Anyone who has stepped foot in the subterranean wood shop in the King Pavilion has surely had an interaction with Peter Brue.

Sawdust trails lay behind him as he weaves around the people and machinery in the shop, investigating every activity, looking for an opportunity to help. His voice is almost inaudible behind the animated banging and strange mechanic sounds of the shop.

“Even if it’s just a chat if someone’s nervous, I like to help,” he said.

Brue, furniture designer and the new model shop coordinator in the College of Design,has been managing the model shop since August. He graduated from Iowa State in 2008 with a degree in integrated studio arts. Initially, however, he studied mechanical engineering. The decision to switch to woodworking came in what he calls a “slap in the face moment.”

“Maybe it was God, maybe something else, but I realized mechanical engineering wasn’t right,” he said.

Although the realization didn’t come until later, his interest in art can be traced a long way back.

“I was the kid drawing at recess instead of playing,” Brue said.

In the model shop his responsibilities include managing tools and ensuring safety. However, Brue is more involved.

“I try to help people get their creative ideas in the physical, make them tangible,” he said.

Jackson Den Herder, senior in architecture, has been a monitor in the shop since he was a freshman and has seen several managers come and go.

“There was even a semester where there was no boss. It was pretty unorganized”, he said.

This semester is the first time the position has been filled by such a recent graduate. Brue considers himself to be somewhat of a liaison between university life and the outside world. His age and his connection to Iowa State make him more approachable and understanding.

“I have noticed that Pete is more proactive, more interested with users.” Den Herder said.

Brue grew up living and working on a farm in north central Iowa, and he trained equestrian horses. He said farm life taught him a strong work ethic and gave him a foundation grounded in common sense. He uses his experience to help people learn through doing, trying to teach them safe habits to avoid injury in the shop.

Gabe Comstock, junior in architecture, said Brue’s help can be found all around the Design Building.

“He’ll come out of his hole and meet you in the hall or the studio because he has actual interest in what you’re doing,” he said. “He comes early and stays late. He doesn’t just help with safety but also with design.”

Brue said he strives to help people actualize their creative conceptual ideas through advice on technical and aesthetic elements.

Suncica Jasarovic, sophomore in pre-architecture, acknowledged the limits of Brue’s help.

“I’ve heard him say ‘I won’t do your project for you,’ even if they’re scared,” Jasarovic said. “And it’s good because we need to learn.”

Having gone through the core design curriculum, Brue can empathize with the frustration and anxiety people have.

“Loud noises and machines moving funny ways can freak people out,” he said.

Brue encourages students to “go at it.”

“Once they get past the initial fear of messing up, they do great,” he said.

Along with managing the shop, Brue continues to design, make and sell furniture. He said the “woodbug” started when he made his first electric guitar in high school, and his passion for music has continued to drive his interest in art. Now, along with guitars, he’s making beds, chairs and tables. Selling his work through word of mouth, mainly to friends and acquaintances, he described his relationship with furniture design as love-hate.

“I don’t always like it, but I get a lot of gratification out of seeing someone enjoy what I made,” Brue said.

Brue uses found objects in many of his pieces. In a current project, he is using old wooden bowling pins he found at his house to make a coat rack. He still takes the time out from his work to explore different projects and mediums such as metalwork and painting.

Brue said he enjoys teaching and seeing people improve, but his time in the shop is just as much of a learning experience as it is a teaching experience. In the future, he plans to continue to help people. He said he dreams of owning a big barn that would serve as a house, studio and apprentice shop.

He would provide an alternative option for people wanting to learn woodworking by hiring people who can’t pay for college or don’t want to go through the core curriculum at Iowa State. Not only would they learn the craft but would also get paid for their help.