Not renewing Shop Notes

[Scott Coffelt]

I have been a subscriber to Shop Notes since the first issue came out. I have finally decided to let the subscription lapse. The price is going higher the information just ain't worth it anymore. Too bad, now I am left with Wood only. I guess it's hard to come up with new things all the time. Anyone else in the same boat?

[Jim Becker]

I pretty much am letting ShopNotes go once it stops coming; not because it's bad as it's really an excellent publication, but because I don't take much from it for the most part. Hard choice, because the current issue does have that nice "build an infill plane" article...

That said, I am sticking with FW, Woodwork and WOOD as well as American Woodturner from the AAW and Woodworking at Home via DVD. The rest have gone bye-bye...

[Mark J Bachler]

I quit subscribing to In-Fisherman for the same reason. How many ways can you say try everything until something bites.

[John Gregory]

I like shop notes along with the many others we subscribe too. It will probably get dropped when it is time to renew. I think it is difficult for a magazine to find new and exciting things each issue. We are still new enough to woodworking to be cerified as ww magazine junkies. As each subscription expires, we will decide to renew or not. Wood is one of our favorites. One of my pet peeves about ALL of the magazines. They keep sending renewal notices each month, even tho many do not expire for 12- 24 months. That annoyance alone is reason enough to drop some marginal magazines.

[Dan Stuewe]

I felt the same way about dropping Woodsmith. I still think they have the best written articles, and I loved the no advertisments. But the plans just wern't doing it for me. I did decide to get Workbench because I've found myself looking more at building things for the house (built-ins, handy additions to the kitchen or garage, triming out the house) so it seemed like it fit more with what I'm looking to do.

Definately, if you don't like it, drop it. (You should be able to drop before the subscription ends and get some $$ back)

[John Shuk]

It seems to be a common problem with "Hobbiest" magazines. I also love to SCUBA dive but how many times can I read regulator tests and look at pictures of mantas. I have certainly trimmed my woodworking reading down in favor of more shop time (I hope) But the magazines seem to be geared towrd the new subscriber/hobbiest and the creative process is pushed aside in favor of articles that promote the purchase of equipment so that they can woo advertisers. I hope somebody out there is listening. The magazine industry is struggling and their answer is to provide "more of the same" instead of looking at what they are doing wrong. Long rant sorry.

[Jack Hogoboom]

I understand where you guys are coming from. I flip through a lot more articles than I used to. But as someone who is "design challenged", I buy as many of them as I can in the hope that I will see a project that really grabs my eye. When I was first starting, ShopNotes had some great projects for pegboard storage. I built the really pretty curved sofa table in an old issue of Woodsmith. I built a clock based on a design from Wood. I just don't think that I'll ever be proficient enough to design my own things, so I need the project flow to keep me in the game. As a result, I am an aboslute woodworking magazine junkie. If there's a new magazine, I'll subscribe and then try to buy all the old issues on line.

Help me!!!! :eek:

Jack

[Chris DeHut]

LOL! We are just the opposite with our renewal notice policy. We send them out at the same time as the last issue. This policy was started for the same reason you stated, I hated getting renewal notices right after subscribing.

The bad part is, so many people now expect to get their renewal notices many months in advance. If they don't see a renewal notice early enough, they panic and give us a call or drop us an email wondering how to renew.

Chris DeHut
Woodworking at Home Magazine





I like shop notes along with the many others we subscribe too. It will probably get dropped when it is time to renew. I think it is difficult for a magazine to find new and exciting things each issue. We are still new enough to woodworking to be cerified as ww magazine junkies. As each subscription expires, we will decide to renew or not. Wood is one of our favorites. One of my pet peeves about ALL of the magazines. They keep sending renewal notices each month, even tho many do not expire for 12- 24 months. That annoyance alone is reason enough to drop some marginal magazines.

[Chris DeHut]

I'm listening :)

Chris DeHut
Woodworking at Home Magazine




It seems to be a common problem with "Hobbiest" magazines. I also love to SCUBA dive but how many times can I read regulator tests and look at pictures of mantas. I have certainly trimmed my woodworking reading down in favor of more shop time (I hope) But the magazines seem to be geared towrd the new subscriber/hobbiest and the creative process is pushed aside in favor of articles that promote the purchase of equipment so that they can woo advertisers. I hope somebody out there is listening. The magazine industry is struggling and their answer is to provide "more of the same" instead of looking at what they are doing wrong. Long rant sorry.

