November DIY Challenge: The Wood Slice {a DIY Wood Slice Serving Tray}

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Wood slices are all the rage amongst crafters these days, so it’s no surprise that my monthly challenge ladies and I decided to make them the focus of our November DIY Challenge.  You will not believe what everyone came up with!  Here’s a little teaser, and you can click through to each of these posts and the bottom of this page.

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?)

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)

Step One:

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

Step Two:

I traced the design onto my wood slice in pencil.

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.)

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!

Step Five:

After I finished burning the entire design, I let the wood slice sit for a while. Then I had my husband help me drill holes into the piece so that I could screw in the drawer pulls for handles. (I forgot to take a photo of this step).

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.

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.

Step Eight:

After the hardware dried, I screwed the handles onto the wood slice and admired my rustic wood slice serving tray!
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.)  
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 piece unique!  

Now that you’ve seen my wood slice project, check out my friends’ posts!  You won’t be disappointed!

Wood Slice Clock Wood Slice Fireplace Facade Painted Wood Slice Hooks Wood Slice Welcome Banner http://www.brepurposed.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/final11.jpg Wood Slice Serving Tray http://www.meetthebs.com/2014/11/november-diy-challenge-wood-slice-art.html Tiered Wood Slice Serving Platter Rustic Log Birds Nest Ornament

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– Bre

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