Large Dansk Rare Woods Tray

Recently I found what is probably the epitome of thrift scores, at least for me. With my love of modernism, wooden items, Dansk, etc., I had never hoped to find a Dansk Rare Woods item. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it seems that for a few years Dansk created items made of a list of rare woods instead of teak - I believe that this was some time in the 60's. All of these items are marked with the name of the wood and a branch from the species, in this case cocobolo (in the rosewood family) - they are also all very distinctive in appearance. I found this tray at Goodwill:

Front View from one end

I couldn't believe what I was seeing and immediately took a photo with my phone to send to my friend and fellow modern connoisseur, John Stevens. First, this thing is massive measuring in at about 15" by 30" with a slight lip and runners (total height is less than an inch). Second, considering the thinness of wood, it's very heavy.

It's got a few water rings and scratches but I believe it will clean up nicely.



Bottom View from one end

What amazes me about this is the over-all construction. First laminating individual pieces of cocobolo into a structure that would support weight using nothing but epoxy, then routing out the inside to get it this thin. All of that would be hard to do with most woods. You can see the imprint in the photo below.

It's hard to believe that this tray is still in the amazing condition that it's in - unlike many other trays I come across (and pass on) this one hasn't been put into a dishwasher (might me due to it's size).

There are a couple of edge dings, this one looks to have been struck with something as there's a shallow chip:

The second ding looks to be one from the factory (a small void where the wood had fallen out):

I think the tray will clean up fine - the scratches are all in the surface and very mild - probably from being stored with something laying on top of the tray. Some cleaning, very light sanding and a coat of Danish oil should be all it needs.

-- John