What magazines do you guys subscribe to?

[Justin Pfenning]

I'm new to wood working, and am wanting to subsrcibe to a magazine or 2, to learn some techniqes and get ideas for projects. What are you reading, and what do you like about it? Thanks for the info.

Justin

[George Bokros]

I subscribe to Wood Magazine, Woodsmith, Woodcraft Magazine, Wood Workers Journal.

[Pat Barry]

None. Cancelled all of them years ago. From time to time I will buy a copy of Fine Woodworking if it catches my eye near the HD checkout line

[Randy Red Bemont]

I get wood magazine and woodsmith. Thinking about woodworker's journal. I'll admit that I look through them and usually never touch them again.

Red

[Joseph Montroy]

I like Wood Magazine for some of the plans and their shop tips. Sometimes I'll pick up Fine Woodworking if the projects catch my eye.

[Ole Anderson]

I had subscriptions to several and finally settled on Wood.

[Mike Heidrick]

Wood. Few times a year it is $5 a year or so. I am prob paid up way past when the magazine will shut down.

[dennis thompson]

I subscribe to Wood Magazine, Woodsmith, Woodcraft Magazine, Wood Workers Journal.

I subscribe to the same ones, I like Wood & Woodsmith best

[Rod Sheridan]

I'm new to wood working, and am wanting to subsrcibe to a magazine or 2, to learn some techniqes and get ideas for projects. What are you reading, and what do you like about it? Thanks for the info.

Justin

Hi Justin, the only magazine I subscribe to is Fine Woodworking.

It's the best of a bad lot, it will teach you the basics and hopefully inspire you to improve your skills and craft................Regards, Rod.

[Prashun Patel]

I loved Wood for the first couple years. But the plans tended to repeat. Also, some of the plans like clocks tended to feel 'crafty' to me after a while. Not bad, just not my cuppa.

I continue to subscribe to Fine Woodworking Online. The searchable archives are wonderful. There are online extras to the paper mags, which are available in their entirety online with the subscription. I find FWW's tool reviews really good. They focus on furniture, which is my bag. Their plans are not as thorough as those in Wood, but their designs tend to be more sophisticated than those in Wood, so it can help those wishing to elevate their own design skills.

I like Popular Woodworking too, and find it very similar to FWW. So I'd pick one or the other.

You should also check out FWW's Shoptalk podcast. It's free like many podcasts. IMHO, it's the best of the three major ones out there. The others tend to have guys going on about projects they're working on. Shoptalk keeps it relevant to tools and techniques that you as a user can use.

[roger wiegand]

Fine Woodworking since issue#1. Thinking about stopping, as they are covering the same topics over and over and over, and running excruciatingly long articles on how to build from specific plans. I wish they'd devote much more of their space to design, as there's a near infinite amount to be productively said on that subject whereas the 83rd article on how to cut a mortise and tenon or set up your bandsaw adds very little to what they've already published on the subject.

[Mike Ontko]

Fine Woodworking - going on three or four years now, after having been a past subscriber to Fine Home Building and Fine Gardening. As a technical writer myself, I like the way Taunton Press presents its content and makes use of both Web and paper based media.

Wood - a subscriber for almost 2 years now, I like that their audience is targeted more towards regular garage shop types like myself, though I imagine that as my knowledge and abilities progress I may be looking elsewhere for more advanced information on specific topics.

[Doug Ladendorf]

For me it's Fine Woodworking and American Woodturner (the mag you get when you join the American Association of Woodturners). Those interest me the most. I was subscribed to Shop Notes until they went under. My Wood subscription just ran out. Not sure if I will renew as it's getting harder to find time to read them.

You should also check out FWW's Shoptalk podcast. It's free like many podcasts. IMHO, it's the best of the three major ones out there. The others tend to have guys going on about projects they're working on. Shoptalk keeps it relevant to tools and techniques that you as a user can use.

I agree on FWW's Shoptalk. For my money Mike P. alone makes it worth listening. I also listen to Shop Talk live, which is fun but sometimes remarkable what they don't know. What is the third "major" you mean? MWA? I do listen some times but don't expect to learn anything unless they have a good guest.

[Prashun Patel]

I agree about Mike Pekovich. He's the best. So humble and so much knowledge. Even when he tries to be sarcastic like Matt, it just comes off cute and innocent. Matt K, though! He needs to chill a tad. Last week Ed Pirnik was all excited about a depth gauge he got for a song and cleaned up. Matt K had to one up him yet again by saying he got his Starrett for even cheaper, rust free. And then he kicks him by saying he never uses his, and Ed will never use his either. He should be on Framework!

Anyway, the 3 are (in my order of pref) Shoptalk, Woodtalk, and MWA. MWA just rambles IMHO. Woodtalk takes on heavy debates like, 'Is it right to spend a lot of time on your shop furniture" or "should you take a class?" I mean these are philosophical debates that just don't matter to me. They inevitably end in 'make what makes you happy', and 'take what makes you happy'. Shoptalk focuses on user questions, favorite off-beat tools of the hosts, and mistakes they made that you might want to avoid yourself. Ed P takes a back seat to the other guys in terms of experience, but his organization of the show is top notch.

[Paul Wunder]

Justin,

We all have our magazine preferences, but for a newbie I would recommend Woodsmith and Wood Magazine.

Woodsmith contains extremely detailed and step by step plans and ideas for beginner to intermediate woodworkers with an emphasis on building skills. Each new technique that is covered in a plan is explained in a separate article. Woodsmith also maintains a an extensive "extras" library of tips and videos. They recently merged Shop Notes magazine into Woodsmith so now Woodsmith will also include wood shop ideas, jigs, and projects.

Wood Magazine is a woodworking magazine for the masses with monthly projects for beginners to intermediate woodworkers. many of their projects are style challenged" (personal opinion) but there are good projects to practice with and an emphasis on skill building.. .

Welcome to woodworking. Have patience with yourself.