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Bathroom Vanity Tray[4/4 · 2ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 2 trays, 2 soap dishes
Shop Black Walnut 4/4 · 2ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 2' Lengths
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak (QS)
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A low-rimmed hardwood tray keeps soap, lotion and cologne bottles together on the vanity and off the wet counter. Each tray is two boards edge-glued with a low rail all round, and a grooved soap dish goes with it. One 2ft pack makes two trays and two soap dishes: one set for your bathroom and one for the guest bath or a gift.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base halves | 4 | Boards 1–4, one each | 15" × 4" × ¾" | 15" × 3½" × ⅞" |
| Trays, after glue-up | 2 | 2 halves each | 15" × 8" × ¾" | 15" × 7" × ⅞" |
| Long rails | 4 | Board 5, ripped | 15" × ⅞" × ¾" | 15" × ¾" × ⅞" |
| End rails | 4 | Board 5, same strips | 6¼" × ⅞" × ¾" | 5½" × ¾" × ⅞" |
| Soap dishes | 2 | Boards 1–2 | 4" × 4" × ¾" | 4" × 3½" × ⅞" |
Base: two boards edge-glued, grain running the length of the tray.
Long rails: ripped strips glued flat along the long edges, full length (long grain to long grain).
End rails: cross grain, so glue only the middle 2" and pin each end with a glued ¼" dowel.
Soap dishes: one solid piece with three ⅛"-deep drainage grooves running out the ends.
Finished size: Tray, S4S: 15" × 8" × 1½" high, rails ⅞" wide · S2S: 15" × 7" × 1¾", rails ¾" wide. Soap dish 4" × 4" (S4S) or 4" × 3½" (S2S).
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 4/4 · 2ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III) — Titebond III is water-resistant
- One 12" length of ¼" hardwood dowel (8 pins)
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Water-resistant finish: hardwax oil or wipe-on poly
- 8 small rubber or cork feet for the soap dishes
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square) — with a stop block
- Saw for rips (table saw, or circular/track saw with a guide) — with a push stick
- 4–6 bar clamps, 12" or longer
- Drill with a ¼" brad-point bit and depth stop
- Router table with a ⅜" core-box bit, or a table saw (soap dish grooves)
- Router with a roundover bit, or a sanding block
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first, and finish ⅞" thick instead of ¾". No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 23½"/47½" long with ¼" to square an end, 4" wide, ¾" thick · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean), ⅞" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Crosscut the bases. Cut a 15" piece from each of boards 1–4. Cut a 4" soap dish from the rest of boards 1 and 2. Use a stop block so all four base pieces match.
- 2 Glue up two trays. Pair the base pieces and edge-glue each pair into a panel 15" × 8". Clamp, wipe the squeeze-out once it turns rubbery, and leave it overnight.
- 3 Rip the rails. Rip board 5 into four strips about ⅞" wide. Use a push stick. Crosscut each strip into a 15" long rail and a 6¼" end rail.
- 4 Glue the long rails. First scrape off dried glue and sand the base seam flush, so the rails sit flat. Lay a long rail flat along each long edge of the base, flush with the edge and ends. Glue and clamp. The grain runs the same way in rail and base, so glue the full length.
- 5 Fit the end rails. Cut each end rail to fit snugly between the long rails. Put glue on the middle 2" only and clamp it flush with the end. The end rail's grain crosses the base, so the base needs room to move at the corners.
- 6 Pin the end rails. Drill two ¼" holes through each end rail, 1" in from each end, and ½" into the base. Don't go through the base. Glue a ¼" dowel into each hole and trim it flush once dry.
- 7 Make the soap dishes. On the top face of each soap dish, cut three grooves along its length, ⅛" deep and about ⅜" wide, so water runs out the ends. Use a core-box bit in a router table or several passes on the table saw.
- 8 Round and sand. Round all the edges and the outside corners of the trays, then sand everything 120 → 180 → 220. Wipe with a damp cloth, let it dry and sand again at 220.
- 9 Finish all faces. Bathrooms are wet, so use hardwax oil or wipe-on poly, 3 coats, on every face including the bottoms and the grooves. Let it cure fully. Add small rubber or cork feet under the soap dishes so they drain.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish ⅞" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Crosscut the bases. Cut a 15" piece from each of boards 1–4. Cut a 4" soap dish from the rest of boards 1 and 2. Use a stop block so all four base pieces match.
- 3 Glue up two trays. Pair the base pieces and edge-glue each pair into a panel 15" × 7". Clamp, wipe the squeeze-out once it turns rubbery, and leave it overnight.
- 4 Rip the rails. Rip board 5 into four strips about ¾" wide. Use a push stick. Crosscut each strip into a 15" long rail and a 5½" end rail.
- 5 Glue the long rails. First scrape off dried glue and sand the base seam flush, so the rails sit flat. Lay a long rail flat along each long edge of the base, flush with the edge and ends. Glue and clamp. The grain runs the same way in rail and base, so glue the full length.
- 6 Fit the end rails. Cut each end rail to fit snugly between the long rails. Put glue on the middle 2" only and clamp it flush with the end. The end rail's grain crosses the base, so the base needs room to move at the corners.
- 7 Pin the end rails. Drill two ¼" holes through each end rail, 1" in from each end, and ½" into the base. Don't go through the base. Glue a ¼" dowel into each hole and trim it flush once dry.
- 8 Make the soap dishes. On the top face of each soap dish, cut three grooves along its length, ⅛" deep and about ⅜" wide, so water runs out the ends. Use a core-box bit in a router table or several passes on the table saw.
- 9 Round and sand. Round all the edges and the outside corners of the trays, then sand everything 120 → 180 → 220. Wipe with a damp cloth, let it dry and sand again at 220.
- 10 Finish all faces. Bathrooms are wet, so use hardwax oil or wipe-on poly, 3 coats, on every face including the bottoms and the grooves. Let it cure fully. Add small rubber or cork feet under the soap dishes so they drain.
Why glue only the middle of the end rails? The base swells and shrinks across its width with the seasons. The end rails run across it, so glue along their full length would fight that movement and crack. Glue in the middle and dowel pins at the ends hold the rail tight and let the base move.
Why seal every face? A tray in a bathroom sees steam and puddles. Wood that's sealed on one side only takes on water unevenly and cups. Three coats on all faces keep it flat.
Why does grain direction matter? Wood swells and shrinks across its grain, not along it. Every glue joint in this plan joins parts whose grain runs the same way, so nothing fights the seasons.
Make It Yours
- Taller rails: stand the rails on edge instead of flat for a deeper tray that holds cotton balls and small bottles.
- Two-tone: maple base with walnut rails and dowel pins.
- Desk or entry tray: the same tray works for keys, wallets and watches by the door.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Rip the narrow rail strips with a push stick and a featherboard. Never reach past the blade for the offcut.
- Wear a dust mask when cutting and sanding, especially exotics (padauk, purpleheart, sapele).
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Yes, if you seal every face and let the finish cure fully. Wipe up puddles, and refresh the oil once or twice a year. Don't leave it in the shower or soak it.
Any species in the pack works once it's sealed. White oak resists water best. Walnut and cherry hide water marks well. Maple shows marks more easily, so give it an extra coat.
Yes. Leave the ends open and round them over instead. It's faster, and spills wipe straight off the end.
About 4" off the end of boards 3 and 4 — enough for two more soap dishes — plus about 1" off the end of boards 1, 2 and the rail strips. All 5 boards go into the trays.
Yes. A 4ft pack makes four trays and four soap dishes: crosscut every board in half first, then follow this plan twice.
