat of polycrylic.
I say “we”, because I brought these inside after final sanding where my wife took over with the staining and finishing. It is fun to have her involved and she does a good job!
9 comments so far
lew
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8983 posts in 1924 days
#1 posted 889 days ago
I really like the “splayed” sides/ends. It really adds class to your trays.
Lew
-- Lew- Time traveler. Purveyor of the world's finest custom rolling pins!
Eric_S
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1522 posts in 1364 days
#2 posted 889 days ago
Very nice serving trays. Like lew said, the angled sides are a nice touch.
“I found it interesting that we removed some color, espcially at the edges, while lightly sanding the first coat of polycrylic. ”
-I’m no pro but from the videos and articles I’ve seen they always say to avoid sanding near edges between coats because its very easy to remove a few layers of finish there.
-- - Eric Indianapolis, IN
Dennis_MGWW
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90 posts in 1586 days
#3 posted 889 days ago
Nicely done! Very elegant looking.
-- Dennis, http://www.maplegrovewoodworks.com/ http://twitter.com/#!/MpleGrvWoodwrks
MayflowerDescendant
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404 posts in 956 days
#4 posted 889 days ago
Nice work. I’m sure your sister and husband will be pleased. What a team! Thanks for sharing and happy holidays.
-- Glen - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
doninvegas
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311 posts in 1076 days
#5 posted 889 days ago
really nice. I’ve been wanting to make some of these myself. Do you have a templet to cut out the handle’s?
If so is it home made or did you but it some where? I have been looking for one.
Don
-- "Courage is being scared to death -- but saddling up anyway."
Aaron McCain
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93 posts in 1008 days
#6 posted 889 days ago
Don: I got the plans from the September 2005 of Wood Magazine. Here is a link for the plans. It is a pretty slick plan.
Monty Queen
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1568 posts in 1421 days
#7 posted 889 days ago
Awesome job on those trays, i like them a lot. What angles did you put on those trays? Superb work.
-- Monty Q, Columbia, South Carolina.
Aaron McCain
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93 posts in 1008 days
#8 posted 886 days ago
Monty,
The ends are cut and rabbited at 30°
tdv
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1113 posts in 1239 days
#9 posted 876 days ago
Really nice trays I like the design, how did you join the corners Aaron?
Best
Trevor
-- God created wood that we may create. Trevor East Yorkshire UK
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