same tired 18th c. projects (there are so many others to choose from!) over and over. - So true!
But, I think it is new ideas rather than new authors that matter. FWM features the same contributing editors (in addition to other contributors) and they usually do not produce the same old ideas. Michael Fortune, for example, shares many of his techniques used in his own shop that are unpublished before. His recent article on clamping is a must-read for anyone who does furniture pieces or chairs that involve curves and angles. He is no doubt a master of jigs and his high-end furniture design is inspiring. Those few working as assistants or trainees for him in his shop are getting the experience no woodworking schools can offer (just like those "boys" who were with Sam Maloof).
Simon