Star Tray

I made a wood star tray with molding for the sides. The shape is like a primitive star.

You will be cutting 10 pieces any length you want. These were about 5 inches and the star was about 13 1/2 inches wide. You may want to cut scrap pieces before cutting the actual molding.

First make a jig for the cuts at the points of the star. Screw a piece of wood onto a piece of 1/2 inch plywood at 54 degrees. Put your miter saw at 30 degrees and clamp and cut each piece making sure to lay it on the correct side so that the cut pieces fit together. Cut the pieces about 2 inches longer than you want them to be.

Diagram of the jig.

The other end is cut at 30 degrees. Clamp a scrap piece and place the piece to cut against it so they will all be the same length. Clamp each piece you are cutting so it doesn't move and make sure to lay it on the correct side.

Tape all the pieces together to make sure they fit, then glue and tape. Let dry overnight. Nail the pieces with a brad nail gun.

Trace around the star on a piece of 1/4 inch plywood and cut it out on the band or scroll saw. Glue the star to the plywood, let dry and brad nail it. Sand as needed after each step. Use wood filler to fill any joints or nail holes. Then start painting.

I cut a piece off of a big soft sponge, got it wet, and squeezed out the excess. Paint acrylic dark brown all over, let dry then randomly dab a lighter brown, gray, orange, back to dark brown, etc. Dry with a hair dryer between coats if you're in a hurry. Just keep layering until your are happy with it. If you make a mistake just paint over it. I wanted a rusty tin look.

Spray a sealer coat and you are done! This wasn't an easy project but it was fun and I felt as though I had accomplished something unique.