woodworking magazines

[James Scheffler]

Ok. Well, er, I have this problem. I have an irrational need to get woodworking magazines in the mail at regular closely-spaced intervals. I start to get withdrawal symptoms if it goes to long. Currently I get Popular Woodworking, Woodworking, and Woodworker's Journal.

As many of you have heard, Woodworking and Pop Wood are getting merged into one. That means I'm down four magazines a year. I've been getting more and more disappointed with Woodworker's Journal, and I'm planning to drop it when it comes up for renewal. That's another seven issues a year gone.

So where am I to turn? A couple of friends get Wood, so I see that regularly and I've never been impressed (and I'm not sure they've ever seen a hand tool). Woodsmith has some nice projects, but it's pretty power tool oriented as well. Fine Woodworking is really freakin' expensive, and I hear it's going downhill. I've heard bad things about American Woodworker.

Are there any other choices that are worthwhile?? You gotta help me!

Jim

[David Gendron]

I feel the same way! Same with good possible books that instead of books, it's all becoming DVD's or CD's.... I would had love to see Woodworking magasine, stay as is or getting biger, more content. Is there still hoppe for a thrue woodworking magasine, that doesn't write allwayse about the same thing(FWW is a lot like that)?
Iguess I need help to!

[harry strasil]

Never impressed with any of them really, the one I do get is Wood, mostly I make chips and shavings, learning curve is better, and I am not regulated to some other persons ideas about how to do things. I do have some good old books that are my go to for Info and techniques, written by the old boys who did it all their lives.

[harry strasil]

kinda like my current problem of making 20 Barrister book case doors, and how to attach the pivot point at the top, finally decided to use a sliding dovetail 3/8 thick with a 1/4 inch dowel glued into it for the pivot and runner.

[harry strasil]

And I hate production work, making lots of small pieces the same. monotonous and boring, I am spoiled because all my life I was a blacksmith and just did what came in the door, hardly ever the same thing twice in a row.

[Chuck Tringo]

You might want to check out Canadian Woodworking, Ive been looking at their site and they seem to be pretty decent. They will send a sample issue to the US for $3 and the subscription price is comparable to FWW but looks to have more hand tool spin. Perhaps some of our friends up north could give us an opinion if this one...I haven't got the sample issue yet but plan to upon my return to the states.

[Rick Erickson]

Just sign up for the blog feeds from these magazines and you get a lot of info (regularly) for free. Pop Wood and Woodworking have great blogs. Lost Art Press is also good.

[Derek Cohen]

I don't agree that FWW is going downhill. Granted that the content has altered from the first years - but most here probably would not have enjoyed some of the articles that were then (I have the DVD of the first 200 or so magazines).

What has changed is that many of the early magazine articles dealt with all types of woodworking projects, not simply furniture. So you got pieces on making a fishing rod or cleaving wood, marquetry and turning. Over the years FWW has developed into a magazine about making furniture.

I get FWW, Pop Wood and Woodworking. That is more than enough. I mourn the loss of Woodwork - now THAT was a great mag! Lots of interesting articles on woodworkers and design. Occasionally I get the British mag Furniture and Cabinetmaking, which often has good articles on design (which is what I like to read). If you are looking for another, this may be one for you.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Chuck Tringo]

I don't agree that FWW is going downhill.

I agree with this in that I don't use any plans from the magazines, I like to get ideas from them. In this respect FWW has most of the other mags beat hands down as it tends to have the widest and best (IMHO) selection of furniture design styles. My biggest hangup with FWW is that for the price which is much higher than other magazines in the genre, you still get inundated with countless adds and tool comparison articles (I don't care which parallel clamp is best...the best one for me is the one that is on sale). Now it is in no way as bad as Woodcraft and Woodworkers Journal which are basically advertising arms for their respective businesses that you have to pay for (brilliant business concept mind you....and I have yet to see Woodcraft rate any item that they sell less than 3/5, especially their in house brand WR) but I still think that for $7 an issue or $35 a year, they need to lighten up on the adds and bogus filler articles (joint strength, tool comparison, how to light your shop, etc.) Just my 2 cents

[David Keller NC]

My biggest hangup with FWW is that for the price which is much higher than other magazines in the genre, you still get inundated with countless adds and tool comparison articles (I don't care which parallel clamp is best...the best one for me is the one that is on sale).

This is exactly why many of us long time subscribers to FWW view the mag as going into the toilet head-first. Tool reviews do not belong in a high-end magazine, period. Neither do beginner articles, articles along the lines of "build a Newport highboy in a weekend using toothpicks!" and other such drivel.

The reason that I enjoyed reading FWW (at least the old ones) was precisely because I was totally incapable of making most of the things in the mag. But I could learn.

A magazine that endlessly recycles projects that I'm already easily capable of drawing out the plans for and executing isn't useful or entertaining. And unfortunately the new business leadership at FWW doesn't get that. It is very clear from some of the editor's posts on FWW's forum that they intend to compete with the other 12 mags on the rack with lots of plans for birdhouses and victorian scroll-sawn knicknack shelves. What they miss is that these other mags are considerably better at that than they are, and it's highly unlikely that they can improve on the genre.

[David Gendron]

I'm with you David. I also think that they do recycle quite a bit of there stuff.
As for Canadian woodworking, they seem to do a little more abut hand tools now but not the greatest mag, a lot of "bird house" kind of projects! I some time buys it but not often, it seems that they take what ever FWW or other mag write about and rewrite it in there mag. Just my $0.02

[Michael Fross]

I had given up on most with the exception of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine. The latter being much better IMHO. I'm a bit worried about their merge and I hope their hand tool coverage does not lapse.

[James Scheffler]

Just sign up for the blog feeds from these magazines and you get a lot of info (regularly) for free. Pop Wood and Woodworking have great blogs. Lost Art Press is also good.

I do read some blogs, but there is just something about getting a magazine in the mail that can't be replaced. It's probably just me.

Jim

[Brian Hale]

I agree, it's a shame Woodworking is merging with Pop Wood as i really enjoyed it. Currently i only get Wood and it takes all of 15 minutes to read.

Not a big fan of the DVD's either (no computer in the bathroom )

I might give FWW another try since it's been a few years since i let it expire.

Brian

[kevin loftus]

I do read some blogs, but there is just something about getting a magazine in the mail that can't be replaced. It's probably just me.

Jim

A magazine is easier to hold than a laptop in the bathroom.