[Chris Padilla]

I started out with American Woodworker, then jumped on WOOD, and now I just picked up FWW. My folks renew This Old House for my birthday each year so I don't count that one. Oh, yeah, I have Chris' WaHM, too. I need to dig into those more.... :)

They all have their juicy little nuggets and I always get something out of them. Are they worth it...I dunno...I still like flipping through them so I guess so.

One thing I hate, hate, hate about all magazine is the 100s of inserts that either fall out of the mag or that force you to a certain page while flipping through it casually. First thing I do is mercilessly rip those suckers out and put them in the recycle bin. Lately, TOH has been coming with a paper cover over its normal cover...THAT one is REAL annoying. At least my FWW's protective cover is very easily removable...TOH's is not.

[thomas prevost]

One of the objections I have is the amount of magazine space religated to Equipment reviews. It turns on the manufacturers and would helpful if they were just to descsribe a new feature on a piece of equipment. But how many reviews on a cabinet saws, contractors saws, or routers can one read? Each magzine does one of each every year. Same ole, same ole. Also, it would be nice if one publisher did mission, another shaker, etc. Instead all do mainly mission furniture. How many mission end tables can one build?

[John Shuk]

Chris I get WAH and enjoy it alot. Just can't read it in my favorite reading room.

[Rob Russell]

Chris I get WAH and enjoy it alot. Just can't read it in my favorite reading room.
That's why they have laptops. :rolleyes:

[Chris Padilla]

That's why they have laptops. :rolleyes:
As part of my garage rehab, I'm going to put in a TV with a built-in DVD/VCR player and hook it up to my cable! :D

[Ted Shrader]

First a note of observation. Currently there are three different threads on woodworking magazines that are active right now.

I subscribe to quite a few. Over the years I have stopped and then resumed a few of them after format changes (Woodworkers Journal and Wood come to mind).

I am a recent subscriber to Woodworking at Home. Interesting format, takes a little getting used to, but I really like it. My other favorites are Fine Woodworking and Woodsmith.

Ted

[Michael Stafford]

I just received my last issue of ShopNotes as well. Interesting that so many folks are making the same decision at the same time. You know what they say about great minds....

[Rich Konopka]

I just received my last issue of ShopNotes as well. Interesting that so many folks are making the same decision at the same time. You know what they say about great minds....
Ditto. I just let my subscription lapse.

[Scott Coffelt]

Glad it is just not me. Yes they have good articales, but that up to 70+ issues, getting pretty old.

I picked up an issue of FWW and I bet 1/2 the pages were ads. For $8 it may be the last. Think goodness we can still learn here at SMC.

[JayStPeter]

Hmmm, I just made the same decision. I'll probably replace it with Popular WW. It seems to have gotten pretty good lately. I had dropped it a few years ago.

Jay

[Rob Russell]

" ... I'm going to put in a TV with a built-in DVD/VCR player and hook it up to my cable!"
All that in a "reading room"? Wow, and I thought I got snazzy with some of the wiring I did for our new thundermug room.

On a note more germane to the thread, I have used to get Wood, AWW, FW and ShopNotes. I also am on the list for WoodShop News, Wood Digest and CWB. I dropped AWW and ShopNotes a number of years ago and have let WoodDigest lapse. I also subscribed to Chris' DVD mag, but dropped it almost immediately because our computer couldn't play DVD's and I didn't want to sit in front of the TV with it. I will probably let Wood lapse because it just doesn't do that much for me anymore. I may end up with just FWW.

Rob

[Jerry Olexa]

Agree w your thoughts. There seems to be a sameness in many of the mags. I find I'm excited when the issue arrives in my mailbox but it quickly evaporates when I go thru the mag in less than 20 minutes and nothing is new! I'm cutting back also. I'll continue to get WOOD. and do like Woodsmith and FWW but a bit expensive I just let Amer WWr expire as well as ShopNotes. I'm starting to look at new issues of mags I don't get @ the local Borders and if I like, I buy that issue.