With the popularity of charcuterie boards, you may be interested in creating your own board. Most charcuterie boards are made from wood and are easy to make with the right tools. Creating beautiful, handcrafted boards is much easier with a charcuterie board template. A template is used to trace either the handle of the charcuterie board, or the entire board. You can find many templates to create beautiful charcuterie board handles online.
The easiest charcuterie board template is made of a rigid material that is easy to trace, but if you are looking for a less expensive option, you can also purchase a paper charcuterie template. This can be used to create a sturdier charcuterie board template or simply used once and traced onto the wood. Below you can find some suggestions on the best Charcuterie board templates as well as some general information for building your own board.
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Charcuterie Board Template
Sturdy Charcuterie Board Template Options
These templates are either for just the handle of the entire board and can used directly with a router. The templates here are sturdy and will need to be shipped in the mail.
Acrylic Templates for Woodworking Large Charcuterie Board Handle
This is a set of 3 charcuterie templates for just the handles. One of the templates is for a basic and straight handle and the others are for a curved handle. Use these templates to trace the pattern onto you board.
Charcuterie Router Template
This is a one piece charcuterie template that can be used directly on the wood with a router. Made from thick, clear acrylic, this template is sturdy and has two slots on the side for clamping.
In addition to the 2 templates above, you can also find several excellent charcuterie board template options on Etsy. This is one of my favorite places to find items made from small shops and individuals.
- Router Template for Charcuterie Board – this is a set of 10 templates you can choose from. These are sturdy templates that are great if you plan to make a few charcuterie boards.
- Charcuterie Board Template Set – This is a set of 6 different templates that come as a complete set.
Printable Charcuterie Template Options
If you are looking for make a single charcuterie board and don’t want to purchase a sturdy template, you can also purchase a less expensive, printable template. There templates can be printed at home and traced onto your board. The benefit of these patterns is they come in many many different shapes and sizes all for a reasonable price. Below are 2 good options:
Free Charcuterie Board Template
The best source I’ve come across for a free charcuterie board template is at Sun Catcher Studio. The website has over 20 options of charcuterie boards with free downloadable templates all in different shapes and sizes. You can see the options on the Sun Catcher Studio Website.
Other Charcuterie Board Templates
In addition to the templates above. You can also find a few other options available online. Some other spots to find charcuterie templates include:
Draw Your Own Template
In addition to the suggestions below, you can also draw your own template. Charcuterie boards come in so many sizes and shapes so free handing your own charcuterie board template can create a beautiful board. using a pencil simply draw out the shape you want. In the image below I did this with both the small boards and love how they both turned out. Use caution not to make the next of the handle too narrow so it doesn’t break. Both these boards were cut with a jigsaw.
How to Use a Charcuterie Board Template
Making your own charcuterie board is relatively easy and is a good beginner woodworking project. There are several different ways to make a charcuterie board and you don’t need fancy tools. On the other hand, you can also get quite fancy with your boards and designs. If you are brand new to making boards – this video is a great place to start as it walks through making board with different types of tools.
One of the best things about making your own charcuterie board as a beginner is that most charcuterie boards aren’t perfect and exact, meaning that mistakes are ok! Start your design by choosing the best wood for making a charcuterie board. The best wood will be a hard wood so knives don’t leave marks. In addition choose a wood for your charcuterie board that isn’t too porous and has some beaty and character.
Some of the best woods for charcuterie boards include teak, hard maple, American Cherry, Olive, Bamboo (technically not a wood) and acacia are ideal. You will want to choose a board that is thick enough not to crack – 1 inch boards or thicker make excellent boards. If your board is thinner than 1/2 inch is may crack or warp over time.
Once you’ve chosen your wood, trace you charcuterie board template or attach your template to the wood with clamps. If you are using a printable template, you will need to trace it, otherwise many acrylic templates can be used directly on the board as a template. If you don’t have a router, you will want to trace your design instead of trying to cut around an acrylic template.
Using a saw or router, cut around the charcuterie board.
Using sand paper or a palm sander, sand the edges of the board. Once the board is shaped exactly how you want it, you can finish the board with a food safe finish. Some options include:
- Pure tung oil.
- Raw linseed oil
- Mineral oil
- Walnut oil.
- Beeswax
- Carnauba wax
- Shellac
Once you’ve finished creating your board, allow it to dry fully and cover with your favorite foods and serve it up at your next event!
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