Artisans of Dartmoor - Book - Page 150
ABOVE: From log to handle. To
create the strongest possible
handle, Jordan splits (‘cleaves’)
ash logs the original way – with
an axe, rather than by sawing or
milling. “This allows the wood
to decide where it will separate,
without interrupting the grain,”
he explains. He then carves and
refines the shape on a chopping
block using specialist knives
and axes.
RIGHT: With a steady, low
heat that doesn’t warp or crack
wood, Jordan’s range cooker
is the perfect place for him to
season his handles.
150
particular requirements of the job. “Use the wrong
tool and a task will seem overly arduous and might
cause an injury. Use the right tool and it will do most
of the hard work for you,” he says.
“In a harsh, remote environment like Dartmoor,
having the right tool used to be the difference between
thriving and barely surviving. Back then, tools were
the heroes. Today, if you buy an off-the-shelf tool
in a shop, you don’t get any choice in its design. But
tools aren’t one-size-fits-all – they are an incredibly
personal thing. If you’re using one regularly, it needs to
be tuned to your physique so you can work efficiently
and comfortably. A man with long arms will need a
long-handled axe so they can get a good swing with it,
while a woman with small hands will need a short and
slim handle. When I make the right tool for someone,
I know what they’ll be able to achieve with it, and
that’s an incredible feeling.”
Jordan’s workshop is a disused milking parlour
on a 16th-century farm, now run as an equestrian
holiday destination. Set in wooded hills, high above
Buckfastleigh, a clean silvery brook runs past the door,
where, on early mornings, he catches the iridescent,
sapphire flash of a kingfisher darting past. In scenes
that wouldn’t look out of place in a Disney film, most
mornings he’s greeted en masse by the free-roaming
geese, chickens and dogs that live on the farm.
The rustic setting is perfect for Jordan because
he prefers to work simply and by hand, without
the distraction of superfluous tools, machinery and
equipment – electric lights and goggles included.
“I have an aversion to electricity and absolutely no
aspiration to mechanise what I do,” he says. “For me,
creativity comes from improvising and adapting to my
environment – not making it conform to me. I like to
live in the moment. The simpler I work, the deeper
my experience.”
Jordan’s interest in tool-making began in 2013
when he volunteered as a woodland manager at
Dartington Estate, a charity in nearby Totnes, which
pioneers regenerative farming principles. Buoyed by
the experience, two years later, he began a forestry
degree at Bangor University, where he met a green
(unseasoned) woodworker, who taught him how
to make axes and billhooks – the two main tools
The Toolmaker • Jordan Harris
