Featured What is this? Just a wooden bed tray?

I saw this in a charity shop, I didn’t buy it but was intrigued as it looks so well worn. Is it just a bed tray made out of worn wood or an item that had a previous life for a specific use?
Hand in photo to give an idea of size. That’s a double bed it’s sitting on.
Thanks for any suggestions!

 

For a minute I thought you meant that furry thing next to it in photo #1.

 

Lol, I spooked at that too and cautiously nudged it out of the way

 

What IS that furry thing??!

 

That’s cool. I would buy that. Looks old has great character and is intriguing. A tray is probably logical.But the handles are the wrong way?

 

Draught excluder I think. Maybe one that once upon a time had a pulse

 

Exactly. It’s odd.

 

I think I've seen something like that in a magazine about antiques "art populaire"... Related to cheese making in the mountains... To carry cheese from one step of maturing place to another.
Of course, impossible now to find a similar by Google

 

Off to Google cheese making in the mountains
I don’t think there is a screw or nail holding it together, it’s just pinned with wood.

 

Whatever it was it looks like it was cut down.

 

I’d have bought that out of sheer curiosity. I’m thinking Eastern Europe or somewhere like Georgia.

 

I don’t even know how much it is. Might have to go back and see.
My OH did say it would make good kindling if I brought it home though….

 

I thought it was a sledge for hard packed snow.

 

The construction technique looks similar to antique/vintage Chinese country stools. Refurbished and reconstructed examples can be seen here:

www.jaysonhome.com

 

I'm guessing those arent handles but rails to prevent items from sliding off the tray. It seems very easy to grab the tabletop ends that are sticking out past the legs.

 

Yes could be of course. Just the shape of the ‘rails’ looks more purposefully selected as a handles with those curves. But who knows,it’s a interesting thing.

 

That’s why I’d have bought it, it’s fascinating.