Magazine Subscriptions

[Marvin Keys]

Hello everyone. I have a fairly simple question with what I am sure will be very varied answers. I am fairly new to the world of woodworking. I grew up doing woodworking with my father, but now as an adult with a recently purchased home, I have begun to put together my tool collection and begin building furniture peices for my home.

My question deals with magazine subscription. As a beginner/intermediate woodworker ( I have built a 36" x 84" bookcase and a small very simple garden bench) what magazines will likely contain a good mix of tool reviews, furniture plans, and general articles. I'm not too interested in carving or turning, nor am I interested in the extreme high end tools. What do the guys (and gals) here recommend. What magazines have better more comprehendable plans and more home woodworker type projects. I have looked at a number of magazines for the last couple of months, but I'm hoping to borrow from a storehouse of knowledge that goes back through a number of years of issues of a particular magazine.

Thank you in advance for your responses...

[Bruce Page]

Marvin,

I find Woodworkers Journal to be a good mid level magazine. Most of the projects aren’t basic beginner level nor are they at the high-end level.

With a couple of exceptions, most of the wood magazines seem to roller-coaster in quality. Woodworkers Journal is pretty consistent.


The key to being a good manager is keeping the people who hate me away from those who are still undecided. -- Casey Stengel

[Mike Evertsen]

wood , american woodworker,shop notes and woodsmith I get
but only order from the publisher there scam outfits that pose as a subscription service they are not authorized to sell any woodworking magazines I know of and you will spent double the subscription rates,,,,,,

[Dan Stuewe]

I've been pretty new to woodworking for several years now, and my favorite to read is Woodsmith. They don't do the tool reviews though. Their sister publication Shop Notes fills that niche. The same publisher also has Workbench which is pretty good for the home woodworker. Wood magazine has great plans, but the plan articles are very poorly written in my experiance (maybe a personal thing). American Woodworker is okay (couldn't pass up 2 years free, but I haven't resubscribed).

[Lee Schierer]

I get Wood and Workbench. I used to get American Woodworker, but haven't renewed.

[Doyle Alley]

I vote for ShopNotes for two reasons:

1. New woodworkers don't usually get to start out with a shop equiped with all the jigs, fixtures, cabinets, etc. that they really need. ShopNotes is all about making these things.

2. Everybody makes mistakes, and new woodworkers are going to make lots. It is easier to forgive yourself for making an ugly jig using MDF than an ugly piece of furniture with expensive walnut. Make the shop related stuff featured in ShopNotes (or other magazines) and gain the skill required for "real" pieces.

[Eric Apple - Central IN]

Fine Wood Working is a must have - always something good. The others I pick up on an as needed (wanted ?) basis. American Woodworker, Wood are two that I end up with a total of 2 or 3 a year.

On the equipment side, Jet, Grizz, Delta, PM, and about a thousand others are all pretty decent. I usually read a review after I bought the thing. Learing from the reviews what you might want to look for is nice. I think sometimes asking advice adds confusion rather then helping - even though they all work well, people have a favorite. I would say the handtools and the equipment that's real inexpensive like harbor freight, york and so on are worth asking about the working value. These machines are often absent from mag. reviews. But a lot of the time you get responses based on theory rather then experience. There are a few really good values at less then half the price of the big names. The power hand tools seem to wear out very fast compaired to floor tools, so it's nice to hear when some has a 5 year old one working great after using it every day.

On the other hand, asking about jigs/fixtures/misc equip is super helpful. There must be 10,000 miter gauge replacement gizmos. Some do 1 thing well, others do a couple of things well. Ask about what you need it to do.

[Perry Schmidt]

I'm sure I'll be in the minority here, but I actually enjoy Family Handyman. It's not really a 'woodworking magazine', but has lots of good ideas, projects across the board from fountains to sheds to built-in bookcases to various room remodeling ideas to garden/lawn care to...you get the idea. For a new home-owner (and even some not-so new) I find it very imformative.

For topics that relate to just woodworking I like Woodsmith and Shopnotes.

Perry

[Eldon Berg]

I find that Woodsmith and Shopnotes have what most interests me. Once in a while American woodworker has an interesting article.

As a previous poster said the different magazines have a roller coaster quality level. My problem is that the mags might be pretty much useless till my subscription is due then the latest issue has something worthwhile and I then am a sucker to renew.

Eldon

[Dave Avery]

FWW, Woodsmith and Shopnotes for knowledge/plans. As far as reviews are concerned, you're far better off using this forum to explain what you want to make and your budget - and getting advice from the assembled group as to what to purchase..... just as you're doing for mag. sub's. Dave.

[Marvin Keys]

I just signed up for free preview issues of Woodsmith and Shopnotes. Thank you for all the advice.

[Jim Young]

In this case I would get Wood and Woodsmith. Wood had many beginner and mid level advice and Woodsmith has nice plans. As your skills and desire for the craft increase you will eventually pick up FWW, as most people do.

[Jim Becker]

I read <i>WOOD, Fine Woodworking, Woodwork, ShopNotes, Woodsmith</i> and <i>American Woodturner</i> (the <a href="http://www.woodturner.org" target="_new">AAW</a> Magazine). I no longer take <i>American Woodworker</i> as I felt it really went down hill when <i>Readers Digest</i> bought the publication, although it was a fine publication when Rodale had it.

My affinity for <i>WOOD</i> is understandable for those who know me. Of the others, <i>Fine Woodworking</i> is really the one I enjoy the most of the general woodworking magazines and I learn an awful lot from it. <i>Woodwork</i> is a magazine that I discovered on a newsstand a little more than a year ago. It has a lot of the qualities of <i>FW</i>, but is written in a very different style. It also features a lot more international talent in it's pages. <i>ShopNotes</i> and <i>Woodsmith</i> are as described by others...very useful, project-oriented magazines. They also have no advertising. The new issue of <i>SN</i> arrived today and it has a great mortising jig for a router and a very interesting technique for gluing up legs from thiner stock without having the glue joint show when you cut contours, etc.

For turners, you really need to join the AAW. The magazine alone is worth the twice cost of membership!

Don't be afraid to take a free issue from any of these publications to see how they are and then pick up the next issue of those you like at the newsstand before you commit to a subscription. Once you arrive at the one(s) you want to read regularly, take advantage of any special offer you can find on a multi-year deal. It keeps your per-copy cost low.

[Doug Littlejohn]

Well let's see. FIne WoodWorking, Shopt Notes, Wood and WoodSmith make a nice collection for me. I get tool reviews, plans from a little past beginner up to somewhat advance. Lot's of good jig ideas and plans as well as good tutorials.

[Charles McKinley]

I just picked up a copy of Fine Homebuilding @ HD. It has a great article of making bookshelves and working with MDF, exterior painting and some cool tips.

I subscribe to WOOD I think it is a good starter mag.

Pick up some at the news stand and see what you like the most.

Also do an archive search. There was a sismlar thread a while back.

[Jim Becker]

Originally posted by Charles McKinley
I just picked up a copy of Fine Homebuilding @ HD.

I've found that any of the Taunton magazines and/or books are most excellent. I bought a subscription to Fine Gardening for SWMBO and it's an impressive magazine. I suppose Fine Cooking is next as soon as the kitchen is done... :D