3 Hearts Nesting Trays Valet Tray Router Templates (Clear Acrylic)

3 Heart Nesting Tray Template - Clear Acrylic Woodworking Router Template

Create heart-shaped nesting trays, small dishes, catch-all trays, and handmade gift projects with this clear acrylic woodworking router template set. The 3 Heart Nesting Tray Template includes small, medium, and large heart tray templates, giving you multiple sizes for routing recessed pockets into wood.

This set is a great option for Valentine’s Day gifts, wedding gifts, anniversary pieces, jewellery trays, decorative dishes, and small-batch woodworking products. The nesting sizes make it easy to create a matching set or choose the size that best fits your blank, layout, or project idea.

What You Can Make With This Template

These heart tray templates are designed for routing recessed tray pockets into wood, not for cutting full board shapes all the way through. Use them to create small, medium, or large heart-shaped dishes with a routed pocket and clean border.

• Heart-shaped nesting trays in small, medium, and large sizes
• Jewellery trays for rings, earrings, bracelets, and watches
• Small catch-all dishes for keys, coins, and everyday accessories
• Decorative heart trays for nightstands, dressers, shelves, and displays
• Giftable woodworking projects for weddings, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day
• Small-batch products for craft shows, markets, and online sales

Why Use a Clear Acrylic Heart Nesting Tray Template?

A clear acrylic router template helps you position the heart shape before routing. You can see the grain, colour, and natural features in your wood blank, making it easier to centre the template and choose the best-looking area of the board.

The three nesting sizes make this set more flexible than a single tray template. You can make a full matching set, use the smaller tray for jewellery, the medium tray for a catch-all dish, and the large tray for a decorative serving-style piece or display tray. Because the templates are reusable, they are also a strong option for repeat gift projects and small production runs.

• Clear acrylic helps with grain alignment and project layout
• Includes three heart tray sizes for more project flexibility
• Reusable templates for repeat tray and dish projects
• Great for handmade gifts and seasonal woodworking products
• Works well with dimensional hardwood, offcuts, laminated blanks, and multi-species glue-ups

Recommended Products to Use With This Template

For best results, secure the template properly, use the correct router bits, and start with a flat, stable wood blank that gives you enough thickness for a clean recessed pocket.

• Template Tape - used to secure the clear acrylic template to your wood while routing.
• Pocketing Bit - useful for removing the majority of the material from larger recessed pocket areas.
• Pocketing Bit for Inside Tray Profiles - used for the inside tray profile and leaves a 1/8" radius.
• Flush Trim Bit for Outside Profile - used when routing the outside profile of compatible template projects.
• Dimensional Wood - a natural fit for tray and dish projects when you want a ready-to-use hardwood blank.
• Cutting Board Strips and Accent Strips - great options for creating custom multi-species tray blanks.
• Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil - a good choice for food-contact boards and serving-style projects.
• Grand Finishing Hardwax Oil - a great option for decorative trays, jewellery trays, catch-all trays, and non-food-contact projects.

How to Use This 3 Heart Nesting Tray Template

1. Choose a flat, stable wood blank that is large enough for the heart tray size you want to make.
2. Place the clear acrylic template on the wood and adjust the position based on the grain, colour, and layout of the board.
3. Secure the template to the wood using Template Tape.
4. Use a larger pocketing bit to remove the majority of the material from the recessed tray pocket area where needed.
5. Use the inside tray profiling bit to complete the pocket shape and create the 1/8" radius inside the tray pocket.
6. Rout in shallow passes for better control, especially around the curves of the heart shape.
7. Repeat the process with the other nesting sizes if you are making a matching set.
8. Remove the template, sand the routed pockets and surface, then apply the finish that best matches how the finished tray will be used.

For food-contact or serving-style projects, choose a food-safe option like Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil. For decorative trays, jewellery trays, catch-all dishes, and other non-food-contact pieces, Grand Finishing Hardwax Oil is a strong option.

Watch: How to Use Acrylic Router Templates

New to acrylic router templates or looking for a cleaner process? Watch this video for a helpful overview of how we use templates in the shop.

Template Details

• Template Name: 3 Heart Nesting Tray Template
• Material: Clear acrylic
• Small Tray Size: 5.625" wide by 5.375" tall
• Medium Tray Size: 8.75" wide by 8.5" tall
• Large Tray Size: 12.375" wide by 11.75" tall
• Border: 0.5" wide on each tray
• Template SKU: 10-019
• Best Used For: Routing recessed pockets for heart-shaped nesting trays, jewellery trays, small dishes, catch-all trays, and handmade gift projects
• What’s Included: Three heart tray templates in small, medium, and large sizes

Helpful Router Template Guides

Want to learn more about choosing router templates, router bits, and routing techniques? These guides can help you get cleaner, more consistent results with your acrylic woodworking templates.

• Template Guides
• Router Template Guide
• What Router Bit Do I Need?
• Template Routing for Beginners

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this template set for cutting out heart shapes?

This template set is intended for routing recessed tray pockets into wood to create heart-shaped tray projects. It is not mainly intended for cutting full board shapes all the way through.

How many tray templates are included?

This set includes three heart tray templates: small, medium, and large.

What can I make with the 3 Heart Nesting Tray Template?

You can make heart-shaped nesting trays, jewellery trays, small catch-all dishes, decorative trays, handmade gifts, and small-batch woodworking products.

How do I attach the acrylic template to the wood?

We recommend using Template Tape. It secures the acrylic template to the wood without needing screws, helping keep your project blank clean.

What router bit should I use for the recessed tray pockets?

Use a larger pocketing bit to remove most of the material where needed, then use the recommended tray profiling bit for the inside tray profile. The inside tray profiling bit leaves a 1/8" radius in the tray pockets.

Can I reuse these clear acrylic woodworking router templates?

Yes. The acrylic templates are reusable, making them a good option for repeat heart tray projects, handmade gifts, craft shows, seasonal products, and small-batch woodworking.

What wood should I use for heart-shaped tray projects?

Dimensional hardwood is a great choice for tray projects because it gives you a stable, attractive blank to work from. You can also glue up cutting board strips and accent strips if you want a multi-species tray with more colour and contrast.

What finish should I use on the finished trays?

If the tray may be used for food-contact or serving-style use, choose a food-safe option like Walrus Oil Cutting Board Oil. For decorative heart trays, jewellery trays, catch-all dishes, and non-food-contact projects, Grand Finishing Hardwax Oil is a great option.

The 3 Heart Nesting Tray Template set is a reusable clear acrylic woodworking router template set for creating giftable, heart-shaped tray projects from hardwood blanks. Pair it with template tape, the proper pocketing and tray profiling bits, quality dimensional wood, and the right finish to create polished trays for gifts, home use, markets, seasonal products, or small-batch woodworking projects.