This tray is a slightly amended version of a shaker cutlery tray and is a great one-day project to help you hone your hand-tool skills while still producing a beautiful and utilitarian piece. I start by breaking down rough cherry lumber and mill pieces to thickness and length. Though the divider that makes up the handle will be slightly shorter than the long walls of the tray, I cut it the same length and will adjust it later. With planning and care, you can create an effect with the grain that wraps around from one face to the next, but since this is dovetail construction instead of miters, I don’t bother too much with that, preferring just to lay out the faces so the grain is pleasing to the eye.
Gang-Cut Tails
I start my dovetails by gang-cutting the tails. This method speeds up the process considerably. The trick with gang-cutting, however, is really paying attention to the
