Carpentry and Woodworking - tile trays

I want to make some serving trays out of wood and have the bottom of the tray, (where you put the food on) to have ceramic tiles. Can I use wood for the bottom and lay the tiles on that, since the sides are wood. What do I use to keep them down on the wood (thin set)?.Thanks

Shouldn't be a problem. I would use plywood as the base because it is more stable than solid wood. 1/2" birch plywood should work and most home centers carry it. You can dress up the plywood edges with a solid hardwood (oak, birch, cherry, whatever). Attach the tiles with regular tile adhesive available in various size containers also at home centers. You'll also want to grout the gaps after the adhesive has dried a couple of days to keep from collecting crumbs/dirt. I'm partial to Lowe's for the supplies. Keep in mind the trays will be a bit heavy. You might also check stores for pre-made wooden trays that you could just add tile to. You'll need to carry some tiles with you to make sure an even number would fill the space and if the tray surface has a varnished surface, you'll need to rough it up some for the tile adhesive to hold properly.
Good source for hardware and supplies is http://www.rockler.com

Good luck.

Thanks for your help.