Woodworking Magazines

[Mark Maleski]

In addition to speaking to those of us who've been at this craft for awhile, magazines also serve as recruiting tools to bring new folks into our craft. I don't know whether I'd be w woodworker today without being hooked in by FWW calling to me from the magazine rack, and I seriously doubt I'd have focused as intently at hand tool methods without PW's emphasis on them in the early 2000s (well, the glossy L-N catalogs might've gotten me there on their own). Unlike print magazines, I don't know if online forums and online e-zines will hook anyone who's not already interested in woodworking. I think we're fortunate to have those 2 magazines still serving that role, and am happy to remain a subscriber to them both if it helps them recruit and replenish our ranks. The value that I personally get out of any articles is a nice bonus.

[lowell holmes]

I enjoy this forum a lot.

I do not take what is said as being true, it may be or not.

It really doesn't matter. It is entertainment.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Ok Bill, I can't help it if Will Rogers was both more entertaining and succinct than me. He certainly got his point across.

I too find the technique and build threads the most interesting. Sharpening is important but over the years it sure has been beaten to death. I now cringe every time I have to read through one.

[Patrick Chase]

A magazine has to make everything pretty; I suspect that's where all the time is spent. The forum format could sacrifice a little sex appeal for more substance. The key is incorporating an editor into the posting process so that the threads don't go off-topic, or don't end up a free-for-all.

A few thoughts:

There's a balance to be struck here between spontaneity and topicality. Sometimes (albeit admittedly rarely) we have very interesting "side-discussions" when threads go off-topic. Some of the recent "storytime with George" tangents spring to mind as positive examples, and I for one would hate to lose that due to rigid topicality enforcement.

I think that one of the things that keeps some people on SMC is the rapid back-and-forth. I deeply enjoy interacting with people like David and Derek (stopping with those two although there are many others), and the "open forum" provides a great means of doing so.

Lastly, I think that this community *can* produce decently self-moderated threads, this one being a case in point. Yes, some of us had to ask you to intervene to clean this thread up earlier, but other than that one episode the discussion has been very thoughtful and respectful IMO.

With all of that said the model you propose is probably much easier for the mods, so I can definitely see the attraction.

[Stewie Simpson]

A few thoughts:

There's a balance to be struck here between spontaneity and topicality. Sometimes (albeit admittedly rarely) we have very interesting "side-discussions" when threads go off-topic. Some of the recent "storytime with George" tangents spring to mind as positive examples, and I for one would hate to lose that due to rigid topicality enforcement.

I think that one of the things that keeps some people on SMC is the rapid back-and-forth. I deeply enjoy interacting with people like David and Derek (stopping with those two although there are many others), and the "open forum" provides a great means of doing so.

Lastly, I think that this community *can* produce decently self-moderated threads, this one being a case in point. Yes, some of us had to ask you to intervene to clean this thread up earlier, but other than that one episode the discussion has been very thoughtful and respectful IMO.

With all of that said the model you propose is probably much easier for the mods, so I can definitely see the attraction.

Excellent work Patrick.

[Archie England]

My day job is teaching (classics, language, and religion) students. I'm older and like the traditional classroom because it remains the best venue for communicating--just like attending ww classes. I go to educational conferences, which function just like annual ww meetings. IMO, the Internet is a superb supplement, because it allows connectivity via visual and auditory (and still allows a degree of privacy, i.e., we don't typically know each others phone numbers and don't get to interrupt normal activity). When I teach Internet only courses (two a year), I marvel at the low percentage (about 30%) of active participation, meaning that, in Creeker terminology, about 70% are lurkers who rarely do more than post their work. And, like the above post noting the percentages of topics generally addresses, there are necessary gateway topics (like sharpening, along with the avenues to do it) that have to be presented on a regular basis.

IMO, the forums are the resultant synthesis. We get to ask about questions in relatively anonymous community, and we get (sometimes) many different explanations. The OP can continue to nuance his/her needs, while others can piggy back on the initial question (to their hearts desire). I only wish that we educators could generate this level of interaction via on-line learning.

So, I view what SMC does as the almost replacement for magazines, except for distribution. If the magazines would integrate with SMC and the other forums and serve as a segue, then the photos we get to see here could be incorporated into the magazines, which could then reference the various forums and selected discussions. This might create the necessary links to time tested discussions on the necessary step topics (beginner to intermediate to advanced) and allow more folks to get involved.

One more thought: My parents attended college in the 60's before college became a rite of passage; they wanted to escape the farm. My grandparents were mostly too busy to show me how to use all the old tools in the barn/shed, so I just goofed around with them. At the ripe age of 30, two older men (shesh, my age now) offered to train me (one focused on hand tools; the other, on power tools). I picked the power tool guy with his 40x50 shop (rather than the 12x35 workbench shop). I didn't know that power tools weren't the only solution. I think that marketing (what tools we actually see on the shelf at the box and hardware stores) actually determine where many of us will enter the ww process. Thankfully, Internet search engines allow us access to wood working, past, present, and future. The forums give us insight on the values of each approach, and YouTube or others let us "demo" it, by watching others in action.