Popular Woodworking: If We Pool Our Spare Change, ... .

[Simon MacGowen]

. Can't justify spending $6+ on a bunch of ads.

I was flipping the pages of Fine Woodworking (Tools & Shops 2019), and saw 6 pages spent on an outfeed table. You kidding me? It was there probably because Christian B. wrote it. What next (in the Tools & Shops 2020), an infeed table...this time by Chris G.? Enough is enough (at least for me). Good luck to all woodworking magazines out there; I am saving all my money for lumber.

Simon

[JimA Thornton]

I was flipping the pages of Fine Woodworking (Tools & Shops 2019), and saw 6 pages spent on an outfeed table. You kidding me? It was there probably because Christian B. wrote it. What next (in the Tools & Shops 2020), an infeed table...this time by Chris G.? Enough is enough (at least for me). Good luck to all woodworking magazines out there; I am saving all my money for lumber.

Simon

I think a lot of folks (experienced woodworkers) are saving their money for lumber as well, Simon. I read somewhere that a magazine has to repeat itself every few years, which tells me that they're aimed at new woodworkers. In your example above, an experienced woodworker with a shop is probably not going to be particularly interested in a new outfield table or a lot of the other content of the magazines.
I know a lot of folks don't like the subscription to website content concept very much, but I really like it. I renewed my interest in woodworking this last fall, so subscribed to the FW web content for several months. Spent a lot of time watching videos and reading articles that interested me. Now I've canceled that and am subscribed to Paul Sellers Woodworking Master Class, since my renewed interest is in hand tool woodworking (after a lifetime of machine woodworking). I've built several of his projects now and have learned a ton. When summer activities start I'll probably cancel that and then pick it up again this fall.

Jim

[ken hatch]

AOPA, Sport Aviation (EAA), and Kitplane. That's one heck of a fine animal you got there in your Avatar.

Thanks Dan,

That's Sweet Maggie Dog she and Sam the Wonder Dog are my shop dogs. They come running anytime they hear the bandsaw as it sometimes means a quartered rawhide bone. I suspect your Kitplane and Sport Aviation are a lot more interesting than BCA or Pro Pilot.

ken

[mike v flaim]

That's nothing. Pop Wood has 10 pages for their outfeed table in the current issue. Next month Wood will dedicate 12 pages with a custom kitty litter box underneath.

[Simon MacGowen]

That's nothing. Pop Wood has 10 pages for their outfeed table in the current issue. Next month Wood will dedicate 12 pages with a custom kitty litter box underneath.

Hahah...Fine Woodworking has larger and thicker sheets than Pop Wood, let's not forget.

Woodworkers Journal has just announced a new time limited offer: $10 for one year print subscription PLUS access to all its digital contents (all past issues as as ALL Premium Videos). Who could beat that kind of deal?

Simon

[Marshall Harrison]

Hahah...Fine Woodworking has larger and thicker sheets than Pop Wood, let's not forget.

Woodworkers Journal has just announced a new time limited offer: $10 for one year print subscription PLUS access to all its digital contents (all past issues as as ALL Premium Videos). Who could beat that kind of deal?

Simon

Simon , do you have a link for that offer? I couldn't find it. I only saw a year for $19 + $6 shipping.

Or maybe it was extremely time limited.

[Norb Schmidt]

They have a buyer in mind - will run a 363 process (that's the Chapter 11 portion of the Bankruptcy Code for an Auction) that is supposed to be done by mid June (pending objections by the Creditor's Committee and other challenges). As I read through the Filing, (as a Banker - a real banker that actually lends money, not an Investment Banker that merely brokers them) this thing was set up to File last year. They tried an out of court restructuring, but the Lender's named the Credit Facility the "Pre-Petition Credit Facility" - the operative word there is "Pre-Petition" which allows them to roll some of it into a "Debtor In Possession" credit facility. This is a $100 Million Dollar revenue company - those just don't go away easily. Certainly they want to clean up their mistakes, and a BK and subsequent 363/Auction sale washes up all the legacy contracts and whatnot so the new buyer can make all new mistakes on his/her nickel. My guess is FTI already has a buyer who will be named shortly as the Stalking Horse Bidder. BTW - the real winners in these cases is the consultants and the lawyers.

Media is a challenging industry - one that is feeling the effects of new technology and delivery systems. Chris Schwarz and Meghan have their firsthand account on the changes implemented that clearly didn't work. I make my living on Interest charged to borrowers, and believe that debt or leverage cuts both ways. I personally eschew personal leverage and prefer to follow the sage advice of guys like Dave Ramsey. Mainly because I know what I have to be like professionally when I need to get repaid from a loan that isn't performing....but most people like the idea of a mortgage, a car loan, a credit card - and certainly the United States Government has used debt to build new roads, social welfare systems, and defense. I mean 22 Trillion in Debt is real money...

