Don Beamish is a Cape Breton, Nova Scotia-based artist who leads a team of six at Larch Wood Enterprises located in East Margaree. With little fanfare Don’s kiln-dried, “end grain” larch wood cutting boards have become fixtures in leading professional and residential kitchens around the world.
With 35 years of carpentry experience building homes and cabinetry, Don took over management of Larch Wood in early 2004. Not long after, the team developed four original cutting board designs and prototypes which quickly gained popularity.
“The countertops for my new home weren’t going to be ready for Thanksgiving that year so the team developed these unique designs that evolved into the cutting boards we make today. My family’s dinner guests loved the boards so the team pursued the concept as a sideline over six months during a long winter. Gauging customer response the next spring we quickly realized that we had found a world beater!”
The native Eastern Canadian Larch tree (also known as the Tamarack or Juniper) which grows abundantly in Cape Breton is traditionally used in boat building and other exterior applications such as decking and fence posts. This “deciduous conifer” which loses its needles in the autumn has historically be valued for its strength and ability to neutralize bacteria. It was the wood’s bold grain patterning and natural colouring that sparked initial inspiration amongst Don’s team.
The end grain construction of Larch Wood boards provides a tough yet forgiving surface when it comes to knife edges. End grain refers to individual boards of wood that are arranged so that the grain of the wood (the growth rings) runs vertically (up and down). The cutting surface is actually the end of many individual pieces of wood. When the knife strikes the surface during cutting, the grain of the wood actually separates and then closes when the knife is removed. This accounts for the self healing aspect of the end grain surface.
“Most larch wood in this region is chipped for fuel. I love the fact that our team takes this beautiful lumber almost entirely sourced from sustainably managed Forest Stewardship Council woodlands and create beloved functional art that can be handed down from generation to generation”
Don’s Larch Wood team supports the following charities:
• L’arche Cape Breton
• IWK Children’s Hospital
• Christmas Daddies
