In my capacity as dedicated "skilled" person of the house and the one with access to power tools I am often called upon to make stuff. Today I was set a task by my wife to make a tray for displaying her merchandise at crafts fairs. I thought a handy old pallet that had been lurking in the dark depths of my state of the art workshop would do. I dragged it out of the garage, past a motorbike, around golf clubs that have been gathering dust for the last ten years and over my rusty push bike that I have plans to use this week.

And so, in the murky, damp daylight I measured, and cut and I sanded and also drank a fair few cups of coffee, and there it was. Almost a tray.

Best laid plans can often go awry so when it started to rain I decided to transfer my budding masterpiece to the comfort of the shed. At least there's a chair in there.

With precision measuring and a slightly blunt flat-bit I cut two holes in each end of the tray to accommodate hand holes. Essential for a tray I thought.

A word or two of warning. This is not a tutorial but suffice to say, power tools are dangerous!

Next I cut between the holes with a jigsaw.

(More dangerous stuff)

After a bit of sanding and screwing together and another cup of coffee I had this!

A tray.

All I have to do now is calm down the petrified chickens outside and find a market for recycled wood trays that take half a day to assemble.

I'll wax it tomorrow.