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View Full Version : My version of Martin's shaker inspired tray


Paul Comi
11-16-2005, 9:21 PM
After seeing Martin's shaker inspired serving tray, I was inspired to create a version of my own. His was really nice made exclusively with curly cherry and a waterlox satin finish but my wife wanted something a bit different so I incorporated purpleheart and used paduk for the sides. This project included a lot of firsts for me. It was the first time using paduk which is a beautiful wood and looks great even lying on the floor in curlies. It was the first time I included hand cut dovetails in a project, and the first time cutting veneer and resawing with the bandsaw. It was also the first time I inset a bottom in a rabbeted dado instead of just gluing it into a rabbeted bottom. I did rough dimensioning of wood using power tools (jointer, planer and table saw) but also did an awful lot of the work with hand planes, scrapers and files. I've still got more finishing to do as there is only 1 coat of danish oil on it at this time, but I thought I'd post a picture of it since I had it inside to see how it looks on the table it will live on. The tray was designed to hold a collection of topiary plants. I'm glad I used paduk because it spices things up with all the mission style oak furniture we have.

http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/6433/dscf000913lb.jpg

As I was building this project, I kept thinking about all the help I've gotten from you guys and I just want you to know how much I appreciate it.

Its too dark now to take a pic of the dovetails but here's a picture while I was making them.

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/2498/dscf00379gy.jpg
Bernie Weishapl
11-16-2005, 10:29 PM
I tell you what Paul for all the first's you did a excellent job. Love the dovetails and finish on it.
Jay Knoll
11-16-2005, 10:36 PM
Did I say very nice? Very nice!

That is a super job, love the narrow dove tails
Roy Wall
11-16-2005, 10:39 PM
Paul,

Love the tray-- very nice.......but those "thin pin" hand cut DT's are the
"Bomb"..........:)
Paul Comi
11-16-2005, 11:08 PM
I tell you what Paul for all the first's you did a excellent job. Love the dovetails and finish on it.

What finish? That wood is naked with just some danish oil rubbed in.
Vaughn McMillan
11-17-2005, 12:07 AM
Very nice, Paul. The dovetails have the thinnest pins I recall seeing...they came out sweet. After working with the padauk, do you have orange sawdust everywhere? (I sure do after a couple padauk projects in a row.)

Great job!

- Vaughn
Bob Noles
11-17-2005, 12:15 AM
Paul,

There is nothing about that tray that I do not like. You did some excellent work and it show. I am VERY impressed by the thin hand cut dove tails, they appear very tight and perfect form.

Thanks for sharing.
Paul Comi
11-17-2005, 1:11 AM
Very nice, Paul. The dovetails have the thinnest pins I recall seeing...they came out sweet. After working with the padauk, do you have orange sawdust everywhere? (I sure do after a couple padauk projects in a row.)

Great job!

- Vaughn

You're right about the paduk shavings. Its such a nice looking wood that I had a hard time even throwing away the shavings from my plane :-) sure beats working with plywood and mdf!
Rick de Roque
11-17-2005, 1:13 AM
Looks good Paul.
Rick
lou sansone
11-17-2005, 6:24 AM
looks great... really like the hand cut dovetails .. it's fun making the smaller projects at times...

lou
Jason Tuinstra
11-17-2005, 10:20 AM
Paul, the tray looks great. The dovetails are perfect for the tray. I love the narrow skinny ones - no mistaking those for machine cut. The handles look great as well with the contrasting wood.
tod evans
11-17-2005, 11:12 AM
paul, nice clean work! i`m impressed. tod
Martin Shupe
11-17-2005, 9:41 PM
Paul,

Your tray is magnificent. The blending of woods works very well, and the dovetails are awesome. I really like the thin pins, and your workmanship is superb. Thanks for posting the pics of your tray.
Paul Comi
11-17-2005, 11:35 PM
Paul,

Your tray is magnificent. The blending of woods works very well, and the dovetails are awesome. I really like the thin pins, and your workmanship is superb. Thanks for posting the pics of your tray.

Its got its flaws, the trick is to just don't put those in the viewfinder of the camera :-)

I followed your lead and bought some waterlox today. Its the first time I've tried using it and I used the original formula medium sheen. It goes on so nicely and this is a picture of it with two coats with a between coat buffing using 0000 steel wool. The jig was made out of scraps just before I built the tray and its a blade height jig for the table saw or router table.

http://img312.imageshack.us/img312/577/dscf00020zf.jpg