DIY Wooden Hexagonal Tray

Does your coffee table need a little organizing? Whose doesn’t?! This hexagon serving tray provides modern and bright storage and organization for surface spaces.

DIY wooden serving tray

Create a small one like this for a coffee table, kitchen island, or dresser. Or create a larger tray to use for serving at your next gathering! While this DIY project requires a little review of school-level geometry, with good measurements and the right equipment you will be done in no time!

 

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Supplies you’ll need for wooden serving tray:

  • large square piece of plywood (amount needed varies based on desired size)
  • long piece of plywood cut to approximately 1 x 1″ for the tray sides (amount needed varies based on desired size)
  • protractor
  • straight edge
  • pencil
  • spray paint
  • saw (bandsaw and radial arm saw used here)
  • wood glue
  • small nails
  • hammer (or nail gun as used here)
  • heavy duty sandpaper

How to build a wooden serving tray:

Step 1: Drawing 

Start by drawing your hexagon on the plywood which will serve as your base. A hexagon will have 6 equal sides and 120 degree interior angles. Here we used the length of the protractor as our measurement for each side. You can make yours as small or as large as you desire so long as each side is equal and each interior angle is 120 degrees. Use a straight edge to help draw the sides and to get more precise lines. The protractor will ensure that each interior angle is measured at 120 degrees. Check the measurement of each side and angle before cutting.

DIY hexagon tray1 1024x687
DIY hexagon tray1 1024x687

Step 2: Measure and cut

Measure and mark for the sides of the hexagon. You will need 6 equal pieces that are all in the shape of a trapezoid. Each piece will have an exterior measurement that measures equal to the each side of the hexagon. the interior angles at the base (or larger side of the trapezoid next to the exterior measurement), will measure at 60 degrees making the interior angle at the top of the trapezoid each 120 degrees (scroll further to view what each side will look like once finished). Mark each piece and double-check measurements before cutting.

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Step 3: The base

Next cut out the flat hexagon base using a bandsaw.

Step 4: Radial tool

Cut the 6 sides of the hexagon using a radial arm saw for best results.

Step 5: Sanding edges

Once your pieces are cut, arrange them on the tray to ensure that all the pieces match up. Recut sides or sand down angles if needed.

Step 6: Glue process

Attach each side to the base with wood glue and secure with a few small nails. Give at least 30 minutes for the glue to dry and sand down any frays of wood off the edges if needed before painting.

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Step 7: Spray paint

Lastly, spray the tray with your desired color of spray paint. Let dry and apply more layers if needed. Once all the layers have been applied give the paint ample time to dry based on instructions listed on the back of the bottle. Once the paint is dry, your project is complete!

DIY hexagon tray1 1024x687
DIY hexagon tray1 1024x687
DIY hexagon tray1 1024x687