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Every potluck and graduation party runs on the same disposable aluminum steam trays, and they all have the same problem: floppy when full, tippy on a tablecloth, and they slide around the table. This stand fixes all of it with a divided 1x3 frame that holds three trays in a row — each tray drops into its own bay, the frame's walls keep it rigid and located, and the handles carry the whole buffet line in one trip.
The entire design lives or dies on step 1's instruction: LAY OUT THE FRAME AND CHECK YOUR ACTUAL TRAYS BEFORE NAILING. 'Standard' aluminum trays vary by brand — half-size steam trays hover around 12-3/4" x 10-3/8" at the rim, but the rim rolls differ. Set your trays on the layout, adjust the divider positions so each rim catches the frame, then fasten. The listed cuts fit the source's trays; yours vote last.
The fastener logic in the source is a nice little lesson in matching fastener to load: brads and glue for the frame and floor (cheap, fast, plenty strong in shear), but SCREWS for the feet — a foot takes prying loads every time the stand is slid across a table, and brads pull out of end grain under exactly that kind of load.
Food-adjacent finish note: seal it with something washable (water-based poly), or leave it raw and call the patina 'seasoned.' The trays hold the food; the wood just holds the trays.
| Item | Qty |
|---|---|
| 1x3, 10 ftThe whole frame and dividers. | 1 each |
| 2x2 scrap, 8"The four stub feet — a genuine scrap-bin part. | 1 each |
| Plywood, 1/8", 30" x 14"The floor. Underlayment or a project-panel offcut. | 1 each |
| Cabinet handlesReal hardware — this gets carried loaded. | 2 each |
| Aluminum steam trays, half-sizeBuy FIRST — the bays are sized to your brand's rims. | 3 each |
| Brad nails, 1-1/4" | 40 each |
| Wood screws, 1-1/4"Feet. | 8 each |
| Wood glue | 2 oz |
| Water-based polyurethaneWashable finish for a food-adjacent piece. | 8 oz |
Overall cost: $. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.
| Part | Qty | T × W × L |
|---|---|---|
| Frame sides1x3 | 2 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 30 1/4" |
| Frame ends and dividers1x3Two ends, two dividers — divider spacing set by YOUR trays. | 4 | 3/4" × 2 1/2" × 12 5/8" |
| Feet2x2Cut from the end of a long scrap, clamped — never freehand tiny blocks. | 4 | 1 1/2" × 1 1/2" × 2" |
| Bottom1/8" plywood | 1 | 1/8" × 14" × 30" |
Buy 4 boards at 8 ft.
1 board
2 boards
1 board
Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →
Arrange the sides, ends, and two dividers on the bench and set your three actual trays in the bays. Adjust the dividers until every tray's rim catches the frame all around and the tray bodies hang free. THEN glue and brad-nail the frame together, two brads per joint.
Trays vary brand to brand; ten seconds of dry-fit beats an eighth-inch of wrong forever.
Glue and brad the 1/8" plywood bottom to the underside of the frame, nailing into the sides, ends, AND both dividers — the floor is what turns four sticks and two dividers into one rigid tray-carrier.
Screw the four 2x2 feet to the bottom corners — screws, not brads: feet get pried sideways every time the stand slides across a tablecloth, and that's the exact load that walks brads out of end grain. Mount a handle on each end.
Sand everything (hands and serving spoons live here), seal with washable poly, and drop the trays in. Three mains, one trip, no tray-tipping incidents at the potluck.
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