Woodworking magazines

[Dodge]

Well I get The Woodworker, they have had one or two interesting articles over the last few months

But then I might be a bit biased :-" :-" :-" :-" :-" :-"

Rog

 

[tisdai]

I'll blessed yeh lol, it was you who recomended me to it Rog.

 

[yetloh]

I have subs to FWW, F&C and BWW.

Won't be renewing FWW when it expires early next year. It has completely lost its design flare and is very largely devoted to boring (for me) repro stuff. I have also become increasingly irritated by its cavalier attitude to the safety of its readers.

For me, F&C has very much turned the corner under its new editor, with a good mix of techniques, interesting projects and design related articles.

BWW is pretty good in my view. I like its opinionated approach (even if I disagree) and its willingness to go into things in some depth.

The others on the market I find too basic with poorly designed projects, but there is clearly a market for mags catering for all levels of experience and tastes. It is really about where the individual happens to be in his or her woodworking development.

Jim

 

[Noel]

I had a subscription to BWW last year but i'm not renewing it as imo its gone down hill (the six pages on what pencil people use in this issue was the last straw).

Moose, 6 pages on pencils? What was that all about? (ok pencils, but 6 pages).

 

[The Bear]

Not only did BWW have its 6 pages on what pencil people use this month, what got my back up was Steve Maskerys article on making wooden cam clamps. About 10 issues previously we had Olly making, you guessed it, wooden cam clamps. And to top it off they were "to an original design by Steve Maskery".
I don't blame Steve in any way, in fact I think he is the best thing about the mag.

However I think Nick needs to look at this months content and ask if he provided a decent product. I wouldn't have bought it as a one off but as a subscriber I had no choice. Come on Nick.

Mark

 

[Nick W]

I've been impressed with how much Good Woodworking has improved of late.

 

[big soft moose]

I had a subscription to BWW last year but i'm not renewing it as imo its gone down hill (the six pages on what pencil people use in this issue was the last straw).

Moose, 6 pages on pencils? What was that all about? (ok pencils, but 6 pages).

it was six pages of opinions from readers on their pencil :roll: - saws, chisels, etc i could understand but pencils :duno:

can't see the point myself

like i said on another thread bww seems to be mainly filler and very little killer these days - I like steve's articles, and olly's but you can largely get that from their blogs, this forum, and twh (tho i agree with bear about the wooden cam clamps , particularly as this is also on workshop essentials 1&2), and whats going on with nick's proffesed desire to equip the BWW workshop with machines soley made in britain - a nice idea for a single article possibly, but likely to be irrelevant to 99% of readers and i cant see any justification for it as a series

likewise as a proffesional chainsaw user and hobby woodworker i had high hopes of "living wood" but it hasnt lived up to them - the recent play pen article and gate articles were pathetic - just whomped up out of random branch wood with a brace and bit and some nails, and looked like something i'd relegate to the firewood pile, plus we had a several page spread on making a "clay oven" , which boiled down to "get a log and cover it in clay then burn it" and a promised article on making briquettes which was dropped when it was realised that all the submitter was doing was filling toilet rolls with shavings - surely someone could have come up with a propper briquette press.

I dont entirely blame nick as he is obviously hamstrung by what articles are submitted, but imo he'd be better to put the good articles from both magazines together in a bi monthly or quarterly mag and drop the dross and filler (i'm yet to encounter anyone who cares what pencil someonelse uses).

i'm not renewing either of my subscriptions - i think i'll be giving F&C a spin instead

 

[theartfulbodger]

I like IKEA pencils. :wink:

 

[Lons]

I'm with you Moose.

My copy finally arrived on Monday and I was astonished to see the pencil article though I admit I couldn't be bothered to read it so perhaps I've missed some life changing tips :wink:. I've skimmed the magazine a couple of times but am thoroughly disappointed with the content and the previous issues didn't light my fire either.

I subscribed for many years to The Woodworker and stopped when too many articles repeated, which inevitably happens. Tried most of the others as well, just wish it were possible to combine the best of all into one mag. can't please all of the people etc. though :?

After reading about BW on this forum I tried to buy a copy without success so emailed Nick who very quickly sent me a gratis copy which prompted me to subscribe.

Definately won't again unless the content changes.

Bob

 

[WorkshopJenny]

I must say, after reading this entire thread, I'm totally inspired and psyched about getting a subscription to a woodworking magazine. Might I add that it may very well be "The Woodworker" because of Roger's mention and the fact that he has articles based around his work. Now, I don't know Roger at all, but I'd certainly love to discuss his articles. So, good job, Roger (Dodge) -- I think you just got yourself a new subscriber.

 

[tisdai]

I must say, after reading this entire thread, I'm totally inspired and psyched about getting a subscription to a woodworking magazine. Might I add that it may very well be "The Woodworker" because of Roger's mention and the fact that he has articles based around his work. Now, I don't know Roger at all, but I'd certainly love to discuss his articles. So, good job, Roger (Dodge) -- I think you just got yourself a new subscriber.

