Serving tray

This is one of six trays of its kind. This one is made from walnut and alder, the others will be all walnut. They were supposed to be Christmas gifts, but now they are New Year and probably Valentines gifts. I ran a spline around the alder to attach the 45 degree angled frame which has mitered corners. No spline or key in the miters. I realized how tough it is to make a nice compound miter. I built a miter sled and then had to make a runner with a spline at the correct height for alignment, still not fool (me) proof, any slight wobble and they’re not going to match up well. The glue up was also a challenge for me with the outside edges being at 45 degrees. So much for whipping out a few trays for the holidays, but I learned a lot and got to make a couple of jigs. I finished it with shellac only.

-- Hutch, Montana