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DIY Wood Slice Serving Tray

November 14, 2014 by Bre 36 Comments

Wood slices are all the rage amongst crafters these days, so it’s no surprise that I had to make some type of wood slice craft!

I turned mine into a rustic wood slice serving tray with wood burned detailing.  Tres chic!  (Or should I say “tray” chic in this case?)

DIY Wood Slice Serving Tray Tutorial

Wood Slice Serving Tray Supplies

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.

I loved this project because it allowed me to work with materials I’d never used before, and to create something that I actually have a need for!  The supplies I used were the following:

  • Walnut Hollow Basswood Country Plank
  • Creative Woodburner Value Pen
  • Watco Butcher Block Oil & Finish
  • Stencil (and pencil)
  • Drawer pulls (and drill)

How to Make a DIY Serving Tray

Step One:

Once I had my supplies together, I started by lightly sanding my wood slice and then taping a stencil to it.

Wood Slice - stencil

Step Two:

I traced the design onto my wood slice in pencil.

Wood Slice - drawn pattern
Step Three:

I plugged in my woodburning tool and anxiously waited for it to heat up.

I had never used one of these so I was a little nervous about starting something on fire.  (If you know me at all, you know this is a legitimate concern.  For real.)Wood Slice - burning tool

DIY Serving Tray Step Four:

Once I got started burning my design into the wood slice, I found that it was really easy to do!  The tool does get hot to hold, however, so I had to take little breaks here and there.

It didn’t take long and the smell wasn’t too bad – thank goodness! I did NOT want to set off the fire alarm during my son’s naptime! Wood Slice - begninning burning

Step Five:

After I finished burning the entire design, I let the wood slice sit for a while. Then I drilled holes into the piece so that I could screw in the drawer pulls for handles.

Step Six:

Next, I coated the entire wood slice with butcher block oil to help seal the piece. Butcher block oil is completely food safe and FDA approved, so I was confident using it on something that I knew I’d be putting food on.

As with the previous step, I forgot to take a picture of the butcher block oil application, but trust me, it’s nothing exciting. It tints the wood ever so slightly, but it doesn’t change the color in any dramatic way.

Wood Slice Serving Tray Step Seven:

Once the butcher block oil dried, I went to screw in my hardware. At that point, I noticed that the pulls I’d purchased were two different finishes. ANNOYING!

Since I didn’t have the receipt, I decided to spray paint them so they’d look the same.

Wood Slice - spray painted hardware
Step Eight:

After the hardware dried, I screwed the handles onto the wood slice and admired my rustic wood slice serving tray!Woodslice - serving tray empty plain horizontal
Then I served my kids a “fancy snack” of cheese and crackers.  (Trust me – this is way nicer than the animal crackers or raisins I usually toss into a bowl for them every afternoon.)  Woodslice - serving tray plain vertical
I think this is a perfect DIY gift, and one that can easily be personalized with a monogram, quote, or other meaningful design.

You could also add some cool hardware for handles to really make your wood slice serving tray unique!

Filed Under: DIY

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Danielle says

    November 23, 2014 at 6:50 pm

    Thanks so much for linking up at the Motivational Monday link party! Hope you’ll join us again this week!!

    Danielle
    SewMuchCrafting.com

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 24, 2014 at 7:45 am

      Hi, Danielle! Thank you for hosting! I will be back!

  2. Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom says

    November 22, 2014 at 6:38 pm

    This is so neat! We eat cheese and crackers over here a lot and I would love to make my own personalized tray. That stencil design you selected is so pretty! Thanks for linking up with us at Motivational Monday, hope to see you back next week!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 24, 2014 at 7:44 am

      Thank you, Carrie! I will be back for sure!

  3. Carmody says

    November 19, 2014 at 7:00 am

    Freaking Beautiful Bre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 20, 2014 at 9:43 am

      Hahahaha, thanks, Carmody! 🙂 You gotta try wood burning. I know you would come up with something AMAZING!!

  4. Nicole B. says

    November 16, 2014 at 12:57 pm

    Love it! And you must have a lot of patience! That looks like a lot of wood burning!!! Fun though, isn’t it? 🙂

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 16, 2014 at 4:38 pm

      Thanks friend! It really didn’t take that long! I can’t wait to try text like you did on your cutting board!

  5. Erin says

    November 16, 2014 at 10:16 am

    Holy Moly! The pattern!!! Super stylish!!!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 16, 2014 at 4:39 pm

      Hahaha thanks, Erin!

