STL366: No Mallet is Safe

STL366: No Mallet is Safe

From Shop Talk Live - Fine Woodworking by FineWoodworking.com

May 15, 2026 · 1h 8m

About this episode

Shea Alexander discusses the importance of context when buying wood materials for furniture making.

Shea Alexander is a custom furniture maker and the owner of Alexander Brother's lumberyard in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. He has years of experience guiding customers through the process of buying wood, and in this episode Shea and Vic discuss the importance of context when buying materials. What will this walnut table look like in 10 years? Are you sure you want rift sawn oak? You can see more of Shea's work on Instagram and Substack , or visit the Alexander Brothers Website. Sign up for Woodworking Travel Tours - https://www.finewoodworking.com/tours For more information about our eLearning courses - http://www.finewoodworking.com/elearning Join us on our new Discord server! - https://discord.gg/8hyuwqu4JH Links from this episode can be found here - http://www.shoptalklive.com Sign up for the Fine Woodworking weekly eLetter - https://www.finewoodworking.com/newsletter Sign up for a Fine Woodworking Unlimited membership - https://www.finewoodworking.com/unlimited Every two weeks, a team of Fine Woodworking staffers answers questions from readers on Shop Talk Live, Fine Woodworking's biweekly podcast. Send your woodworking questions to shoptalk@finewoodworking.com for…

People in this episode

Host: Vic

Guest: Shea Alexander

Topics covered

  • wood buying
  • furniture making
  • material context
  • wood types
  • custom furniture

Keywords

  • walnut table
  • rift sawn oak
  • woodworking
  • custom furniture
  • material selection

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Alexander Brother's lumberyard, Instagram, Substack, Woodworking Travel Tours, Discord

Places: Virginia's Shenandoah Valley

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