Unique

  Uniqueness

  •Each "Original Cowichan Cutting Board" is made of Figured Western Broadleaf Maple. The"figure" is rare and found in only a small percentage of trees. Only Mother Nature can create such beauty. We just shape what she has given us.
  •Our boards are solid one piece (not laminated).
  • They are dried in dehumidification rooms at 71°F to maintain cell structure that makes them stable at room temperature.
  •With a minimum amount of care these fine cutting boards will last for years and years.

  Modern Plastics Not Clean Enough?

Try Good Old Wood

   •Appearances can be deceptive. Householders have been seduced for years by the idea of fitting out their kitchens with easy-to-wipe surfaces, and throwing out those old wooden cutting boards in favor of shiny new plastic ones. So much more hygienic, it was thought.
   •Dean Cliver and Nese Ak, two researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, beg to differ. They set out to find ways of decontaminating wooden kitchens and ended up finding out that such surfaces were pretty good at decontaminating themselves.
    • Working with nine different species of tree, and four sorts of plastic and even an old rubber chopping board the results were always the same. When they spread their gut wrenching bacteria---Salmonella, Listeria and E. coli--- over the various samples and left them there for three minutes, the level of bacteria on the plastic or rubber remained unchanged while the level on the wood plummeted, often by as much as 99.9%. Left overnight at room temperature, the bacteria on the plastic actually multiplied, while the wooden surfaces cleaned themselves so thoroughly that Dr. Cliver and Ms. Ak could not recover anything from them at all.
    • At first sight these results seem astonishing. But unlike polymer chemists, plants have spent hundreds millions of years fighting off bacteria. They should be quite good at it by now. And trees might be expected to be the best of the lot. After all, they live longer than most animals as well. And even when a tree is dead, its wood can hang around for decades, resisting the attacks of microorganisms. Slaughtering a few salmonella should be child's play.
    • Dr Cliver and Ms Ak do not know yet exactly what is happening, but their best guess is that the porous structure of the wood is soaking up the fluid with the bacteria in it. Once inside, the bacteria stick to the wood's fiber and are 'strangled' by one of the many noxious antibacterial chemicals with which living trees protect themselves. Exactly which, they have not yet worked out. But they are searching. In the meantime perhaps surgeons should search out their old wooden chopping blocks.

Tung Oil

    •One of the really great finishes available today is tung oil. Most of the tung oil products on the retail market today are not 100% Pure Tung Oil. They have tung oil as a major component but have other additives, primarily varnish. Pure tung oil is available from refinishing supply houses, but don't expect the product you buy across the retail counter to be pure. And please don't be fooled by the phrase "contains pure tung oil". If this line is on the can, you can bet money it contains something else in addition to the 'pure' tung oil.
   •The positives of tung oil include ease of application, ease of repair (when necessary) and overall durability. Minor scratches can usually be repaired simply by applying another coat of the finish, whether it's next month or next year. The major drawback is its lack of grain filling ability. Unless you're working on a very smooth and grain free wood such as maple, you're not going to get a smooth finish with tung oil. If, however, you like the 'feel' of the wood and don't mind having the texture of grain showing, tung oil may be just what you're looking for.
    •Tung oils are usually applied in a wipe-on wipe-off method with a short drying time in between. After the wipe off and the coat has dried completely, 0000 steel wool is used to remove surface irregularities, and the process is repeated. Depending on the look you're trying to achieve, you'll apply anywhere from 3 to 6 coats in this manner.
  •100% Pure Tung Oil is more durable than lacquer and is impervious to water stains. As mentioned before, minor scratches are easily repaired. An ideal finish for maple cutting boards as well as wooden salad bowls and other wooden food preparation surfaces.