Fun-and-Fanciful
Designer/Builder: Craig Godsey
Edge-joining strips of contrasting woods for a cutting board typically results in an attractive look. But what if you take that laminated blank, angle-cut a second set of strips from it, and then rejoin the angled pieces, flipping every other one end for end? The look can be sensational! To showcase such an eye-catching lamination, we created this display-worthy serving tray for your building pleasure. Finally, did we mention that the tray makes an incredible holiday gift?
Note: Before beginning this project, take a few minutes to install your best 40-tooth ATB (alternate top bevel) blade, then test your table saw to ensure that it’s making clean, burn-free cuts. Should you need them, you can find the products used in this story in our Convenience-Plus Buying Guide on page 39.
Create the herringbone tray bottom
1 Plane the three contrasting hardwood boards to 1/2" thick. (Refer to Figure 1 and the Cutting Diagram for suggested woods and the wood strips needed.) Cut the planed boards to 24" lengths. Plane one of the two walnut pieces down to 3/8" and set it aside for the sides (B) and tray ends (C). Now, install a zero-clearance insert in your table saw, adjust the fence for a 3/4"-wide cut, and rip the strips (Photo A). (You’ll need 26 strips to make two panels, but cut a few extras in case one or two strips have flaws.)
2 Assemble the strips side by side as shown in Figure 1.
Now apply glue to each mating 1/2" edge and clamp the panel as shown in Photo B. Wipe up the glue squeeze-out on the top face with a damp rag so you have less dried residue to remove later. Repeat the process to make two identical panels.
3 Give the glue time to dry, then Sand or scrape both panels clean before thickness-planing both just proud of 3/8" thick.
4 add an auxiliary fence to your miter gauge and set it for a 50º cut. (Or go with Incra’s Modular Jig and Fixture Platform System. With it, you can easily assemble a sliding angle-cutting jig like the one shown in Photo C.) Now, saw off the waste end of the lamination to establish a starting point for cutting the angled strips for the herringbone tray bottom (A).
5 Attach a stopblock To Your Table Saw’s Fence to cut 1½" Strips. To safely cut each strip, slide the glued-up panel up to the stopblock, turn on the saw, and make the cut as shown in Photo C.
Immediately after cutting each strip, turn off the saw, remove the strip, then number it in the order that it was cut. Repeat the strip-cutting process with the second panel until you have 14 angle-cut strips. You might also letter the strips panel A and panel B.
6 Arrange the strips on a flat surface, flipping every other one end for end to create the herringbone pattern. (You may decide to mix up the strip sequence for a better overall look.) Once satisfied, reposition them, apply glue to the mating edges, and glue up the bottom blank as shown in Photo D. Ensure the strips don’t shift when tightening the clamps. Wipe away the glue squeeze-out with a damp rag.
Using a sacrificial pushstick like the shop-made one here, you can safely cut the needed number of wood
7 Scrape and sand the herringbone panel blank for tray bottom (A) as shown in Photos E and F. Finish-sand both faces up to 220 grit.
8 Mark two cut lines 5 ¼" out from the center of the herringbone blank to establish a 10 ½"-wide tray bottom (A) with a symmetrical pattern, as shown in Figure 2. Next, cut a rectangular carrier board (we used ¼"-thick MDF) to the same length as your blank, but an inch or two wider. Using double-faced tape, attach the herringbone blank to the board, so that a cut line lines up with one edge of the carrier board. Now set your saw’s rip fence to the width of the carrier board and raise the blade 1/8" above the top face of the herringbone blank. Finally, position the edge of the carrier board against the fence and rip the blank as shown in Photo G.
9 Set your table saw fence 10 ½" from THE BLADE. Now flip the carrier board and herringbone blank so that the freshly cut edge is touching the fence and rip the tray bottom (A) to final width. Trim the blank ends for a 171/8" length, centering the pattern. Remove the carrier board.
Assemble the zig-zag pattern carefully. Make sure that the strips don’t shift and that the panel stays flat.
Use a scraper to quickly remove dried glue and level the strips. Finish up with a random-orbit sander.
Attach the herringbone blank to a carrier board with double-faced tape to provide a straight rip-ready edge.
Make a handsome tray frame
1 Retrieve the 3/8"-thick walnut piece cut in Step 1 on page 36 and from it cut two side (B) blanks to 1×171/2" and two end (C) blanks to 3×11". (The sides are initially cut longer to allow for a custom fit.)
2 Stack the two end blanks together with double-faced tape. Make two copies of the Herringbone Tray End Half Pattern on page 76. Reverse one and apply the opposing halves to one face of the top blank, aligning it at one edge. Using a 3/4" Forstner bit, drill a pair of holes where shown.
3 Scrollsaw the handle opening in the end (C) blanks. Then saw along the outside lines to create the end shapes. Sand to the lines. (We used an oscillating spindle sander.)
4 Rout 1/8" round-overs on the tray ends (C) where shown in Figure 2. Note that the inside ends and bottom edges are not routed. Also round over the top edges of sides (B).
5 Switch to a 3/8" straight bit and rout a 1/8" deep rabbet along the bottom inside face of sides (B). Set up stopblocks on your router table fence and rout stopped rabbets on the inside bottom faces of the ends (C) where shown in Figure 2. Square the corners of the cut with a chisel.
6 dry-clamp the handled ends (C) to the ends of the tray bottom (A) and then trim the sides (B) for a snug fit. Now, apply glue to the rabbets in the ends (C) and sides (B), as shown in Photo H, and repeat the clamping/assembly process. Make sure that the butt-jointed corners are flush and that the sides are square with the bottom of the tray. Avoid gaps between the tray bottom and edges of the rabbets in sides (B) and ends(C).
7 Finish-sand up to 220 grit and protect your completed tray with clear finish. We sprayed on three coats of satin lacquer.
Apply glue to the rabbets in the sides (B) and ends (C), then clamp the frame to the bottom. Remove squeeze-
About Our Builder/Designer
After four years in the U.S. Navy, Craig Godsey discovered an interest in woodworking and earned a fine woodworking degree at the University of Rio Grande, Rio Grande, Ohio. He worked at a high end antique reproduction furniture shop in the Boston, Massachusetts, area before returning home to Marietta, Ohio. A five-year employee of Woodcraft Supply, LLC, at Parkersburg, West Virginia, 36-year-old Craig pursues his woodworking interest in his spare time.
