First sandpaper the wood until it is smooth, then stain it a mahogany color. The mahogany stain can be obtained ready prepared. After the stain has dried, attach brass handles, which can be obtained for a small sum at an upholsterer's shop. A round embroidered doily in the bottom adds to the appearance of the tray.
Contributed by Katharine D. Morse, Syracuse, New York.
Piercing-Punch for Brass
Drill a 1/2-in. hole through a block of pine or other soft wood 2 in. thick. Tack over one end of the hole a piece of pasteboard in which seven coarse sewing-machine needles have been inserted. The needles should be close together and pushed through the pasteboard until the points show. The hole is then filled with melted babbitt metal. When this is cold, the block is split and the pasteboard removed. This tool makes neat pierced work and in making brass shades, it does the work rapidly.
Contributed by H. Carl Cramer, East Hartford, Conn.
Kitchen Chopping Board
Knife Attached to the Board