# STL377: Woodworking Myth Busters!

- Show: [Shop Talk Live](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live)
- Published: 2026-10-16
- Length: 51m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-10-16-stl377-woodworking-myth-busters
- Listen: https://shoptalklive.podcast.static.taunton.com/stl377-woodworking-myth-busters

## Summary

Seri Robinson, a professor of wood science at Oregon State University, and Dan Bollock, operations manager for Purdue University's Woodworking Lab, bust common woodworking myths. They explain that unfinished red oak cutting boards naturally draw bacteria down into the wood, making finishes and soaps unnecessary and often counterproductive. Bollock reveals that pinned and wedged mortise-and-tenon joints are actually weaker than plain ones due to stress risers, and that gluing only one surface of a joint reduces strength by 40-50%. The experts also advise against using finishes on children's wooden toys, recommending raw, dense woods like maple or beech instead.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-10-16-stl377-woodworking-myth-busters#t=6) Introduction and Cutting Board Myths
- [3:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-10-16-stl377-woodworking-myth-busters#t=232) Why Cutting Boards Don't Need Finish or Soap
- [14:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-10-16-stl377-woodworking-myth-busters#t=848) Mortise and Tenon Strength and Pinning
- [25:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-10-16-stl377-woodworking-myth-busters#t=1509) Glue Application Techniques and Hydraulic Lock
- [40:26](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/shop-talk-live/2026-10-16-stl377-woodworking-myth-busters#t=2426) Wood Toys, Finishes, and Grain Raising

## Topics

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

## Most relevant to

makers and hobbyists

## Mentioned

- red oak (material)
- maple (material)
- beech (material)
- Grimm's (company)

## 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/2026-10-16-stl377-woodworking-myth-busters. 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.