I just received my first copy of a new subscription

[lowell holmes]

To Popular Woodworking. It left me a little cold I hope the subject matter picks up in the future.

The magazine is just not the same without Swarz and Megan.

[Simon MacGowen]

I was surprised to see the credenza project when I flipped through the latest issue that belongs to the club. A decent furniture build and my only complaint was I couldn't tell from its drawings or photos if the doors are sliding or hinged. I saw neither hinges nor tracks (I had only a minute or two to go through the issue). I saw a new contributor there Amy something, which is refreshing as I did not like what I saw before I unsubscribed: almost the same three or four writers were featured in every issue. You don't listen to the same song, or eat the same dinner everyday, do you?

Why would a publisher think the same small crop of writers could inject freshness year after year? Even with its hundreds of contributors, we still see recycled materials now and then in Fine Woodworking. That is why the both defunct Woodwork and
American Woodworker (the older issues) still command my interest when I check them out.

Simon

[Michelle Rich]

Even Fine Woodworking is going downhill, and they were my favorite. I especially hate the articles that give you 1/4 in the mag, then say, see the rest online. If I wanted to go online, I wouldn't get a print magazine. Most magazines have free content online if you subscribe to the magazine, not FWW. They charge $$ to see online what one pays for when you get the printed magazine. Nope the old days of sitting in one's recliner with a great reading light are gone.

[Simon MacGowen]

Even Fine Woodworking is going downhill, and they were my favorite. I especially hate the articles that give you 1/4 in the mag, then say, see the rest online.

Agreed. Won't be renewing my FW sub. due to expire in 6 or 7 months.

FW has departed from its founders' principles and turned 100% marketing oriented. I received a promo material about its best 2018 video selections (or something like that), but as you pointed out, nothing is really free even though I am a long-time subscriber; only the preview or first or two episodes are free content. I did not even bother to click on those free stuff. The latest issue has the Adirondack chair project which we all have watched on PBS. So I was already like paying twice to see the same project, and they had the guts to tell me to pay more to view....Good luck to their business model. I couldn't but wonder if their database might have misspelled my last name as Sucker.


Simon

[Josko Catipovic]

I reluctantly agree that FWW has slipped a lot lately. They seem more focused on growing their online subscriptions than on magazine quality.

[Randy Heinemann]

No excuses for any magazines, but all print periodicals are struggling to determine what to do about internet access. I personally only read thoroughly about half of any woodworking magazines anyway. I just read those articles that I either think might suggest a project or improve my technique. Problem is that there are very few topics, techniques, or projects that haven't been covered by more than one magazine after all the years woodworking magazines have been around. Most of them have been out there since the 70's or 80's. Woodsmith, for example, used to be great. Either I have evolved or they have covered everything multiple times. It just doesn't provide anything useful these days.

Popular WW really caters mostly to hand tool work which, while they do provide some useful techniques, I am not just a hand tool woodworker.

While I hate to spend the money for FWW all access subscription, it does provide a lot of flexibility. Since you get access to all of their past magazines and other publications, I tend to use it as a reference quite a bit whenever I have a question. Since the current magazines are also included in the subscription it gives me what Ineed when I need it. However, given the current price and the variability of people's needs, it obviously isn't for everyone.

I find Woodworker's Journal is good sometimes, but, again, not always.

These days, you just have to find what is useful. I'm always glad I have choices, including no subscriptions at all.

[Simon MacGowen]

While I hate to spend the money for FWW all access subscription, it does provide a lot of flexibility. Since you get access to all of their past magazines and other publications, I tend to use it as a reference quite a bit whenever I have a question. Since the current magazines are also included in the subscription it gives me what Ineed when I need it. However, given the current price and the variability of people's needs, it obviously isn't for everyone.

I find Woodworker's Journal is good sometimes, but, again, not always.



I don't know how much FW charges for access to its premium content, I have the whole paper collection from #1, but also the digital archive (you can easily buy second-hand FW archive disc (usb now?) at half price and usually much much less).

Woodworker's Journal has a resourceful website full of free hands-on videos (not the cowboy kind seen on youtube). Their projects may not be as grand as FW's, but the magazine is heavy on techniques. The old issues (penned by Ian Kirby) cover hand tool topics.

Simon

[Rick Potter]

The one that saddens me is how WoodSmith seems to be losing it's way. Since the company was sold, the new owners seem to be in search of any new ways they can repackage old content into 'special' topical books and videos.

The situation reminds me of the classic 80's Wall Street corporate takeovers followed by sell offs of profitable parts, and then dumping the shell that is left.

