Elegant Curved-handle Serving Tray

Mass-produced serving trays are often unstylishly box-like and, being machine-made, feature simple cutouts on the ends as handles. They can be boring, and, to paraphrase American furniture maker Jere Osgood, their straight-line designs are a wasted opportunity. Curves add interest to a piece, and thus I included curved handles in the latest tray I’ve made here. To add a handcrafted feel, the tray features hand-cut dovetails and rabbets.

For a striking look, I used maple for the handles, while sapele and African mahogany veneer ply make up the tray. Since those maple handles are thin, they are a good candidate for hot-pipe bending. Using that technique of bending wood, which I will explain later in this article, is a surprisingly simple way to achieve the curved visual effect and add a new skill set you can call upon for other