Matthew Straughn-Morse
"I was always mechanically inclined, even in my earliest memories, I was exploring the fabric of the physical world. The scope of human invention was particularly fascinating to me and I spent many hours taking apart and putting together everyday objects, typewriters, tape recorders, bicycles, and later, houses.
Throughout my childhood, my parents (both teachers), my sister, and I would alternately spend summers traveling and repairing our Victorian style house (built in 1921). In those summers spent tearing out decades of poor maintenance and seeing the bones of our house, lies the source of my drive to build in wood.
After high school, I attended Lawrence University. I spent my summers working for the same contractor who had remodeled our house. I took metal working classes and wanted more from my work. After graduation, I slowly moved into more challenging and enriching aspects of the craft finally apprenticing for a small, father and son pipe organ company.
In the four and a half years working at Wahl Organbuilders, I learned the value of efficiency. That is; producing the highest possible result using the least resource, time, money, and material. I hope that beyond all else, I bear this idea of fine balance with me at all times. Do not sacrifice the result, do not waste the resource.
In the autumn of 2011, I moved to Port Townsend, I attended the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding, graduating with my Associate’s Degree in 2012. I began work at the Port Townsend School of Woodworking in the winter of 2014, and quickly realized that woodworking was not the only inheritance from my parents; I loved teaching!