# STL369: Calling All Choppers!

- Show: [Shop Talk Live](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live)
- Published: 2026-06-27
- Length: 1h 04m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-06-27-stl369-calling-all-choppers
- Listen: https://shoptalklive.podcast.static.taunton.com/stl369-calling-all-choppers

## Summary

Bill Pavlak, head cabinetmaker at Colonial Williamsburg, joins Ben Strano and Bridget Gruber to discuss the realities of working in an 18th-century shop, including the curriculum for apprentices, the requirement to wear period costumes, and the balance between making furniture and public interpretation. The group explores specific hand-tool techniques for cutting arched grooves and dovetails, emphasizing chiseling over sawing for efficiency, and discusses the psychological overlap between woodworking and music. They also identify timeless furniture forms like Shaker pieces and trestle tables, while highlighting tools such as the S-Wing mallet and large chisels.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-06-27-stl369-calling-all-choppers#t=7) Introduction: Bill Pavlak and the Colonial Williamsburg Cabinet Shop
- [3:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-06-27-stl369-calling-all-choppers#t=180) Apprenticeship, Public Interpretation, and Costume Requirements
- [19:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-06-27-stl369-calling-all-choppers#t=1188) Hand-Tool Techniques: Cutting Arched Grooves and Dovetails
- [27:57](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-06-27-stl369-calling-all-choppers#t=1677) The Overlap Between Woodworking, Music, and Engineering
- [43:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-06-27-stl369-calling-all-choppers#t=2619) All-Time Favorite Tools: Mallets, Chisels, and Door Restoration
- [59:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-06-27-stl369-calling-all-choppers#t=3572) Timeless Furniture Forms: Shaker, Trestle Tables, and Blanket Chests

## Topics

- [Mechanical engineering](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/mechanical-engineering)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [Fabrication & craft](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/fabrication-and-craft)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Colonial Williamsburg (company)
- S-Wing mallet (tool)
- Gorilla Wood Glue (material)
- Frank Klaus method (other)
- Charles Hayward (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Episode 332: Plywood is good](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2021-11-27-episode-332-plywood-is-good) (Making It)
- [528: Grippy Bits](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2026-06-05-528-grippy-bits) (Making It)
- [Making It #010: If it looks straight….](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2015-02-26-making-it-010-if-it-looks-straight) (Making It)
- [357: If you had a huge piece of gum and you put it in a sock…](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2022-06-03-357-if-you-had-a-huge-piece-of-gum-and-you-put-it-in-a-sock) (Making It)
- [Episode 157: Wizard Robes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2018-02-23-episode-157-wizard-robes) (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/2026-06-27-stl369-calling-all-choppers. 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.