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Bettesworth Construction
line-and-berry inlay

Inlaid Line-and-Berry Tea Tray Plan: What It Includes and How the Inlay Works

WOOD Magazine lists the Inlaid Line-and-Berry Tea Tray as plan GR-01238. Learn what the compass-inlay pattern involves and how the routed lines and wood berries are made.

By Bettesworth Construction Team 3 min read
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WOOD Magazine’s Inlaid Line-and-Berry Tea Tray is the exact plan to look for: the publisher lists it as product GR-01238. Its defining decoration is a compass-inlay pattern of eight overlapping arcs and two surrounding circles, with groups of round “berries” placed to conceal routing pivots. The listing has a format selector, but the selected format and current availability are not established here; check the live page for current options.

Where to find the tea-tray plan

WOOD Magazine’s project page describes the Inlaid Line-and-Berry Tea Tray and was updated January 8, 2024. The WOOD Store lists the plan as GR-01238. The store page displayed $5.95 when accessed, but price and format availability can change, so confirm the live listing before ordering.

What line-and-berry inlay means

Line-and-berry work—also called compass inlay—is a decorative pattern made from narrow curved wood stringing and small round wood inserts, or “berries.” In this tray design, eight overlapping arcs form the center motif, with two circles around them. Small berry clusters cover the pivot locations used to route the curves. Tom Caspar describes the motif as “an old American tradition.” Popular Woodworking traces its patterns to 18th-century Pennsylvania among Welsh settlers; that is the article’s historical account.

How the inlay is made

The basic method is to lay out the curves full size, rout narrow grooves around carefully placed pivots, then glue thin strips of contrasting wood into those grooves. Caspar’s technique article describes using a 1/16-inch bit in either a rotary tool fitted with a router base or a laminate trimmer. The precise setup and materials below explain the technique, but are not a verified bill of materials or dimensions for the tea-tray plan.

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Lay out and route the curves

  • Draw the complete pattern at full scale before routing. Use accurate dividers to establish radii rather than estimating them with a ruler.
  • Set the distance from pivot to bit to the desired arc radius. Test the depth and setup on scrap first; the bit should make a groove that accepts the stringing without unnecessarily weakening the panel.
  • To reduce the risk of breaking the small bit, Caspar advises beginning with the bit hanging off the edge of the work, then routing slowly and steadily rather than plunging straight down into the panel.
  • Plan pivot holes so later curves or berry inlays can hide them. A completed first groove can also help establish the next pivot location.

Fit the stringing and berries

Caspar’s example uses a black walnut background, pale holly stringing and berries, and aromatic eastern redcedar for red berries. It describes 3/8-inch and 1/2-inch plug cutters for making the round inserts. These are example material and tool choices, not confirmed requirements for the tea-tray plan. Lay out berry positions carefully, leave a small gap between each berry and the routed line, and glue the stringing before adding the berries. Once the adhesive has cured, level the inlay with a sharp block plane, scraper, and sandpaper.

Managing groove crossings

Where routed lines intersect, cutting every groove before fitting any inlay can leave background fibers unsupported and prone to chipping. Steve Latta recommends routing and filling one groove before cutting the next: the first strip supports the fragile grain, and the crossing cut passes through that inlay to make a clean intersection. As Latta puts it, “Cut a groove and fill it immediately, before cutting the next.”

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What dimensions and materials are—and are not—established

The detailed technique article gives a separate 13-inch-square panel example with semicircles of 2.5-inch radius. Those measurements illustrate Caspar’s example only; they should not be treated as the tea tray’s dimensions. Likewise, the walnut, holly, redcedar, and plug-cutter sizes are technique examples rather than a confirmed tray-specific materials list. Consult the plan itself for its project dimensions and cut list.

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