How to Make a Wooden Breakfast Tray

Wooden breakfast trays signal that the weekend or a holiday has arrived---when else do you get to indulge in breakfast in bed? Customize your own breakfast tray by making it yourself---it's a DIY project even a novice can accomplish, and it will make those lazy mornings at home all the more special.

Instructions

1

Use the scroll saw to cut a 5-by-1-inch rectangular hand-hold out of the centers of the two 15-by-2-inch pieces of plywood, 1/2 inch from the top edge. This will be the ends of the tray. Slowly but firmly turn the wood around the blade to get the desired cut.

2

Sand all of the plywood pieces, smoothing out any rough patches, rounding off the edges, paying particular attention to the inside edges of the hand-hold.

3

Lay the 18-by-15-inch base piece of plywood flat on your work surface. Place the two pieces with the hand holds on either end so that the 15-inch sides of those pieces match up to the 15-inch sides of the base. Square off the pieces, then glue and clamp in place; let dry.

4

Position the remaining two 20-by-2-inch pieces of plywood along the 18-inch side of the base. The edges of the ends of the tray will meet up with the corners of the 20-by-2-inch pieces to form the complete sides of the tray. Square off, glue and clamp in place; let dry.

5

Hammer a nail every 3/4 inch through the joints of the tray, along the bottom of the sides into the base, and through the sides of the 20-by-2-inch pieces into the abutting ends of the 15-by-2 inch ends.

6

Fill the nail holes with wood putty, let dry, then sand over the putty-filled areas for a smooth and even finish.

7

Paint or varnish the box, following the manufacturer's recommended drying times. Apply two or three coats as desired.