Some back, I remembered that as a young man

[lowell holmes]

I waited for Popular Mechanics issues to come out and so I subscribed to the magazine again.
One came today, and it is a BIG disappointment, I have already put it in file 13.

And I remember Roy Underhill and the Woodwrights Shop. It has no current episodes on line and I am sad about it.

[Jason Dean]

Lowell,

Leno's column used to be my favorite part of popular mechanics. Is it still there?

I'm able to stream a variety of the Wood Wright's shop episodes from PBS. I believe season 37 is the last one having lost State Farm as a sponsor.

[lowell holmes]

Jason, no Jay Leno is not there and neither is much else. I took it out of the trash can and will give it another look tomorrow.

[Bill Houghton]

Dad subscribed for me every year in the 1970s and 80s, but it had already gone pretty far downhill by then, compared to what it was in my youth (some of that, but not all of it, could be old man nostalgia). Now, I occasionally get a copy from the library to see if there's been some turnaround; but sadly, not. Not sure what's keeping it afloat.

[lowell holmes]

I revisited the magazine. It still sucks and is going back in the trash.

[Mike Null]

That's too bad. I remember back in the 50's and 60's that was my "go to" mag.

[Ray Selinger]

My grandmother gave me a subscription to Popular Science in the early'60s . It awakened my interest in woodworking, but even as a young teenager, I felt it was lacking in depth. Already then, the entertainment, as in short stories, magazines were waning . I guess TV did them in. When we camp, we don't bother with DVDs or even TV, so I add finding collections of short stories in used bookstores to the woodworking an metal working book search.

[Mel Fulks]

Those mags were full of wild do it yourself stuff. Lots of stuff made out of other old stuff. I remember reading how to
make a letter opener out of an old tooth brush. Sadly my parents considered mine too new. But I got it done ! Lots of
home business ideas, taxidermy was always big. You could learn to make big money by selling stuffed squirrels wearing
boxing gloves! Years ago the National Lampoon did a hilarious send up of those mags and their money making ideas.

[Jim Koepke]

When we camp, we don't bother with DVDs or even TV, so I add finding collections of short stories in used bookstores to the woodworking an metal working book search.

One of my favorite compilations is Uncle John's Bathroom Readers:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_...athroom_Reader

Some where on my shelves is a book by a woodworker/carpenter about different aspects of his woodworking life.

There are a few details that still cling on in memory. One of them being about a chisel/slick of unknown metallurgy. While building houses one of the rafters was bowed. At Miller Time the crew was all wondering what to do about 'that bum rafter.' He went to his truck, grabbed his chisel, climbed up on the building and knocked the bow out of the rafter. He then held his chisel high as the other workers looked on.

There is also a similar book on gardening around here somewhere. The only clinging memory on that one is oiling tool handles at the onset of the fall season.

jtk