Their TV show really took a dive last year, while they changed the format, but kept the original presenters, and went away from the one show/one project concept to one that pushed you to go online for the rest of the story. Now that the transition is complete, with new presenters, the concept has improved a bit. I sure hope they work it out. It was my favorite show since Norm.

Of course, this is only my opinion.

[Randy Heinemann]

I don't know how much FW charges for access to its premium content, I have the whole paper collection from #1, but also the digital archive (you can easily buy second-hand FW archive disc (usb now?) at half price and usually much much less).

Woodworker's Journal has a resourceful website full of free hands-on videos (not the cowboy kind seen on youtube). Their projects may not be as grand as FW's, but the magazine is heavy on techniques. The old issues (penned by Ian Kirby) cover hand tool topics.

Simon

Actually the usefulness of Woodworker's Journal content online is questionable. Mostly WWJ is a marketing tool for Rockler these days and a good portion of the content relates to products Rockler sells in their stores and online. Not sure where you're buying the USB for FWW "second hand" but it's usually sold for no less than $75 online by Taunton and mostly for more than that. I used to have all the print magazines but it just takes up too much space. What magazines woodworkers subscribe to and what online services they use is truly based on their needs and preferences. It does appear, though, that all are running out of topics and techniques to put in their publications and online. There maybe is just a finite number of topics and, after almost 45 years of regular publications, there just is not that much new left to write about.

[Simon MacGowen]

Just as Woodcraft magazine would use products carried by Woodcraft in its magazine, Woodworker's is expected to use Rockler's. That said, we can easily ignore brands and use competitors' products in techniques demonstrated in their videos. I did not have to buy a new tool to do what Rough Cut with Fine Woodworking may show even though certain brand names are used there.

Owners dump their FW, WC etc discs or USBs on CL, EBAY, etc. after they install their purchases in their computers. You can buy original, second hand MS products in the same way.

Simon

[Brian Henderson]

Just as Woodcraft magazine would use products carried by Woodcraft in its magazine, Woodworker's is expected to use Rockler's. That said, we can easily ignore brands and use competitors' products in techniques demonstrated in their videos. I did not have to buy a new tool to do what Rough Cut with Fine Woodworking may show even though certain brand names are used there.

Owners dump their FW, WC etc discs or USBs on CL, EBAY, etc. after they install their purchases in their computers. You can buy original, second hand MS products in the same way.

Many of which won't work when you get home. A lot of MS products get online and verify the license and if there are two licenses operating on the same product, they will shut down one or both of them for piracy, which is really what it is. That's not the case for WW magazines however, so people who do that are safe, even though ethically in the wrong.

[Simon MacGowen]

Many of which won't work when you get home. A lot of MS products get online and verify the license and if there are two licenses operating on the same product, they will shut down one or both of them for piracy, which is really what it is. That's not the case for WW magazines however, so people who do that are safe, even though ethically in the wrong.

I got my MS from the UK and it gave me no issues. It came with the certificate of authenticity etc.

Did FW sell its discs with a no resell condition attached? No duplicates is understandable, but I don't think it says you can't resell your disc. Older FW editions could be had for $10 or so. I use it mainly for searches as I have the print version.

Simon

[JimA Thornton]

I've recently got back into furniture making after a long absence. I was an early subscriber to Fine Woodworking (had the first 50 issues) and finally gave it up........too "arty" for me. Last month I subscribed to the monthly subscription ($8.25/mo). I love the new format!! I not only have access to all the back issues, but also the great teaching videos. Times have changed...........now I sit in my easy chair with my laptop instead of a magazine.

Something a lot of folks don't realize about these on-line subscriptions (which is the wave of the future) is that they can be cancelled at anytime. In my case, I subscribed in Nov. and will probably unsubscribe in March when I get busy with spring and summer activities. Then will re-subscribe next fall when I feel the need.

Jim

[Brian Henderson]

I got my MS from the UK and it gave me no issues. It came with the certificate of authenticity etc.

Did FW sell its discs with a no resell condition attached? No duplicates is understandable, but I don't think it says you can't resell your disc. Older FW editions could be had for $10 or so. I use it mainly for searches as I have the print version.

