New Day, New Tray

In yonder humble workshop, like unto Prospero’s isle, I did find a fine piece of walnut board upon the shelf. With great ambition, I resolved to fashion a most personal serving tray. The tray, divided in three parts, shall hold a meal, a drink, and sauces to please the appetite of any noble soul.

As with many a project wrought by skill and artifice, we began by drawing the design in the software, the mystical Carbide Create Pro. The vectors were traced, and the paths were chosen. The wise selection of milling tools did follow. For this tray, we employed a 3/4″ bowl bit, a 1/4″ and a 1/2″ 90-degree v-carve bit, and both an upcut and downcut 3/16″ endmill.

Below, thou mayst see the vectors thus inscribed for the task and a simulation of the toolpaths in the enchanted software.

Let us now commence by fastening the noble walnut to the waste board, and with the bowl bit, begin the rough shaping of the pockets. After the roughing be done, the CNC will proceed to the finishing paths for the pockets.

Next, we bring forth the 1/2″ 90-degree v-carve bit to bestow a chamfer upon the edges of the tray. Then doth the 1/4″ 90-degree v-carve bit follow, engraving my first maker’s mark—a symbol of pride—upon the tray’s top. Such a mark is oft placed beneath, yet my joy in its creation didst compel me to display it proudly. Finally, the 3/16″ endmills were employed to free the tray from its wooden confines. The downcut bit was used to prevent tearing of the wood fibers atop the tray, followed by the upcut bit to preserve the bottom’s integrity.

The final step in this journey was to bestow upon the tray a waterproof charm, achieved by applying a potion of beeswax and mineral oil, compounded by mine own hand. Thus, the serving tray was complete, ready to grace any feast with its presence.