7 Questions with Joe Morgan
Simple really, we ask Joe questions, and he answers them
Joe Morgan is a self-taught woodworker who as a young man ran a one-man cabinet shop from 2005–09 after building furniture for years. He burned out, though, and put down his tools for five years. He picked them back up after learning about marquetry master Silas Kopf and the possibilities of marquetry. He’s since won numerous awards for his work. You can see more of his furniture on his website. Be on the lookout for Joe’s first article with us in an upcoming issue of Fine Woodworking.
1) Who is your favorite furniture maker?
2) What makes you passionate about furniture making?
Ability to be creative, in a functional form
3) What is the first piece you made that you were proud of?
Cabinetry in his parents house when he was 16 years old.
4) How much furniture in your house did you make?
95% – a mix of prototypes and spec pieces that didn’t sell
5) What is the most common mistake you see beginners make?
Lack of understanding how wood moves
6) What is the one tool you wouldn’t want to live without?
Tablesaw and 1-1/2 in. chisel
7) To do it all again, would you still become a furniture maker?
Yes, but he’d try and find an apprenticeship
More information about Silas Kopf:
- Silas Kopf: Majoring in Marquetry – Silas Kopf is the most prominent American master of marquetry on furniture
- Trickery and Tribute – The eye-fooling marquetry of Silas Kopf
- Boulle Marquetry Demonstration with Silas Kopf – Learn how to execute this decorative technique from the late 17th century in an excerpt from the Master Techniques of Marquetry DVD
More information about Paul Schurch:
- Cutting With a Scroll Saw – Cutting straight lines and going around corners are the toughest techniques to master
- Marquetry, the Italian Way – There is no faster or easier method
- Cutting With a Scroll Saw – Cutting straight lines and going around corners are the toughest techniques to master
Comments
Good video. More like this please.
Interesting story of a self-taught woodworker.
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