Then the original user wasn't using the software anymore, otherwise the new one wouldn't function. It's perfectly legit to sell your copy of Windows to someone else if you aren't using it at all. It is not legit if you just make a copy of the original disks, then sell the original disks to someone else and continue to use it yourself. By the same token, if someone bought the FW disks, copied the contents to their own drive, then sold the disks and continued to use the copied content, that's skating on some really legally thin ice. FW has a right to control the number of copies of their content floating around out there. That's what copyright means. You can probably get away with it because you have the print version, just like I can go out and download any movie off the Internet that I own the Bluray for, but for people who are just doing it to steal from FW, that's a no go.

[Randy Heinemann]

Just as Woodcraft magazine would use products carried by Woodcraft in its magazine, Woodworker's is expected to use Rockler's. That said, we can easily ignore brands and use competitors' products in techniques demonstrated in their videos. I did not have to buy a new tool to do what Rough Cut with Fine Woodworking may show even though certain brand names are used there.

Owners dump their FW, WC etc discs or USBs on CL, EBAY, etc. after they install their purchases in their computers. You can buy original, second hand MS products in the same way.

Simon

Too bad that people do that just to make a few bucks (or save a few bucks whichever way you want to look at it). It seems to me that this probably contributes to the higher cost of the FWW USB, their online subscriptions, and other online services (certainly not the only reason, but certainly a contributing factor). By reducing demand for their products and online content, they must spread their costs over a smaller number of users. While I suppose people have always passed their bring magazines around between friends, seems to me that doing this with a disk that contains 30+ years of magazines is an escalation beyond reasonable. Just my opinion and don't really want a big discussion. I just don't feel some things are "right". It probably will contribute to the demise of some of these publications in the long run. Don't know whether that will be a significant loss or not overall. It would be to me.

[Dave Lehnert]

What always got me about Popular Woodworking was they seemed to run the digital magazine and the hard copy as two different things.
I use to get the hard copy. I subscribed to the digital through Amazon and dropped the hard copy. I would get letter after letter saying they missed me and wanted me back etc... And I was already a customer/ reader via digital.

I have been to the Popular Woodworking shop many times for events. Sad that Chris and Megan are gone. I do believe they were trying hard to put out a good magazine.

[Simon MacGowen]

It probably will contribute to the demise of some of these publications in the long run. Don't know whether that will be a significant loss or not overall. It would be to me.

Magazines that will die will die, but not because people resell their archives. If that were true, there is a simple solution: stop producing the archives.

FW charges $99.99 for its 2018 archive; the owner of the 2019 archive would save a lot when he sells his 2018 archive, say, for $40. He might not be buying the 2019 USB if there were a no resell condition that kept him from making $40. That would be a bigger loss to FW. FW has also probably included in its USB price the factor some people will resell their USBs.

In the old days, people resold their brand new DVDs after watching them. That would represent a certain % of loss of DVD sales. No one, including the DVD producers, seemed to have complained. I also resell my pricey Festool tools now and then, but the impact on Festool would be inconsequential, just like those reselling their archives.

Simon

[lowell holmes]

I have the Feb 2019 issue . IMO, it is a complete washout. It is really sad how the magazine has fallen.

[Jacob Reverb]

I can't remember the name of the magazine, but I somehow ended up with a free subscription to some magazine – I think it might have been Popular Woodworking – but it had a regular column that I think was called "Design Matters" that was written by the same columnist every month; I think the writer's name was George Walker. Here's an example:

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/jun12/design-matters-design-by-proportion/

Anyway, I thought it was the best thing I've seen in any woodworking magazine in many years. He really focussed on the age-old fundamentals of elegant design, and I really looked forward to his column every month. The rest of the magazine was the usual "How to Tune Up Your Table Saw" stuff that we've seen in every issue of every other magazine for the past few millennia, but I thought that design column alone was worth the price of admission.

So many of these magazines focus on the latest gadget, or obsess over fairly minor minutia, while negecting the fundamentals of good design, that it was really refreshing to see. Seems like all you see anymore in WW mags are projects that have beautiful finishes, beautiful joints, and use all the latest gadgets and technologies in their construction – yet have no sense of proportion or elegant design and are as ugly as a mud fence. I end up saying to myself, "Did anybody actually DRAW this monstrosity first to see what it would look like???" This fellow George Walker seemed to be a lone voice of sanity in the wilderness on the issue...

[Frederick Skelly]

I can't remember the name of the magazine, but I somehow ended up with a free subscription to some magazine – I think it might have been Popular Woodworking – but it had a regular column that I think was called "Design Matters" that was written by the same columnist every month; I think the writer's name was George Walker. Here's an example:

https://www.popularwoodworking.com/jun12/design-matters-design-by-proportion/

Anyway, I thought it was the best thing I've seen in any woodworking magazine in many years. He really focussed on the age-old fundamentals of elegant design, and I really looked forward to his column every month. The rest of the magazine was the usual "How to Tune Up Your Table Saw" stuff that we've seen in every issue of every other magazine for the past few millennia, but I thought that design column alone was worth the price of admission.

