How to Make an Epoxy Charcuterie Board Using Silicone Molds & Acrylic Router Templates
Creating a custom epoxy charcuterie board is one of the most rewarding woodworking and resin projects you can take on. The combination of natural wood and flowing epoxy creates a one-of-a-kind piece that’s both functional and beautiful.
But if you’ve ever tried making one from scratch, you already know the biggest challenge: getting the wood to fit perfectly inside the mold.
That’s exactly where our charcuterie board silicone mold kits come in—they come with the option of a clear acrylic router template to match which helps to eliminate guesswork and give you a clean, professional result every time.
In this guide, we’ll walk you step-by-step through the entire process—from routing your wood to pouring epoxy—so you can create a flawless epoxy charcuterie board.
Tools & Materials You’ll Need
To get started, gather the following:
Materials:
- Charcuterie board silicone mold
- Matching routing template
- HDPE Clamping Blocks
- Hardwood slab or lumber(walnut, maple, olive wood, etc.)
- Epoxy resin (deep pour, thickset, or tabletop depending on thickness)
- Pigments or dyes (optional)
Tools:
- Hand (Palm) Router or Router Table
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Flush trim router bit or pattern bit
- Double-sided tape
- Orbital sander
- Mixing containers and stir sticks
- Heat gun or torch (for bubbles)
Step 1: Prepare Your Wood
Start by selecting a hardwood slab, dimensional lumber, or even scraps to make up your project. Flatten and sand it so you have a clean working surface. Hardwoods make a much better board than softwoods because of a more stable and less absorbent wood. You want a wood traditionally used for cutting boards like Maples, Walnut, Cherry, Hickory, and other exotic hardwoods. Try to avoid Oak woods as they have open pours and can absorb more moisture and bacteria.
Tip: Slightly oversized pieces work best—you’ll trim to final shape using the template.
Step 2: Attach the Template
Our goal is to cut a piece of wood that can fit inside the silicone mold. Because we are doing a wood and epoxy pour, the wood does not have to be the entire shape of the template. We want to use epoxy to add the color and cool factor to this board, so a combination of wood and epoxy in the final pour is our desired end result.
Place your template onto your wood slab. We make clear acrylic templates to allow you to see the grain pattern through your template so you can see what your final board will look like. Once you are happy with the layout, trace around the template with a pencil.
We then want to cut out the wood but leave about an 1/8 of an inch on the outside of the line. We will use the template to trim up against the line in the next few steps.
Secure your charcuterie board template to the wood using:
Make sure it’s firmly attached—any movement will affect accuracy. You will want to sand the top of the wood slightly to make sure that the tape and the template sit firmly and flush with the top of the wood. This will ensure a secure bond between the wood and the template.
Step 3: Route the Wood to Match the Mold
Using a flush trim or pattern bit, carefully route around the template. The bearing on the flush trim bit will stay in contact with the acrylic template and the cutting action of the bit will cut the wood to completely match the template shape. You can do this with a hand router or a router table.
What this does:
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Cuts your wood into the exact shape of the mold
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Ensures a tight, consistent fit
Pro Tip:
Make multiple shallow passes instead of one deep cut if you are using a pattern bit. This gives you cleaner edges and better control.
Once finished, carefully remove the template with a wedge or a putty knife.
Step 4: Test Fit Inside the Silicone Mold
Now place your routed wood piece into the silicone mold.
You should notice a nice tight fit around the wood and mold. Silicone is flexible so you may have some gaps after pouring epoxy and thats okay. That can all be cleaned up in the sanding process.
You will want to be able to hold down your wood from floating after pouring your epoxy. To keep this from happening, you can use some HDPE clamping blocks and then put weights on top to keep the wood from floating. The epoxy will not stick to the HDPE blocks and makes it easy when fully cured to remove the wights.
Step 5: Prepare for the Epoxy Pour
Before pouring:
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Clean all dust from the wood
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Seal porous wood (optional but recommended). Use some tabletop or high performance epoxy and brush the edges to just seal the wood. This will help prevent some air bubbles from leaving the wood and forming in your epoxy.
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Place the mold on a level surface.
Step 6: Pour the Epoxy
Mix your epoxy according to manufacturer instructions. Epoxy is a two part mixture of resin and hardener. The specific epoxy mixture will be on the bottles. Pay close attention to the type of epoxy you are working with and how much volume or thickness you can pour at a time. We have the full line of TotalBoat epoxy for every project need. Here is a list of the epoxy and the pour thickness as a guide for your project.
TotalBoat Epoxy
| Artisan Resin |  |
1/4" Pour Depth | 2" cast on small molds |
| High Performance Epoxy |  |
1/8" Pour Depth | 1/2" cast on small molds |
| TableTop Epoxy |  |
1/4" Pour Depth | 1" cast on small molds |
| ThickSet Epoxy |  |
1/2" Pour Depth | 2" Cast on small molds |
| Fathom Deep Pour Epoxy |  |
2" Pour Depth | 3" Cast on Small Molds |
Then:
- After thoroughly mixing the epoxy, pick your pigments or inks to help color your epoxy. Black Diamond Pigments is one of the leading pigment brands on the market and we have their full line on our site. You can add just a little pigments to keep your epoxy translucent or add more to make the epoxy more opaque. Stir for 5 minutes or more until fully mixed.
- Pour slowly to avoid bubbles
- Fill gaps or design areas around the wood
- Use a heat gun or torch to remove surface bubbles. Do not over heat.
Tips:
- Mix your epoxy without pigments first to see if the epoxy has been mixed properly. You will see wispy swirls in your epoxy until thoroughly mixed.
- Pour in layers if you’re working with deeper sections than what your epoxy allows.
- You will want to pop bubbles with heat for the first 30 mins or until bubble formation starts to slow.
Step 7: Let It Cure
Allow the epoxy to fully cure (usually 12–72 hours depending on the product).
Avoid moving the mold during this time.
Step 8: Demold & Finish
Once cured:
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Carefully remove the board from the silicone mold. You can use a spray bottle with alcohol and water to help lubricate the mold to aide in an easier demold.
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Sand the entire surface (progress through grits). Usually start with 80 grit on an orbital sander. You will increase in grits until you reach 400 grit. I like to wet sand after 400 and depending on the look you want to go with for your final piece, I sand to a very high shine by going to 3000 grit and then you can polish if desired.
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Apply a food-safe finish. We have many finished that work amazingly with epoxy.
- Halcyon Water-Based Varnish
- Gleam Spar Varnish
- Lust Spar Varnish
- Bumblechutes All-In-One Conditioner
- Bumbechutes Hydrating Wood Serum
Why Our Charcuterie Mold Kits Make the Difference
At Epoxy Forms Co, we design our kits with makers in mind:
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Precision-matched templates and molds
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Durable, highest quality reusable silicone molds
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Clean, professional shapes every time
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Designed for both beginners and pros
Instead of fighting your materials, you can focus on what matters most—creating.
Ready to Start Your First Project?
If you’re ready to create your own epoxy charcuterie board, our silicone mold kits with matching templates give you everything you need to get started with confidence.
Final Thoughts
Epoxy woodworking doesn’t have to be complicated. With the right tools and systems in place, you can skip the frustration and jump straight to creating beautiful, functional pieces.
So head out to your shop or studio, fire up your router, mix some epoxy, and start building something incredible.
Never stop creating and always have fun.