Thats what i said to Rog, Jenny after he showed me the article a few / couple of weeks ago, so off I went and subscribed, or should i say tried to subscribe. I yet still have to get anything back from them. I must have e-mailed them loads of times and still nothing, nada, zilch, nixt. Hope you have better luck than me,

Oh yeh 1 more thing you won't be able to log on Jenny because they have to send you your log on details by letter, NOT an E-Mail but a Stamped Addressed Letter through the post. :shock: :shock:

Cheers

Dave

 

[yetloh]

Jennifer,

No disrespect to Roger, but I would recommend having a good browse in W H Smith's free library before you commit yourself, to get a better idea of which magazine best represents your interests, tastes and skill level.

Jim

 

[big soft moose]

I'm with you Moose.

My copy finally arrived on Monday and I was astonished to see the pencil article though I admit I couldn't be bothered to read it so perhaps I've missed some life changing tips :wink:. I've skimmed the magazine a couple of times but am thoroughly disappointed with the content and the previous issues didn't light my fire either.

I subscribed for many years to The Woodworker and stopped when too many articles repeated, which inevitably happens. Tried most of the others as well, just wish it were possible to combine the best of all into one mag. can't please all of the people etc. though :?

After reading about BW on this forum I tried to buy a copy without success so emailed Nick who very quickly sent me a gratis copy which prompted me to subscribe.

Definately won't again unless the content changes.

Bob

further to this BWW digital just turned up in my inbox which had this to say about the pencils

We decided to survey woodworkers to find out what sort of pencils they use...we published the best of them, and there were some remarkable stories and suggestions, including a very funny one about a sharpening device being misused.

I can only conclude that whatever nick has been smoking/taking i want some - how the hell can you have a remarkable story about pencils ? , I certainly dont recall seeing anything remarkable in that feature apart from the irony of printing mike garnhams suggestion that they not waste many paragraphs on pencils :roll:, and i dont recall any very funny stories either - tho its possible my brain had switched off from the interminable tedium by then

Skimming back I find that the "funny story" is that someone used to work for a man who habitually used an electric pencil sharpener, then one day he stuck his fountain pen in it by mistake :duno: - oh my sides , i havent laughed so much since I last watched paint dry, and so relevant to woodwork as well. :-k

 

[Lons]

Skimming back I find that the "funny story" is that someone used to work for a man who habitually used an electric pencil sharpener, then one day he stuck his fountain pen in it by mistake - oh my sides , i havent laughed so much since I last watched paint dry, and so relevant to woodwork as well.

:-k ](*,) :shock:

 

[big soft moose]

Skimming back I find that the "funny story" is that someone used to work for a man who habitually used an electric pencil sharpener, then one day he stuck his fountain pen in it by mistake - oh my sides , i havent laughed so much since I last watched paint dry, and so relevant to woodwork as well.

:-k ](*,) :shock:

quite

and whats more anoying is that the same issue features a "super guide" to 12 inch bandsaws which is crammed into one and a half pages (including pics), allowing only very superficial comparisons - how that qualifies as a "super guide" is beyond me. A distinct case of wrong priorities imo - I'd rather have seen the "super guide" take up 6 pages and the pencils (if they had to be included at all) take up one.

 

[The Bear]

I've just had a email this evening from Nick Gibbs asking for feedback on this months BWW. Coincidence?.

I have tried to be constructive as well as point out the shortcomings in my reply as I do want a mag like his to succeed

Mark

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Thanks for wanting the magazine to succeed. I will do my best to live up to the standards you demand.

Isn't it sad, though, when you try to do something different, like asking woodworkers about pencils, because readers complain about magazines being repetitive, that you get attacked. Maybe it was too long, but we received a huge response to our question, and what I thought was interesting was the breadth of replies. I wanted to get that across, but seem to have made a mistake giving it so many pages. I'm sure I should have given more to the bandsaws. C'est la vie. Sorry.

If you want to receive our new e-newsletter, do please email me at the address below. I don't know how it will develop yet, but we'll do our best to provide useful information.

Cheers

Nick

 

[studders]

Isn't it sad.....
Nick

No, not really, part and parcel I would have thought. In fact I would say it's a bonus, you are getting feed back for free.

 

[Nick Gibbs]

It is part and parcel, I understand. But it is sad that people are so rude about ideas that are responding to requests for magazines to be less repetitive. The article included comments from top pros like David Charlesworth, Scott Woyka, Konrad Sauer, Tim Hintz and others, so I thought it would be interesting, especially on a topic so universally important as marking out. Obviously I was mistaken. It's hard when it then becomes a rod being used to strike one's back.

 

[big soft moose]

Nick - I'm sorry if you found my post above rude or offensive - that was not my intention .( I shouldnt drink and post and may have been more forthright than was tactful)

and yes I would (in theory) aplaud you for responding to the feedback that the magazine be less repetitive, and I would indeed welcome an indepth article featuring top pros on marking out - but that isnt what we got - knowing that scott woyka for example feels that "linex make a good pencil but hes also partial to the staedtler ergosoft" doesnt help anyone become better at marking out - imo a pencil is a pencil is a pencil (okay there are different hardnesses but still) - its not what brand it is that matters but how you use it

However you are right that it is churlish to continue to beat you about the head with regard to the pencils article - I could go on at length about other issues ( as you can doubtless tell ive become somewhat disilussioned with both BWW and Livingwood - and have moved a long way from being the passionate advocate i was a year ago), I will put my more detailed feedback (both positive and negative) into an email rather than posting it here.

Lastly I would commend you for your willingness to respond to such feedback in public forum