Popular Woodworking

[Jon Nuckles]

It must be very difficult to publish a woodworking magazine that makes all subscribers happy. Readers work in many different styles, from rustic to traditional to studio contemporary. We work by hand, power and hybrid. Some prefer solid wood, others sheetgoods. Some want weekend projects while others want to create an heirloom. Maybe the most difficult problem is keeping the experienced woodworker and longtime subscriber satisfied while bringing in new readers with easily accessible material.
My own favorite is Fine Woodworking, because the project articles typically focus on a particular technique used in the project rather than simply being a step-by-step build. I can learn a new technique that I will be able to use even if I don't want to build the project in the article. I may skip the beginner articles and reviews of tools I already own or am not planning to buy, but I recognize why they need to be there and I may go back and read the tool reviews when I am in the market again. (I do wish the online index were better!) My bottom line is that I am always happy to see a new issue in my mailbox and I have no plans to let my subscription lapse.

[Curt Harms]

Considering the open request for articles from readers, my gut says they're dumping overhead. I have read enough workbench articles. Maybe 360 will focus on intermediate projects.

That's my feeling as well. Maintain a slim staff and outsource at least some content creation.

[ian maybury]

Good luck to the guys. I don't think that it's possible to make everybody happy all of the time, but if I had to suggest a focus that might prove attractive to many it'd be a highly focused return to a relatively pure and high integrity emphasis on the 'how to' of making/doing. i.e. write for those actually making and with real problems to solve rather to produce eye candy/light reading for the wannabee but never will strata.

The big issue for me with the mags as they stand is that they have come to be too driven by advertisers and accountants hell bent on forcing short term sales and to hell with the bigger picture, with one result being that advertisers have got far too powerful - another that as a result e.g. tool and machine reviews get fudged and don't truly bring out the real world differences and standing relative to other options. Also to attract browsers/light readers rather than doers. The perceived need to cater for short attention spans means that fancy graphics and sound bites have shoved aside clear writing - with the result that important details and the relatively high work content/reality of some tasks is often glossed over. Much of the editorial control if not the writing is by relatively inexperienced/technically limited (and hence malleable/potentially unaware and lower cost) staff members focued on other issues - the product values are usually excellent, but the content is consequently not always of the highest quality.

Not sure how the project is to be funded, but advertising if taken has to be clearly separated from and not influence editorial content. A forum for smaller and more specialised advertisers might be useful too. Keeping overheads down has to be a key enabler of the required independence.

I'd prefer to see topics handled in an actual project context, and at a reasonably high level. No reason not to spread a project over an extended period with diversions into some of the techniques involved...

[Moses Yoder]

Just now there were 1430 views on this thread, basically 500 people looked at it three times. That is about the number of dedicated woodworkers interested in detailed how to articles about woodworking; 500. The rest of the people that will occasionally buy a magazine have woodworking as a second or third interest, not their primary hobby interest. There is also a group of people in it solely for the physical return; making stuff to use in their house so they can show people they built something; I think this is the largest group and is the person most likely to buy a magazine, if it has a project in it that they want to build for their house. If they can build it in a weekend, bonus.

[Earl McLain]

As a weekend/week night warrior, i'm just barely out of that "wannabee but never will strata" that Ian speaks of. Most of what i've learned has come from this and another forum, along with making some really stupid mistakes!! I've also done a few magazine subscriptions that have helped, but after a few years i'm finding that it's already getting repetitious. Best thing i get from them is inspiration for a new "design". I'll say that i've made a few things from plans with cut lists--but don't find that nearly as gratifying creating something to fit a space or a need. When starting, i felt i needed detailed plans, now i'm gravitating more to shop drawings and adapting to fit my wants.

All of that is background for my agreement with Ian Maybury's concept of of "topics handled in an actual project context". From what inspired the project, material selection, methods, challenges & solutions met, mistakes overcome and finishing with lessons learned. No way to fit that in 3 to 6 pages of a magazine--nor to condense it to 30 minutes of DVD time. And, like a good novel, i need to enjoy it over time.

On advertising--i've learned to take some editorial content with a grain of salt, along with product placement and "methods" used in "projects" to promote an advertiser's product. I appreciate the advertisers' contributions keeping my cost down, but my product decisions are far more heavily weighted by the opinions of real-world users in places like SMC. (that said--i'd rather see a shameless plug for a pocket hole system in an article than a 3 page ad for a prescription medication i don't yet have a problem for. Yet.)

earl