As a woodworking community - I appreciate the generous sharing of knowledge we have through these media opportunities. Woodworking is largely a solitary sport - we go into our shops and basements/garages and work on a project individually. Our neighbors and family honor us with their praise, but we seek the validation of our fellow woodworkers to make sure we're on the right path, creating a legacy for ourselves and our loved ones. Some of you actually make their living from this craft - and that is both a labor of love of craft and a huge contribution to society. People like Chris Schwarz started publishing companies (and starting a publishing company in the midst of the current state of media in the World is a crazy idea) that have thrived and supported a huge number of people. We support the small businesses, the Lie-Nielsens, the Hamilton Gauges, the Wilding Planemakers, the Lost Art Press's of this world because we NEED them or else what we love will be lost.

This is a changing world. The change happens a lot faster than anyone would like. I used to shop Sears - no more. I owned an Oldsmobile. I had a Motorola cell phone (before Google bought it in Bankruptcy). Jobs are lost. Families are disrupted. It's sad. But it also drives ingenuity like the businesses I mentioned above. If F&W didn't run Chris to start Lost Art Press - does any of the books he published get done? Do we get the fine hand made tools?

I hope media figures out how to make money. I hope we all enjoy these days of very low cost internet access to everything we want. I hope and pray the families dislocated feel supported and encouraged by this community to pick themselves up and find new ways and opportunities to contribute. I hope and pray we find the grace to let them - all of them.

[Jerry Olexa]

It is a changing world...But boy, I sure want that outfeed table plan to build

[Keith Outten]

The organizations you support survive, that's the golden rule and it applies to brick and mortar stores as well as online organizations and companies.

Some of you may not have seen my previous posts concerning SawMill Creek. The use of advertising blocking is the norm these days so it is taking its toll on our ability to remain online in our current configuration. We recently removed all free access to email and private messages as a warning about upcoming changes. To date it has had very little impact so we will be moving to a subscription based structure shortly. In about one week we will eliminate all Visitor access here. The timeline for converting to a paid subscription basis is within the next 90 days for those of you who are registered Members. FWIW Visitor access here has always been a huge part of our ability to attract advertisers. Visitors today have no value since they consume resources and provide absolutely no source of revenue.

We cannot sell advertising that you don't view. Since advertising has paid for free access here since 2005 and it has decreased to a fraction of what it used to be all free access will cease to exist. Just so you know this is a wide spread problem for Internet sites that provide services and information, its not limited to just SawMill Creek. When Photo-Bucket started charging for the services they have always provided for free it was a preview of things to come.

[Simon MacGowen]

Simon , do you have a link for that offer? I couldn't find it. I only saw a year for $19 + $6 shipping.

Or maybe it was extremely time limited.

Still on their website:

https://subscribe.woodworkersjournal...37025559&vid=1

Could it be a response to Fine Woodworking's $100 annual premium content subscription, I don't know.

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

It is a changing world...But boy, I sure want that outfeed table plan to build

Here: https://www.finewoodworking.com/2018...-outfeed-table

If you want something not so basic, Google will find you more fancy ones in print or in the video format (free, of course).

Simon

[Simon MacGowen]

I hope media figures out how to make money. I

I did not click on the news link, but recall seeing something like a young chap making millions from his youtube (or some social media platform). Many youtube woodworking fellows also profit making creating content and views (I don't know the details either). Many of these are not qualified (or not willing) to write or produce content for magazines, I bet. But they make more money by working in their own shops than working freelance for any publishers. They attract viewers because somebody else (ads) pays for their production while viewers don't. It is really tough for any woodworking magazine to compete in the long term based on paid subscriptions, and that's my prediction.

Simon

[Marshall Harrison]

Still on their website:

https://subscribe.woodworkersjournal...37025559&vid=1

Could it be a response to Fine Woodworking's $100 annual premium content subscription, I don't know.

Simon

Thanks Simon, I subscribed. Now to find out how to log in and get access to the back issues.

[Marshall Harrison]

The organizations you support survive, that's the golden rule and it applies to brick and mortar stores as well as online organizations and companies.

Some of you may not have seen my previous posts concerning SawMill Creek. The use of advertising blocking is the norm these days so it is taking its toll on our ability to remain online in our current configuration. We recently removed all free access to email and private messages as a warning about upcoming changes. To date it has had very little impact so we will be moving to a subscription based structure shortly. In about one week we will eliminate all Visitor access here. The timeline for converting to a paid subscription basis is within the next 90 days for those of you who are registered Members. FWIW Visitor access here has always been a huge part of our ability to attract advertisers. Visitors today have no value since they consume resources and provide absolutely no source of revenue.

We cannot sell advertising that you don't view. Since advertising has paid for free access here since 2005 and it has decreased to a fraction of what it used to be all free access will cease to exist. Just so you know this is a wide spread problem for Internet sites that provide services and information, its not limited to just SawMill Creek. When Photo-Bucket started charging for the services they have always provided for free it was a preview of things to come.

I hate to see it come to that Keith. If that is what you have to do to keep SMC up and running then so be it. I'm in.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Thanks Simon, I subscribed. Now to find out how to log in and get access to the back issues.

Just beware the fine print. They send you ONE renewal notice by mail and you will be auto-renewed if you don’t opt out. I’m willing to bet that renewal will be at the $370 rate.

03F7A7F6-89A3-4A31-B127-DCB91202D74D.png