Sometimes the best projects start with a piece of wood that doesn’t look like much.
This charcuterie board began as a rough maple slab that needed flattening, trimming, sanding, and plenty of cleanup before the character hidden inside the wood really started to show. Rather than overcomplicate the design, I kept the board simple and let the grain and natural figuring of the maple become the main feature.
One detail I did want to add was a recessed handle. Instead of cutting handles completely through the board, the recessed grip is routed into the underside. That keeps the top clean and uninterrupted while making a large, heavy board much easier to pick up from a countertop or table.
Making the Recessed Handle
To make the handle easier and more repeatable, I designed a 3D-printable routing jig. The jig gives the router a consistent shape to follow and takes much of the guesswork out of creating the recessed pocket.
If you’d like to add the same style of handle to your own cutting board, charcuterie board, serving tray, or similar project, the 3D-printable jig file is available here as a free download.
After the routing was finished, the board received its final sanding and a food-safe finish, bringing out all of the color, grain and character that had been hiding in that rough piece of maple.
A fairly simple build—and a good reminder that sometimes the wood has already done most of the decorating for you.