How are our trays made?

La Fabrique launches its first range of trays, with the help of a partner, manufacturer, real wood technician: Fribois. What trays will be offered? What kind of wood? What size? Who is Fribois? How are they made? We tell you the details of this project.

Fribois is based in the north of France, as is our workshop, in Wambrechies. This company has been around for 50 years now. She shares, with us, the manufacture of a product that aims to be eco-responsible and prosperous to the development of fair trade.

Being more used to working directly with cabinetmakers and sawmills, we imagined together a range of standard tops designed for furniture such as: dining table, coffee table, console or desk. Of course, if these dimensions are not suitable or if you have another piece of furniture in mind, do not worry. Made-to-measure is offered to obtain the tray of your dreams, make it by clicking here.

In this range of standard trays, we only offer trays in solid oak from French forests. This species is very noble and dense and is one of the most sought after.

Why did you choose only this species of wood ?

Oak offers many advantages :

• It is one of the most available essences and one of the most widespread at the level of its species.
• It is a durable material because it is very strong. Thanks to its density, it is too robust and resistant to shock. An oak plank can have several lives and be passed on to the next generation.

The only downside to this oak wood is that it is naturally not made for an outdoor project. It will age badly if not protected properly. In this first tray collection, only oak is present.

How are these trays made ?

Each craft requires specific tools used in the different stages of manufacture. Here, everything starts from the log of a tree. That is to say a trunk cut in its length to form planks and which still has its bark.

STEP 0 - DRYING

The preliminary step is to dry these logs. Naturally, the wood is wet and in order to be able to be worked and assembled, it must be dried to ensure that it does not move over time and thus obtain twisted furniture or furniture that no longer closes correctly.

By passing these boards through huge dryers, it saves months or even years rather than natural drying.

STEP 1 - DEBIT

From the dried trays, there is a first work of choosing the trays that will constitute the final tray. To be able to assemble them, they must be edged on the sides, this is the edging operation. Edging consists of sawing a board along its length and parallel to the direction of the grain of the wood. The goal is to have one or more straight songs depending on the final composition.

STEP 2 - DRESSAGE

In the log state, the wood has undergone sawing and drying which makes it rather irregular. So we're going to straighten it out. This consists of flattening two sides of a wooden board by setting them square.

Once straightened, planing follows in order to calibrate them to the exact size. It is at this time that the other two faces are machined to the desired dimensions in order to obtain a constant thickness for assembly and for a clean finish..

STEP 3 – NOTCHING AND ASSEMBLY

From the previous operation, each tray is ready. It is time to marry them to obtain an aesthetic, the prettiest possible. That is to say, play on the location of knots and patterns in the wood. Once the layout is suitable, it's time to move on to the assembly.

Several notches are made on the edge. This refers to the recess made in a board at its thickness. That is to say, create a groove that is used to assemble several boards using strips and glue. The assembly is compressed, on these ends, by a hydraulic press. Thus, there will be a pressing of the wood so that the fiber of it is crushed and thus obtain the most precise contact possible.

This step can be adjusted, in order to have a plan with joints more or less apart.

STEP 4 – SANDING

Following assembly, there are glue overflows due to mechanical work on the wood. The penultimate step is to sand the table top. Sanding removes imperfections using a belt sander. The board passes it several times to ensure a perfectly smooth finish.

STEP 5 – WOOD SONGS

The edge designates the edge of the boards. It is an operation performed on the set which can be aesthetically diverse: straight, live edge (imitating a tree trunk), rounded or even an airplane wing.

This step gives a certain singularity to the finished board.

Thus the tray is finished and raw. It is ready to receive a varnish, an oil or to leave it as it is. All our standards are offered without finish, it's up to you to choose the one that suits you best, for that discover our protection advice.

Now that the making of a tray no longer holds any secrets for you, discover all our range of trays, here. If the dimensions do not suit you, imagine your ideal tray via our form.

Trays for what uses ?

Thus, you will observe trays dedicated to the dining table, coffee table, console and desk. Nothing is fixed, if the dimensions suit you, divert its use to another piece of furniture.

If you have no idea of dimensions but rather notions of guests or space, we invite you to consult our guide on which tray size to choose.

On each of the products, several plate thicknesses are offered. It is essentially a choice related to the use and the final aesthetics. In addition to this option, choose the song that suits your tastes.

As usual, La Fabrique offers you standard products AND tailor-made products to guide you in your choice without ever blocking you..