I’ve made a few serving trays in the past (mostly frame and panel construction), but they just don’t compare to the beauty achieved from hollowing out one single slab of wood. Can you imagine the amount of chips you make during the process of hogging out the bulk?!?! Making a routed tray like this requires a special bowl bit (pictured left). Without it, you would never be able to get that smooth, consistent, rounded look on the inside corners. And if you are looking for this particular bit, here’s a nice one from Eagle America. Keith did a great job on this piece. Let’s check it out:
I thought you might be interested in my latest project. It’s another “router bowl”, created using a collet extension on my Hitachi plunge router. I used a Whiteside bowl/dish bit to hog out all of the material from the small slab of Sapele. The tray measures 20″x12″x2″. I got really lucky with the size, because I neglected to measure the diameter of our dinner plates before I started the milling process. Our plates fit in the bottom, with about 1/4″ to spare.
The Sapele is quarter-sawn, which is what produces the ribboning effect. I love the way the grain pops with some oil. The pictures of course don’t do justice to the shimmering effect in the wood. I inlaid two thin strips of curly maple along the outside length of both sides. I feel like the contrast really adds to the overall beauty of the Sapele. Thanks for taking a look!
16 Responses to “Keith’s Routed Serving Tray”
This really has me anticipating the CMT bowl bit I recently ordered from WoodCraft. I can’t wait to play.
Hey, Hey Keith!!! Awesome tray.
Nice clean workmanship and beautiful wood.
How did you cut the channels for the inlay?
DD
That is really impressive. I think I may have to get one of those bits and give it a try.
I like it Keith. I agree the maple was a nice touch. Although the ribbon in the Sapele could have stood on i’ts own with a clean design like this, the pinned striped maple really adds to the design. The thickness you chose seems to be sturdy enough to make the tray last for years and still thin enough to be used for an elegant occasion.
Thanks very much for the compliments, guys! It was a fun project to do, and the tray gets used on an almost-daily basis.
@Dan, I actually cut the channels for the inlay using a 1/8″ straight bit chucked into my trim router. I used the router’s guide bar to achieve the straight lines. Dropping a moving bit down onto a piece of wood using a non-plunging router is always a bit nerve-wracking, but I got no “kick” from this small bit.
Thanks, again!!
Hi Keith,
Nice job! It’s beautiful. Todd says he’d have a whole head of gray hair if he tried something like that! Love the maple inlay, it really adds a nice contrast.
Todd and Amy
Wow! That is striking. I like the extra touch of the maple.
What is the thickness of the bottom of the tray? I’m wondering if the technique would work for glued up panels (maybe different wood), thick on the side and thinner in the middle. It would save a lot of wood. Would the glue ruin the bit?
Nice job Keith, I keep meaning to try this and I even have the bit and extension. No more excuses but to give it a go. Thanks for the inspiration and great touch with the maple inlay. It gives it that little extra touch!
I like this a lot.
Very Nice! What kind of oil did you use on it?
Good work. I really want to try making a try. Did you make a templet to make the try?
Thanks
Great Work! I too am curious about your finish. It looks really nice!
I have been looking for something to make for our family gift exchange at Christmas. I think this it. Thanks for the inspiration!
Mike
Thanks very much for the compliments, guys! I appreciate it.
I see that I never went back and answered the questions about the finish. Sorry about that. From what I remember, I sanded to 220, as good as I could in the bottom corners, then used compressed air to get all bits of dust out ot the bottom. I was going to apply BLO before the Generals’, but my sample piece didn’t come out as nicely as I had hoped. So, I just applied three coats of General Finishes Gloss Arm-R-Seal. I really LOVE that stuff! I used 0000 steel wool in between coats of oil, and then appiled a thin coat of paste wax at the very end. The Boss loves it to this day, which is all that matters. ;-)
Thanks again, guys!
- Keith
I’ve never made a nice tray, but have had occasion to rout out a deep and wide recess. I’m curious and thought others might be as well what process did you use. I had to resolve how to keep the router level as the router base became smaller than the recess and the surface of my piece could no longer be against the router base to control the depth of cut.