With the two handle end pieces sandwiched together, mark the location for the holes that make up the ends of the cutout in the handle. Use your drillpress, spinning a 11⁄4"-diameter Forstner bit, to bore through both pieces. Then scribe a line from the bottom and top edges of the holes to mark the handle cutout; remove the waste using either a jigsaw or scrollsaw.
To complete the front and back of the tray, you’ll need to create 1⁄4"-wide x 1⁄2"-deep dado grooves to support the slats. A table-mounted router or a plunge router equipped with an edge guide works well. Be sure to stop the dados about 3⁄4" from each end for the corner joinery.
To mill the slats, cut four pieces of decking to 161⁄16" long, rip off one rounded edge, then rip two strips to 21⁄2" wide. Move over your fence to 3⁄8", then resaw the strips on edge using multiple passes. Once you have
all 11 slats cut, plane them down to about 1⁄4" thick. Just be careful. As you approach this final thickness, check the slats for a snug fit into the grooves in the tray. A snug fit is the important thing, not the specific thickness dimension.
Tray assembly
Gather all the pieces you need to install the slats. Lay one of the side pieces, groove side up, on your workbench and mark the centre. Next, put the central slat into place. From here, proceed to work outward, adding additional slats 1⁄4" apart. A 1⁄4"-thick spacer keeps the gaps consistent. Check to make sure that the final slats and the inside edges of the handle pieces maintain the same spacing, and trim or re-adjust as required. Once you’ve dry-fit all of the pieces and are satisfied with the spacing, glue the slats into place.
Gluing slats in place while trying to maintain perfect spacing can be a frustrating exercise. I solved this problem by plugging in the hot-glue gun. Because there is no real stress on these joints and the only purpose to gluing the slats is to keep them from moving around, hot glue is perfect for this application. It sets instantly, is completely waterproof and is reasonably strong. When putting the slats into the first piece, dab hot glue into the centre of each slat, place it in the groove, wait 10 seconds, then move on to the next slat. You’ll want to use regular outdoor wood glue on the ends of the slats when attaching the other half; you’ll need the added set-up time to get in place all the pieces.
Working slowly, place the front piece over the slats, then check for square. When you’re satisfied with the fit, attach the handle ends with a thin layer of glue and #8 x 11⁄2" deck screws driven into predrilled and countersunk holes. Cut tapered plugs to fill in the holes, and give the whole tray a thorough sanding with 150-grit sandpaper, rounding all sharp edges slightly.
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