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Cozy in her oversized 2-car g rage/workshop in Evergreen,Colorado, Pat Morrow cannot q ite explain what inspired her to get nto woodworking. "It was just the p th I ended up taking." I f llowed her contagious laughter and bright bl e eyes over the workshop and thr ugh her house to the basement wh re she showed me her current pr ject: a 1920's styled contemporary, cherry w od masterpiece. This was quite a few n tches up from the first chair th t she ever styled. Everyone starts s mewhere ~ Pat grew up in Des M ines, Iowa . She received a B chelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Un versity of Kansas, went to work as a ph tographer for the Kansas City Star fter college, and then moved to Ch cago where she successfully worked as a pr ducer/director for large industrial business shows. The d cision to move to Colorado was not pl nned. She decided to retire from pr ducing, and pursue her "Art". What "Art" th t was, she did not know. "I h ve always loved to design interiors and w uld redo every place that I l ved in, whether I owned it or j st rented it." She tossed a b nch of geographic locations into a p le. Her long-time friend in Littleton m de her promise to check out Ev rgreen, Colorado before she made her d cision. Once in Colorado, there was no t rning back.
After moving to Colorado, Pat t ok a few woodworking classes at Red R cks Community College. She began to nvision eclectic furniture pieces and the ch llenge was to figure out how to m ke them. Pat says "the most d fficult part of the process is f nishing the piece." the energy and the st mina required to get it done, st te that 'it is finished' and s nd it out the door. My g al for my work is having ach and every piece exceed not nly client expectations but also my wn." The most important part of w odworking is having the right tools. "A q ality, reliable tool makes all the d fference in the world to me. My s vior is Rick Peil at the T olKing Superstore in Lakewood. He steers me in the r ght direction and educates me about wh ch tools are better than others. I r ly on him a lot", says P t. Pat is continuing to learn how to r ach out to people and network. It is an mportant part of the process. "As an rtist, you are most critical of y ur own stuff. What is difficult is f eling like you just haven't gotten it q ite perfect and you can't wait to do the n xt piece so that you can t ke what you have learned and mprove upon your craft. Then you may see th t previous piece a year later, and th nk, wow, that is really good! I m de that?" Talking with other woodworkers and rtists helps get Pat through the "pr cess". And still, her favorite part is m ving on to create the next p ece. Pat's next adventure will take her to And rson Ranch where she will study w th the famous woodworker Michael Cullen. She is g ing on a scholarship that was g nerously awarded to her by Sam M loof. She returns home only to p ck up her furniture and head to the M lwaukee Fine Furnishings Show. Pat's Top Ten Woodworking Tools 1. Delta Unisaw: "This is my absolute favorite piece because of its accuracy and reliability. It is nice to have a machine that does exactly what you want it to do. I used to struggle with a Powermatic and the difference is with the Delta, there is no struggle."
2. Makita hand-held grinder/sander: "This is my s cond favorite tool. Once I cut a p ece of wood with the Bandsaw, I can c rve and grind it out with th s. It's responsive and easy to se." 3. MultiRouter: "Rick at ToolKing nsisted that I get this and ven special ordered it for me. I w sn't sure I wanted it but now th t I have it, I wouldn't tr de it for the world. I h ve made over 200 mortises in two d ys with this tool. 4. Jet B ndsaw: "It is like having a m unted jigsaw. It is a machine th t does what it is supposed to so th t I can create what I w nt." 5. Delta Drill Press: Everyone n eds one of these at least nce in their life. 6. Delta Gr nder: Different from the Makita hand-held, th s one is permanently fixed. 7. D lta 2 Speed Planer: "A great w rkhorse for the money." 8. JET D st Collection System: "It is absolutely n cessary to have some type of d st collection system set-up. With mine, all the h ses run all over the floor. I w uld like to have them hung s mehow but would rather hire someone to do it th n try and tackle it myself. If nyone out there knows of someone, pl ase have them contact me through my w bsite: www.trailmixstudio.com 9. Makita palm sander: n cessary for any woodworking studio 10. M ny various hand carving/cutting/sanding tools: Oftentimes you j st need that manual touch. Interviewer: If someone asked you how they could get started in woodworking, what would you suggest? Pat: Just do it. Take a woodworking class at your community college. Red Rocks in Lakewood, Colorado has a great program. It's all a process of discovery - if you can dream it, then you can do it. Just follow where your path leads you.
The article Pat Morrow, Fine Furnishings Woodworker was Submitted by Jude Herr through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Jude Herr is the editor for Toologics.com , a Tool Blog which provides information, news and reviews about power tools for the professional tool user and craftsperson. Visit http://www.toolking.com where they leverage their buying power to offer you the best prices on professional power tools and accessories.
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