Matt Thompson – Woodworking

Favorite OB Beer and why?

Dale’s. It’s just a great tasting, anytime, anywhere beer.  

Who do you look up to? Who are your heroes?

Leonardo da Vinci, Rube Goldberg and Pee Wee Herman

You have a whole day off. What are you doing?

My wife and I are pretty active so it might be a long bike ride, kayaking or just going to a local festival or bar to listen to some live music.  

If you weren’t woodworking, what do you think you’d be doing?

I like to think that I’d be playing guitar in a band.  I’ve been playing since I was a kid but never became all that great at it. But I still like to think that’s what I’d be doing.

Where did your passion for woodworking come from?

When I was 20, I got a job with a cabinet maker. That’s where I learned how to use tools. I remember making a coffee table for myself and just looking at it and appreciating the fact that I took a bunch of raw materials and turned them into a piece of furniture.

Do you have a favorite piece you’ve made? If not, give us a top two or three.

It would have to be my beer chair.  That’s what really triggered something in my mind to start thinking differently. It made me realize that I could come up with a big idea and actually bring it to life.

Tell us about your backyard bar. What inspired that?

It was the beginning of the covid lockdowns, so I had extra time on my hands. I needed a shed but also wanted an outdoor bar. I drew a sketch of what I wanted it to look like and went to work on it. It took most of the spring and summer before I finally finished it. When I did, I couldn’t believe what I had built. I didn’t want to limit its use to just part of the year, so I added a gas heater and enclosed it with clear vinyl for the winter months so that I can sit and watch the snow fall. I’m out there just about every night having a beer.