So many of these magazines focus on the latest gadget, or obsess over fairly minor minutia, while negecting the fundamentals of good design, that it was really refreshing to see. Seems like all you see anymore in WW mags are projects that have beautiful finishes, beautiful joints, and use all the latest gadgets and technologies in their construction – yet have no sense of proportion or elegant design and are as ugly as a mud fence. I end up saying to myself, "Did anybody actually DRAW this monstrosity first to see what it would look like???" This fellow George Walker seemed to be a lone voice of sanity in the wilderness on the issue...


Hi Jacob,
Walker and Jim Tolpin have 2 or 3 books out together now on design. You might enjoy them. Walker also has a blog/website called: www dot byhandandeye dot com.
Fred

[Ben Zara]

FWW is still good, if anything they keep adding new sections to the print version.

FWW greatest advantage is the photography and the diagrams, it blows everyone else away. Their website has some great content but the layout and search functions suck. But getting access to the Phil Lowe build videos are worth it alone.

I quit reading popwood after a few articles that looked like a five year old shot them. In particular there was an article on making a wagon vise that was literally shot in a basement that seemed like it had one yellow incandescent light bulb lighting the whole windowless shop. And worse, they put a picture of his cat in the magazine. Bad enough when it's Krenov, do we really need cat pics in a woodworking magazine? Nope.

[William Chain]

Sadly, I agree that PWW and WWJ have been far less informative lately. Aren’t both of them festooned with nearly identical router bit cover articles this month? More ads than content, furniture builds featuring social media people trying to wedge into their photos every piece of sponsor provided overpriced crap they can, and then you find yourself trapped in a Red Ryder sales pitch every other page. There are a few mags of British origin I see on the shelf at the local bookstores that are of higher quality. Pricey but usually (not always if I’m honest) a good treat every now and again.

[Frederick Skelly]

Yup. Most magazines stink now. Just another reason that a $6 contribution to SMC is such a great value! :) :) :)

[Jacob Reverb]

Else failing, there's always Woodsmith and Shop Notes.

[Ron Citerone]

Yup. Most magazines stink now. Just another reason that a $6 contribution to SMC is such a great value! :) :) :)


I think with Forums, Internet and Utube, magazines are doomed and have become glorified catalogs as an attempt to survive. I've seen the same type of thing happen to some fishing forums I frequent once they are bought out by companies that stalk their posters pushing anything that they googled recently.

Totally agree the SMC is a great value for the small fee! Plus the fact that you can ask and rephrase questions opens up a whole new concept IMO.

[Simon MacGowen]

Seems like all you see anymore in WW mags are projects that have beautiful finishes, beautiful joints, and use all the latest gadgets and technologies in their construction – yet have no sense of proportion or elegant design and are as ugly as a mud fence. I end up saying to myself, "Did anybody actually DRAW this monstrosity first to see what it would look like???" This fellow George Walker seemed to be a lone voice of sanity in the wilderness on the issue...

True that the end result is more than joinery and finish, but equally design alone does not cut it, at least not for those of us who are woodworkers. A great design with lousy execution is a pity (or shame).

As for drawing, it depends on who you talk to. Michael Pevovich (sp?) in his new book mentions about the importance of drawing (formulas, ratios), but in the end, he believes the eye is the most important tool, which I agree. I have built pieces that don't conform to the golden ratio but they turned out surprisingly better to the eye than if I had followed the mock-ups.

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

FWW is still good, if anything they keep adding new sections to the print version.

FWW greatest advantage is the photography and the diagrams, it blows everyone else away.

Other magazines can do great photographs and diagrams like FW if they really want to, but there is something that they can't copy FW: the unmatched source of contributors in the hundreds that they can draw on. The skilled woodworkers are attracted to FW's stable because of its reputation, while others have to attract contributors to their pools.

You can improve the ink, paper, photographs, etc., but they are the hardware. FW's success lies in its software. FW is the Ivy League (with its own weaknesses, of course).

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

Else failing, there's always Woodsmith and Shop Notes.

ShopNotes?

I think it no longer exists as a separate entity.

