And Then There Were Two

Everything changes in Episode 9. After eight solo episodes, Steven brings on Alex Baum — a Joinery member and self-described "stay-at-home dad Monday through Friday" — as co-host. They talk about where beginners get stuck, why YouTube only gets you so far, and what it means to build something for someone who actually loves it.

About Alex Army medic and National Guard veteran (17 years, retired), with a background in public affairs, photography, and videography. He's been a Joinery member for about nine months and is currently building a basement bar and cabinet set — an ambitious first large project.

Topics covered

• Alex's proudest build: a cheese board in olive wood, wenge, and maple made as a Christmas gift
• The prototype mindset — why "consider this a practice run" is the single best thing a beginner can do
• "Don't fall in love with the wood" — and why it matters
• YouTube woodworking: great for inspiration, limited as instruction
• Recommended channels/resources: Shaper Origin tutorials at shaper.com; Sledge Tool (Festool instructor)
• Mark Adams School of Woodworking — Stephen's annual retreat and ongoing recommendation
• Why shared shops change everything for beginners
• What's coming: parallel projects where both hosts build the same thing and compare notes

Contact / Questions Send questions for either host to [email protected] — we'll answer them on air.