  6. Amanda @ Dwelling in Happiness says

    November 15, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    OOOoh, So pretty!! I love how it came out!! Looks like a piece of lace under the cheese. So feminine! 🙂

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 16, 2014 at 4:36 pm

      Thank you, Amanda!!

  7. Lindi says

    November 15, 2014 at 11:51 am

    I love how this turned out!! I think I would be too inpatient to tackle the wood burning, but it turned out amazing!!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 16, 2014 at 4:34 pm

      Hi Lindi, thanks so much! The wood burning really didn’t take that long, I swear! :-). Thanks and have a great rest of your day!

  8. Christina @ Operation Home says

    November 15, 2014 at 8:49 am

    Trays unite!! Haha! We need a secret handshake or something. 😉 I love that we had similar ideas but completely different results!! The wood-burning technique is so cool!! And I love the stencil you chose!! Well done, lady!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 16, 2014 at 4:39 pm

      Hi! Yes, I think that is my favorite thing about these challenges! It’s so amazing how you can think the same way but so differently at the same time! 🙂

  9. Michelle Lepak @ Dandelion Patina says

    November 15, 2014 at 12:03 am

    Wow. Now, that is some detail on the wood burning pattern! Looks great.

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 15, 2014 at 8:47 am

      Thanks so much Michelle! I hope you have a great weekend!

  10. Tara @ Anything & Everything says

    November 14, 2014 at 6:27 pm

    Great idea, Bre! Love the stencil that you used! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 15, 2014 at 8:46 am

      Thanks, friend!! Hope you’re having a great weekend as well!

  11. Erica says

    November 14, 2014 at 12:59 pm

    Oh wow, this turned out GORGEOUS! I love that lacy stencil – it just pairs so perfectly with the wood of the tray and the handles! Totally the perfect gift 🙂

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 14, 2014 at 1:45 pm

      Thanks so much, Erica! Hope you have a great weekend!

  12. Amy | Canary Street Crafts says

    November 14, 2014 at 12:35 pm

    I adore this cute tray, Bre!! So pretty!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 14, 2014 at 1:44 pm

      Thank you so much, Amy!!

  13. Kristi says

    November 14, 2014 at 9:32 am

    WOW!!! I am in LOVE with the stenciled burning! SO pretty!!!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 14, 2014 at 1:44 pm

      Thank you, Kristi! 🙂

  14. Breanna says

    November 14, 2014 at 9:27 am

    LOVE this Bre! I’m glad you didn’t burn down your house 😉 I need to try my hand at some wood burning soon, I always love how it looks! Awesome job!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 14, 2014 at 1:43 pm

      Hey girl, thanks!! I cannot even imagine what you could do with a wood burning tool. I bet you could turn a junky old furniture piece into something truly amazing (as usual)!

  15. Chloe Crabtree says

    November 14, 2014 at 9:23 am

    Just beautiful! I have never tried anything like this with a wood burning tool. Okay, I didn’t even know there was a wood burning tool, but you are inspiring me! This is truly lovely.

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 14, 2014 at 1:42 pm

      Aw, you’re making me blush! Thank you! These wood burning tools are so cool! I could see you making all kinds of cool and personalized party decor with them! A bonus is that they’re really inexpensive – I think mine was $12! Have a great weekend!

  16. Kendra @ www.joyinourhome.com says

    November 14, 2014 at 8:09 am

    Such a great idea Bre! Love the detail of your design! I defiantly want to try making one too! Hope you have a great weekend 🙂

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 14, 2014 at 1:41 pm

      Hi, Kendra! Thank you!!! Really, this project could not be easier. Hope you have a great weekend, friend!

  17. Marie@The Interior Frugalista says

    November 14, 2014 at 7:22 am

    Love your serving tray!. I’ve been wanting one of those woodburning kits for sometime. Maybe I should add it to my list for Santa. lol

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 14, 2014 at 1:41 pm

      Thank you so much, Marie! Yes, you should definitely get one of those kits! They are shockingly inexpensive and I really think they can be used in so many different ways to create unique things! I can’t wait to try mine out in other ways. Thanks for your nice note and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

  18. Leigh Anne says

    November 14, 2014 at 5:42 am

    This is beautiful Bre! You did a great job on it!!

    Reply
    • Bre says

      November 14, 2014 at 1:40 pm

      Thanks, Leigh Anne! I am glad I didn’t burn a massive hole through it with the wood burning tool. A+ for that. 🙂

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