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

furniture builds featuring social media people trying to wedge into their photos every piece of sponsor provided overpriced crap they can, and then you find yourself trapped in a Red Ryder sales pitch every other page. There are a few mags of British origin I see on the shelf at the local bookstores that are of higher quality. Pricey but usually (not always if I’m honest) a good treat every now and again.

I may be wrong, but I think the culprit of filling some pages of each issue with social media people is the WOOD magazine. WOOD started profiling social media people (I have seen the term "woodworking socialites" used to described those people) four or five years ago, and others found it a good money-saving idea to fill their content...with little cost or effort. The socialites of course are happy to get the free promo. Those social pages are as good as the pills ads to me. If FW follows them, that is the day we know FW is running out of good content, too.

Simon

[Ron Kellison]

Something a lot of folks don't realize about these on-line subscriptions (which is the wave of the future) is that they can be cancelled at anytime. In my case, I subscribed in Nov. and will probably unsubscribe in March when I get busy with spring and summer activities. Then will re-subscribe next fall when I feel the need.

Jim

I was a subscriber from FWW #2 to around #125 but gave it up for all the usual reasons. I now take the online subscription, find all the new articles that interest me and save them as PDFs. Then I unsubscribe for another year. Rinse, repeat as necessary.

[Ben Zara]

I agree Simon, there is a lot of innovative and just non-standard technique in FWW that makes it interesting to read.

[Jim Morgan]

Yup. Most magazines stink now. Just another reason that a $6 contribution to SMC is such a great value! :) :) :)

Gotta wonder about people who have posted hundreds or thousands of times but can't pony up a measly six bucks to support SMC.

[William Chain]

Interesting theory. Perhaps this is so but I do not wish to pay to read about builds by people that measure their success in “collaborations” with woodpeckers or triton or whoever. Great, you used your #sponsored square and #sponsored router to build a shelf for to hold all your #sponsored squares and routers.

On the other hand, my wife and I are tempted to create a bogus Instagram account, buy a bunch of crap cutting boards from Homegoods/Marshall’s, and photograph them next to some shavings and a woodpecker square and see how many followers that kind of crap can garner.


I may be wrong, but I think the culprit of filling some pages of each issue with social media people is the WOOD magazine. WOOD started profiling social media people (I have seen the term "woodworking socialites" used to described those people) four or five years ago, and others found it a good money-saving idea to fill their content...with little cost or effort. The socialites of course are happy to get the free promo. Those social pages are as good as the pill ads to me. If FW follows them, that is the day we know FW is running out of good content, too.

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

On the other hand, my wife and I are tempted to create a bogus Instagram account, buy a bunch of crap cutting boards from Homegoods/Marshall’s, and photograph them next to some shavings and a woodpecker square and see how many followers that kind of crap can garner.


haha:D

Before you do that, better get your bio piece updated as you or your wife might even get a call (or email) from XXX magazine's editor, wondering if they can feature both of you in their next issue that happens to be running some articles on...cutting boards!

Simon

[Mark Gibney]

This fellow George Walker seemed to be a lone voice of sanity in the wilderness on the issue...

I agree with Jacob Reverb on this - George Walker's pieces in Pop Wood are, for me, the best thing in the magazines.

[Jim Becker]

I agree Simon, there is a lot of innovative and just non-standard technique in FWW that makes it interesting to read.

Even FWW has become somewhat stale over time. We shouldn't be surprised at that, however...even with all the creativity that's possible, there's some somewhat a finite limit to how many ways one can do something and the end result is that we are left with minor variations which behind the scenes are the "same old, same old". This hits long-time readers more than newbies because long-time readers start to notice the redundancy. Folks new to the activity are seeing everything as new to them. At some point, each person gets to that place where they begin to wonder if they should continue to pay to read what they essentially have read previously. And then the subscription drops. That's what happened to me. I originally subscribed to several woodworking related magazines and even did a small amount of writing for one of them years ago. Gradually, I dropped the subscriptions until I was only receiving FWW. I continued with that for awhile because even with redundancy, it was still "good library reading". I did stop subscribing however because I got to that point where I could no longer justify it and I wasn't leveraging anything I saw, unlike years before. I do think they have been wise to put a lot of effort into their own online resources, however, because there is such a wealth of knowledge and information there that is always accessible to folks who want to subscribe.

[lowell holmes]

I have kept my Fine Woodworking subscription current and I have the plans of the Adirondack chair on the cover of the February cover and will buy the cypress wood for two chairs next week. :)
I don't find the magazine to be stale.

I enjoy reading and re-reading the magazine while lounging on the couch during the evening hours when the content of the TV shows leave me cold.