Warmth of wood: Lichfield man turns passion into products made with love

He picked up his first wooden mallet when he was just 18-months-old and by the age of five was being taught the ins and outs of using power tools.

These childhood lessons were to stand him in good stead for the future and now the 26-year-old spends his days hand crafting one of a kind wooden products.

Ranging from stylish chopping and charcuterie boards to unique coffee tables and benches, they are all made from sustainably sourced oak.

“I am constantly surprised at the amount of grain detail and intricacy that comes from what starts out as a rough sawn piece of wood. You would never know until you put the time and effort into one piece.

“A material so raw and natural can be made into something so elegant and beautiful. I love to give wood a second life, a second purpose,” says Jordan whose inspiration comes from his grandad.

Although he had always enjoyed sculpting and woodwork, he wasn’t sure how to make money from his hobby, so after leaving school he opted instead to study graphic design in university.

After graduating he took a role working in IT at a law firm in Birmingham but while he enjoyed the opportunities it gave him to see different parts of the world, he soon realised it was never going to be his dream job.

“I just didn’t entirely get along with everyone and the commute soon became very mundane. I was not having fun or being happy anymore and work was definitely a lot of work. My manager must have noticed because he suggested I worked three days instead of five,” says Jordan.

He took advantage of having more spare time on his hands and began woodworking again and it wasn’t long before he discovered that this is where his heart truly lies.

Continuing to hone his skills, Jordan started selling his products at markets and after they had “an overwhelming response”, he set up his business Mortimers Workshop –named after his beloved dog.

His customers range from chefs and an Olympic power lifter to wood enthusiasts and people who are looking for something special that will stand the test of time for their home

And it’s important to Jordan that every item he produces in his workshop is both of high quality and durable.

“I never throw away. This is part of my ethos especially when making either a board or a piece of furniture, whatever I make I make it to last.

“Therefore, I have a lot of odd pieces of wood in my workshop waiting for their calling. Every now and then I find a perfect shape or size for a piece.

“I can walk past the same piece of wood 1,000 times before I stop one day and realise it’s design purpose. I also have a lot of more uniform wood and generally try to cut shapes out of milled slabs so as not to waste, which results in a variety of shapes,” he tells Weekend.

Although two products will never be the same, Jordan will use similar methods and tools to create each finished piece.

“For most of my processes I have an order of working – saw, de-bark, plain, sand and sand again, and again, and again using an electric planer, belt sander, random orbital sander with various grades of sandpaper and oil.

“Each product takes it’s time, I don’t limit myself – it takes as long as it takes. With some of my larger projects I often find myself coming back to them and reworking until I’m happy.

“Each product takes days between finishing coats to dry, I will only send them out when I know it’s perfect,” he says.

For Jordan, who lives in Yoxall, near Lichfield, there is great satisfaction in seeing a customer’s reaction when he hands over their finished piece.

“I often hand deliver bigger items and I love to present my work personally. I made a bespoke bench from heavy four-inch-thick oak slabs, I was very proud of it and installed it at the customers property as a fishing bench beside a pond – a surprise birthday present. I will never forget their reaction, it was also a very enjoyable commission to make.

“Every piece I have finished has given me immense satisfaction, my very favourite steps to finishing are coating my products and holding them up to the light to check for any imperfections.

“Putting the log burner on in my workshop to make sure they are warm enough to dry, overall the drying area in my workshop is a very satisfying place to be.

“I think the best thing about what I do is feedback, interaction and seeing the reactions when completing commissions or delivering stock. I am a massive people person and I like when people are happy with the work I do,” he says.

But above everything else Jordan is grateful to be able to do a job that he is so passionate about.

“I feel thankful to have learnt early in life to do what makes you happy.

“I loved my time during my previous career, I also don’t believe in regrets, life is a lesson.

“My biggest ongoing achievement is being genuinely content in my day to day working life, working on my workshop/workflow and the amount of people I end up meeting and talking to. I just love what I do,” he tells Weekend.

*See mortimersworkshop.com