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Make an Easy DIY Wood Tray Quickly and for Cheap!

DIY Kreg Jig Projects, Do It Yourself

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Good morning friends! We have been super busy this month already! How have you been? If you haven’t already checked out my first fall tour and our front porch this year, take a look! While you are looking through the house, you might notice a tray that keeps popping up. It’s so versatile and beautiful. But guess what? It’s all DIY, made by Jordan, and built with less than $10 worth of materials! Keep reading if you’d like to build one too!

This easy DIY wood tray is made with the Kreg Jig tool and costs less than $10 to make! It's perfect for making one afternoon and customizing to your home.

I am going to show you how to build a tray that is 4 boards in width. It’s the perfect size for all of your needs.

If you need a larger tray, check out how to obtain material list / cuts/ assembly directions below!

This post contains affiliate links. If you shop from my blog, I may be compensated for clicks or purchases that you make. Read my disclaimer page for more information.

Supplies Needed for DIY Wood Tray

  • (2) –  1″ x 4″ 6 foot piece of lumber (We used select white pine)
  • (19) 1-1/4″ Kreg Screws
  • (2) Decorative Handles
  • Stain & Polyurethane of your choice
  • Orbital Sander
  • Kreg Right Angle Clamps
  • Miter Saw
  • Power Drill
  • Various Clamps
  • Kreg Pocket Hole Jig

If you would like to see the materials & cuts needed for a larger 5 board wood tray, sign up here. Email subscribers have exclusive access to the Resource Library which includes freebies like this!

Making your cuts

Here's a graphic showing the measurements of the cuts to make for your DIY wood serving tray

Using a Miter Saw, cut your wood using the dimensions above.

Drilling your Pocket Holes

Drill the pocket holes into the pre-cut pieces of wood for your DIY wood tray

 

For this, you will need a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig. If you don’t already have one, consider investing in one. It has made our DIY abilities sky rocket AND it’s super easy to learn how to use. It’s like instant DIY build gratification!

Alright, off my Kreg Jig, soap box. Drill your pocket holes using the illustration below.

A graphic showing where to drill pocket holes in the pre-cut pieces of wood for your DIY wood tray

As a guide, begin 4″ in on the first board, 9″, then another 4″ from the other side. For the second board, the dimensions are 6″ & 9″. Continue with the 4/6/9 pattern as shown.

Use a guide to drill the pocket holes into the wood for your DIY wood tray

 

  • Related: DIY Wooden Serving Tray
  • Related: Quick & Easy Wood Tray [Less Than $8!]
  • Related: Easy DIY Pallet Wine Rack in 15 Minutes!

 

Next, find your center of the end pieces. Mark your points. Drill your holes for your decorative handles.

Mark where to put the decorative handles for your DIY wood tray

Assemble the Tray

four pieces of wood with pocket holes

Line up your wood bottom as shown in the illustration.

A graphic showing how to line up the four boards of your wood tray

Using your various clamps, begin assembling the boards, one at a time. To avoid board warping or cupping, Jordan had a vise clamp attached to a straight board. This kept the pieces from moving while being joined (see the picture below).

Drill in the screws, building upon on each board. You’ll keep adding one piece to the pieces already screwed together. With the tray base assembled, roughly sand the entire piece with an orbital sander.

Next sand the side pieces and upper tray corners until smooth.

Drilling screws into the wood boards for your DIY wood serving tray

Next, use your right angle clamp and begin joining the tray & sides together with the middle screw. Fasten together. Move the right angle clamp to the outside edges as you continue on.

Once assembled, run a sander over the tray to desired texture.

 

  • Related: DIY Wooden Ruler Growth Chart

Stain

Stain your wood serving tray using your favorite wood stainWe had some stain on-hand from past DIY projects. Apply one to two coats. At this time you can either finish the project off with two coats of polyurethane OR add some fun decor (we did a monogram)! Once you have the monogram done, finish with the polyurethane.

Add Handles

Complete your project by screwing in your decorative handles!

Add the decorative handles to your DIY wood serving tray

The picture above is the 5 rail tray. You can see we did a satin poly coat to make it look less modern and more aged.

This wood tray is a lovely farmhouse style DIY wood project that only costs about $10 to complete

This is a super easy project that cost us less than $10 in lumber, screws, and handles. You can easily make it one afternoon and size it just right for your table! Add your own personal touch with your stain choice and fun handles.

 

Love a great DIY project? Be sure to grab your list of my favorite weekend warrior projects below!

 

 
 


Links to ALP

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September 21, 2016 · Leave a Comment

About Brittany

I’m a busy mom of two little ones who is constantly looking for the yummiest meals that are quick to make for school nights. I am a big fangirl of chalk paint projects because they make my DIY skills look amazing– even though I’m not a pro. I believe in creating routines to keep our days in check– even if they change each season! I completely understand what it’s like to be a Type A personality who tries to plan all the things, but still, wonder where to simply start.I’m a huge fan of not being Pinterest perfect. I prefer done over perfect any day.

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Brittany WiseHi, I'm Brittany. I am a full time working mama who loves helping everyday women create extraordinary homes the easy way!
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