Fave WW magazine?

[Cody Colston]

FWW. the online subscription is great. Gives you digital access to the latest issue and a searchable index of all past articles. Awesome.

I agree. It's the only one I subscribe to any more. Heck, the Reader's Gallery is worth the subscription price.

[Dave Cullen]

+1 I can't seem to throw out the ones I have, dating back to the second issue of FWW. But they just sit. If I need info on a topic, I look it up on line.

Yeah, me too. I've been wanting to gain back some bookshelf space, so I looked at eBay to see what the old FWW issues might be worth. They sell for near nothing. So I've been going through them and clipping out the interesting stuff and making a notebook. Some of the stuff that Tage Frid did was really inspiring.

Can't seem to bring myself to subscribing to their online mag, just don't spend enough time with this hobby to make it worth while.

[Wayne Jolly]

I have gone through several over the years. Woodworkers Journal, Popular Woodworking, Fine Woodworking, Wood . . .

What I have found is that material I am interested in goes in cycles. For example, Woodworkers Journal might have a few months where I like their projects, and then several months where I just scan the magazine and put it down uninterested in anything. It seems to happen with all of them for me. That is OK because the publishers have to address a wide variety of tastes, and sometimes I find something that might use a technique that I want to learn even though the project itself sux. Currently, I like the look of some of the projects in the new Woodsmith Guild Edition, but I don't like some of their construction techniques so I would have to modify everything. I also don't know if I like the inclusion of Shopnotes into Woodsmith either. I might give that one a thumb up.

The "how to" articles seem to appear in all of the magazines at some point. How many times have you picked up a magazine and on the cover is "How to sharpen a Scraper" or "How to Get a Flawless Finish", or something like that. Then you pick up one of the other magazines and it has the same topic? Then there are the tips. Several times I see the exact same tip in two or even three magazines.

I still haven't decided whether or not I like the online editions. I am leaning heavily towards not, because with some of them you don't get a downloadable copy. What do you do if you are in a place that has no internet service and you want to peruse one of your magazines, like maybe in your shop?

What I am saying I guess is that it's a crap shoot.

Wayne

[Dave Lehnert]

I think WOOD is a good all round magazine for the beginner to serious weekend woodworker.
Popular Woodworking is great if you want to learn about hand tool woodworking. That's my area of interest right now.

[Ole Anderson]

Another vote for Wood.

[Larry Anderson]

I've been getting Wood for many years and have almost every issue of Woodsmith. Like them both for their plans and detailed step by step instructions. Tips and techniques are nice but by the time I need the info I've forgotten where read it. I enjoy FWW at the library but it is mostly beyond my abilities.

[David Ragan]

I still haven't decided whether or not I like the online editions. I am leaning heavily towards not, because with some of them you don't get a downloadable copy. What do you do if you are in a place that has no internet service and you want to peruse one of your magazines, like maybe in your shop?

What I am saying I guess is that it's a crap shoot.

Wayne

My remark is geared toward your saying copies not downloadable.....

There is a trick with getting the ShopNotes and WoodSmith to print. If you're interested, I'll post the gymnastics. Strictly legit subscription.

'Wood' looks great. Their archive is $150. Am mulling it over. Thumb drive.

[Pete Janke]

I currently have Wood and WoodSmith subscriptions. I have just started donating my old magazines to our local Senior Center.

[Wayne Jolly]

There is a trick with getting the ShopNotes and WoodSmith to print. If you're interested, I'll post the gymnastics. Strictly legit subscription.

I'm sure there must be a way to print things off, but I was thinking more of when you might be in your shop where there is no Internet service, but there just might be a 42" (or larger) HD TV that was picked up REAL cheaply for the sole purpose of connecting to a computer. I'm not there yet, but I think I might be soon. Now that the 4K TVs are out and 8K is looming, the 1080p sets are getting to be cheaper than wood now.

That, and I think the publishers will most likely be heading in that direction in an attempt to prevent pirating. They will set up your personalized online library that must be viewed online, and only online. Nothing downloadable. I wouldn't be surprised if printing was also limited to the plans in your library, and I would not be at all surprised if they were to start charging for that.

So you won't be able to sit in your easy chair beside your campfire in the late evening enjoying your catch-of-the-day and your favorite cold beverage while firing up the ol' laptop and perusing your downloaded pdf copy.


Wayne