Toolmakers' Sheffield axe brings craft back to city

Robin Wood was awarded the MBE in 2016 for services to heritage crafts and skills

A toolmaker who has spent five years perfecting the design of a 'Sheffield axe' believes the city has the skills base to revive heritage crafts.

Robin Wood MBE, 59, and his daughter JoJo, 30, set up Wood Tools Ltd a decade ago with the aim of producing tools using locally-sourced materials.

Mr Wood used to teach spoon carving, but had to import axes from Sweden because Sheffield craftsmen and women were not able to make them.

He decided to manufacture axes himself while also chairing Heritage Crafts, a charity that supports traditional trades.

Mr Wood, who was awarded the MBE in 2016, said that despite a background in woodwork, he never intended to become a toolmaker.

He said: “I taught spoon carving for 20 years with simple axes and knives. I wanted to use local tools but they weren’t being made here, and I had to use blacksmiths abroad. I realised I had to make them myself.”

Zak Wolstenholme, 28, trained alongside Sheffield's last jobbing grinder, Brian Alcock

The Woods' Sheffield-made axe is now ready for sale.

Many of their tools were hand-ground by Brian Alcock BEM, the city's last "jobbing" grinder. After the master craftsman's death in 2023, Mr Wood's 28-year-old apprentice, Zak Wolstenholme, took on Mr Alcock's old workshop at Beehive Works and now operates the historic grinding gear.

Mr Wolstenholme said: “It's an honour to be carrying on this tradition and keeping Brian’s memory alive."

Jo-Jo Wood, 30, works alongside her father making the 'Sheffield axe'

Despite the decline of the toolmaking industry in Sheffield in the past 40 years, the Woods believe there is demand for better-quality items that will "last for generations".

Mr Wood added: “The industry has changed. We don’t have the scissormakers and sawmakers we used to. Those still here have reinvented themselves as heritage brands."