It’s been a while since I cut dovetails. I thought it would be a cool idea to make a dovetail walnut tray. I knew that I wanted some swooping lines, and the parts needed to have a soft look and feel. I used some beautiful figured walnut for the sides and I’m really happy with how they turned out. The shape has a gracefulness to it.

I went back and forth on what to do for the bottom panel. I knew that I wanted something unusual and not a simple walnut board. I decided to make a plaid inlay base. The plaid is made from oak, sapele, and maple, with walnut stripes.

This was a time intensive project so I’m glad that it turned out like what I pictured in my mind.