Herringbone Serving Tray

7 Materials
$20
1 Hour
Easy

Add a little bit of creativity and rustic charm to your coffee table with this wooden serving tray project!

The total supplies comes to less than $20, making this an affordable piece for your home and the perfect homemade gift idea.

Supplies


For this project, you will need:

  • 1"x2"x8' wood (x1)
  • Cedar shims (x1 pack)
  • 1/2" plywood cut to desired tray size
  • Tray handles (x2)
  • Wood glue
  • Stain (optional)
  • Felt furniture pads (optional)


Tools used for this project:

  • Brad nailer
  • Mitre saw or skill saw
  • Power drill
Pick your design


Lay down your cut piece of plywood on the ground, so you can get an idea of what design will fit on your tray. I cut my shims in half to make this pattern and rearranged the wood pieces the way I liked.

Since shims are thicker on one end than the other, I placed the thicker ends butting up against the other thicker ends so that the surface wasn't so uneven.

Glue


Use your wood glue to stick the shims onto the desired spot of the plywood.

Optional: Use 1/2" brad nails to secure the ends of the shims.

Trim off excess wood


Trim off the excess wood by going along the edge of the plywood with a mitre saw or skill saw.

Add tray edges


Measure the outside of the tray and cut 4 pieces of 1x2's to make the edges. Secure onto the tray by going around the bottom with brad nails.

Add handles


Drill holes and attach the handles. I ended up using these handles instead of the ones I first picked out since these were a bit longer and looked nicer.

Optional: Stick on felt pads to the underside corners.

Stain & enjoy!


I went over the finished tray with Varathane stain in "Natural" which really made the colours of the wood pop!

Enjoy your new tray at home or make it as a gift. This was made for my mom for her birthday!



For more ideas and ongoing projects, follow along on Instagram and Facebook!


Insta: @farmhouse.ongunnshill

Facebook: Lauren Ann Design


~Lauren icon

Resources for this project:
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Sewtime Sewtime on Jul 25, 2020

    Wouldn’t the large paint stir sticks work also? That way I wouldn’t have to worry about the thickness of one end versus the other? Thank you, I love it!

Comments
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2 of 15 comments
  • Steven Steven on Jun 20, 2020

    That looks great and if the person you’re giving it too complains its too heavy put a lazy susan base on it

  • Melissa Melissa on Jun 05, 2021

    Love this! Agree with sewtime on using stir sticks although the cedar gives a more unique pattern as stir sticks are all pretty uniform in grain.will be using this one!

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