# STL366: No Mallet is Safe

- Show: [Shop Talk Live](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live)
- Published: 2026-05-15
- Length: 1h 07m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe
- Listen: https://shoptalklive.podcast.static.taunton.com/stl-366-no-mallet-is-safe

## Summary

Shea Alexander, custom furniture maker and co-owner of Alexander Brothers lumberyard, discusses the critical importance of context when selecting and working with wood. He explains how factors like wood movement, UV exposure, and oxidation affect materials like walnut and cherry, advising customers to consider how a piece will age in their specific environment. The conversation also covers the practical challenges of sourcing difficult woods like Honey Locust and the health risks associated with allergenic extractives in woods like Black Walnut and Kentucky Coffee Wood.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe#t=6) Introduction: Shea Alexander and Alexander Brothers
- [2:46](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe#t=166) Customer Loading Fails: Porsche, Dodge, and 6x6s
- [11:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe#t=708) Contextual Decision Making and Material Selection
- [18:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe#t=1131) Red Oak Reputation and Grain Orientation
- [24:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe#t=1471) Wood Aging: UV, Oxidation, and Photosensitivity
- [31:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe#t=1892) Honey Locust and Black Locust Characteristics
- [37:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe#t=2230) Wood Allergens and Extractives
- [49:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe#t=2941) Favorite Tools: Ruler Holders and Mallets

## Topics

- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Alexander Brothers (company)
- Sutherland Wells (other)
- Gorilla (other)
- Hartwood Tools (other)
- Blue Spruce (other)

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- [Episode 163: Live Edge Bowling  Ball](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2018-04-06-episode-163-live-edge-bowling-ball) (Making It)
- [432: The Windowlicker Room](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2024-03-01-432-the-windowlicker-room) (Making It)
- [Episode 286: Did he look like this? Are the eyebrows right?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2020-11-29-episode-286-did-he-look-like-this-are-the-eyebrows-right) (Making It)
- [Episode 162: An eyeball, tongue, ear and 2 big thumbs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2018-03-30-episode-162-an-eyeball-tongue-ear-and-2-big-thumbs) (Making It)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-05-15-stl366-no-mallet-is-safe. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Shop Talk Live.