This project was built and designed by Billy from Newton Makes. It’s a sleek, handcrafted wooden serving tray that blends form and function—perfect as a personal build or a thoughtful gift.
Combining walnut and maple, this tray balances rich tones and clean lines with approachable techniques. With minimal tools and just a single day in the shop, Billy creates a beautiful piece that showcases the potential of simple woodworking.
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Selecting Materials That Complement Each Other
The tray design calls for a mix of hardwoods to achieve both contrast and strength. Walnut provides a deep, dark base, while maple brings a lighter, refined tone that adds visual balance.
Billy starts with two clean boards—one walnut and one maple—keeping size flexible depending on the desired finished dimensions. This flexibility makes it easy to adapt the build for different uses, from kitchen trays to coffee table accents.
Milling and Preparing the Boards
Once the wood is selected, both pieces are milled down to the appropriate thickness. A flat, consistent surface is key to a professional-looking finished tray.
After flattening, Billy cuts the maple board to width and then rips it into two strips. These will eventually flank the walnut center, creating a clean and modern look that also strengthens the structure.
Before gluing, the pieces are dry-fit to ensure everything lines up evenly. Visual balance is important here, especially when contrasting wood tones are involved.
Gluing Up the Tray Base
A high-quality wood glue is used to join the three main components: maple-walnut-maple. Clamps hold everything tight while the glue sets, making sure there are no gaps between boards.
Once cured, the tray base is scraped and sanded flat. At this point, the clean lines of the laminated design really start to show through.
Crafting the Handles
To create custom handles, Billy laminates walnut and maple strips together. These small details match the tray’s color scheme and bring cohesion to the overall build.
Each handle blank is shaped and smoothed, sized to comfortably fit the hand. Not only are they functional, but they also add a handmade aesthetic that store-bought trays often lack.
Creating Brackets for the Handles
Next, Billy cuts handle brackets from a single block of walnut. A dado stack on the table saw is used to notch these pieces precisely, allowing the handle blanks to slide in smoothly.
Once assembled, the handle brackets are trimmed flush and refined. The fit is tight, the lines are crisp, and the overall look is clean and intentional.
Adding Bevels for a Refined Finish
To elevate the look of the tray, Billy bevels the edges of the base using a table saw. This small touch gives the tray a lighter appearance and adds a bit of sophistication without complicating the build.
The beveled edge also improves ergonomics, making it easier to pick up the tray when it’s loaded with food or drink.
Applying a Durable Finish
After all parts are assembled, the entire tray is sanded to a smooth finish, focusing on transition areas and corners. Billy uses Osmo oil to finish the piece—a wipe-on product that enhances the grain and protects the wood from moisture and stains.
The oil is applied using a soft applicator pad and buffed out with a clean cloth. The result is a rich, natural finish that brings out the contrast between maple and walnut beautifully.
Easy to Customize, Easy to Batch
What makes this project so appealing is its flexibility. You can swap in other hardwoods, round over the edges instead of beveling them, or change up the handle style to suit your taste.
It’s also ideal for batching. Once you’ve made one, it’s easy to repeat the process for multiple trays—perfect for gift-giving or even small-scale selling.
A Practical and Thoughtful Gift
The finished tray is strong, lightweight, and attractive. Whether you’re gifting it for a birthday, wedding, or housewarming, it’s the kind of present that people actually use—and appreciate even more knowing it was handmade.
And because it can be built in just one day, it’s easy to fit into a weekend schedule. For those new to woodworking, it’s a great confidence-building project that covers essential techniques like gluing, laminating, joinery, and finishing.
Please support Billy by visiting his website here: https://www.newtonmakes.com/shop.