Cutting Boards

Tiered Charcuterie / Serving Board

This simple and easy Charcuterie Board makes a great gift idea.

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 2.5–4.5 hours
Cost: $$

About this build

This simple and easy Charcuterie Board makes a great gift idea. It's a quick project that you can complete in less than a day! It's subtle three tiers and integrated handles give this board character. It provides plenty of space for your favorite dips, cheese, fruits and meats.

Tools

Essential

Drill / Driver
Jigsaw
Miter Saw
Pocket Hole Jig
Random Orbit Sander
Router
Router Table

Optional / nice to have

Bar / Pipe Clamps
Tape Measure

Materials

Item	Qty
Maple or Walnut Boards, 1x4 96"	2 board
1 1/4" Kreg FINE Thread Pocket Hole Screws	18 each
Waterproof Wood Glue	1 each
Food-safe Mineral Oil (or other cutting board oil)	1 each
Maple Hole Plugs (Make or Purchase)	10 each

Overall cost: $$. Lumber prices vary by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure we would only be pretending to know.

Cut list

Part	Qty	T × W × L
Boards	3	3/4" × 3" × 30"
Boards	4	3/4" × 3" × 10"
Boards	2	3/4" × 3" × 11"

What to buy

Buy 2 boards at 8 ft.

3/4" × 3"

2 boards

30"30"30"
11"11"10"10"10"10"

Assumes 8 ft stock, a 1/8" saw kerf, and buying each part at its own width. Change the board size or kerf on the full board plan →

Start building →

Instructions

1Cut Boards & Drill Pocket Holes
Cut boards to the sizes indicated and drill pocket holes in locations shown.
2Attach boards together
Assemble as three separate pieces as shown using waterproof wood glue and 1 1/4" FINE thread pocket hole screws.
3Assemble
Glue each 10"/11 1/4" section to the 30" main board using waterproof glue. Clamp overnight.
4Router Edges
This is also an optional step, but it does create a better looking finished piece. I used my Kreg Router Table setup to do this to all three pieces, but you can also use a router on its own. Router the BOTTOM EDGE of the 30" board (the side WITH the pocket holes) with a round-over bit all the way around the perimeter. Router the TOP EDGE of the 10"/11 1/4" boards (the side WITHOUT the pocket holes) with a round over bit, all the way around the perimeter.
5Round out edges of handles
(Optional) Using a jigsaw or scroll saw. Carefully round out the edges of the handles. I measured 1/2" from each corner and then created an arch between both points to give myself a template, but you can choose to design your own.
6Sand & Finish
- Fill the pocket holes on the bottom of the board with plugs using the Kreg Plug Cutter and the remaining Maple pieces, or purchase some precut maple plugs from Kreg.
- Glue them into the holes with waterproof/resistant wood glue.
- Sand with a 150 grit sandpaper on an orbital sander until the. Follow-up with a 220 grit sandpaper.
- Then use a wet towel to wipe down the board. This will raise the wood fibers just a little bit. When the board has dried, sand again with 220 grit.
- Apply several coats of food-safe mineral oil/cutting board/butcher block oil and allow to penetrate. If you can find a way to submerge and soak this in the oil overnight it would be even better.
7(Optional) Add Hardware Handles
If you'd like to add some hardware handles, select some that have a distance of less than 3 1/2" between the holes. Use your Kreg Hardware Jig to easily drill the hole locations.