← Projects & Plans · Small makes & gifts · No. 04
Simple Tray
A sturdy screwed tray with a slot handle at each end, about 450 × 300 × 100 mm, from one 25 mm rough-sawn board. Five parts, straight cuts, drilling and 18 screws. Built in the workshop first: the photos are the real tray.
What the levels mean
- Difficulty 1 of 51 · First buildHand saw, straight cuts and screws. About 1–2 hours. Fine for complete beginners and supported learners.
- Difficulty 2 of 52 · BeginnerAdds angle cuts and drilling. Some steps need a helper.
- Difficulty 3 of 53 · ImproverBevels, rip cuts and a power saw, with more parts to keep square. About half a day.
- Difficulty 4 of 54 · ConfidentProper joints like halving and mortise, where measuring accuracy matters. About a day.
- Difficulty 5 of 55 · AdvancedFrames and structures, heavy parts, two people and several days.
Drag to look around. Use the chapters along the bottom to jump between stages.
02 · Real photos
Built for real.
03 · Tools & materials
Everything you need.
Gather it all before you start. Tick things off as you go: the ticks stay on this device.
Tools
Materials & cost
| Item | Per build | You need | Buy | Price | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rough-sawn untreated softwood board, 1110 mm needed at 25 × 250 mm (sold as 25 × 250 mm × 3 m)Gadero roughsawn Douglas fir 25 × 250 mm × 3 m, collection price, October 2026. One 3 m board makes two trays | 0.5 board | £per board | |||
| Wood screws 4 × 50 mmEstimate for a Goldscrew-type 200-pack (Screwfix, B&Q); price not checked | 18 screws | £per pack | |||
| Sanding sheets 120 gritScrewfix Essentials 10-pack, October 2026 | 1 sheet | £per pack | |||
| Total | |||||
A rough guide, not a quote. Prices are typical UK examples checked in October 2026, including VAT and before delivery. They change often and vary between merchants, and timber sizes do too, so check before you buy. Reclaimed or offcut timber can bring the cost close to nothing. Tap any price to change it.
Converted from millimetres and rounded to the nearest 1/16″. This plan is drawn for UK metric timber. US lumber sizes differ (a 1×6 is 5½″ × ¾″), so check widths and thicknesses before you cut.
04 · Cut list
Five parts from one board.
| Part | Name | Size (mm) | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Base | 400 × 250 | 1 | Sits inside all four sides, flush underneath |
| 02 | Long side | 400 × 100 | 2 | Ripped 100 mm wide; fits between the ends; 3 screws into the base |
| 03 | End | 300 × 100 | 2 | 100 × 28 mm slot handle centred 65 mm up: two Ø28 mm holes 72 mm apart, jigsaw between; 2 screws into the base, 2 into each side |
Converted from millimetres and rounded to the nearest 1/16″. This plan is drawn for UK metric timber. US lumber sizes differ (a 1×6 is 5½″ × ¾″), so check widths and thicknesses before you cut.
05 · Instructions
Six steps.
- 1
Cut the base
Mark 400 mm from one end and crosscut: that is the base (01).
- 2
Rip two strips
Rip the rest of the board into two 100 mm strips on a table or circular saw (staff).
✋ Helper needed - 3
Cut the sides and ends
Crosscut both strips at 400 mm for the long sides (02); the 300 mm pieces left are the ends (03).
- 4
Make the handles
Two 28 mm holes 72 mm apart, 65 mm up, in each end; jigsaw out between them and sand the slot.
✋ Helper needed - 5
Sides to the base
Long sides against the base, bottoms and ends level. Three 4 × 50 mm screws each, in 3 mm pilot holes.
✋ Helper needed - 6
Ends on
Each end across the base and both sides, corners flush: 2 screws into the base and 2 into each side. 18 screws in all.
✋ Helper needed
06 · Learning layer
Why one board is enough.
Every part comes off 1110 mm of a 250 mm board, with a 3 mm saw cut between parts.
400 mm + 3 mm + 400 mm + 3 mm + 300 mm = 1106 mmBase, then a long side and an end along each strip, with two saw cuts.100 mm + 3 mm + 100 mm + 3 mm = 206 mmTwo strips and two rips fit in the 250 mm width, with 44 mm spare.400 mm + 2 × 25 mm = 450 mmThe ends sit outside the long sides, so the tray is 450 mm long.250 mm + 2 × 25 mm = 300 mmThe long sides sit outside the base, so the tray is 300 mm wide.100 mm − 25 mm = 75 mmThe base sits inside, flush underneath, so the tray is 75 mm deep inside.2 × 3 + 2 × 2 + 4 × 2 = 18 screwsThree per long side, two per end into the base, two at each corner.The maths stays in millimetres: it's how the plan was measured and how it's taught.
07 · Plans
Take the plan to the bench.
Easy plan
20 pages · one step per pageBig text, real photos and 3D pictures, tick boxes, helper badges, tools and shopping list.
Download ↓Quick plan
2 pagesCutting layout to scale, cut list, the build in six pictures and the materials with prices.
Download ↓Make it with me
Sessions · groups · privateBuild it in a session with tools and timber ready to go.
Ask about a session →Keep making
