After I couldn’t find it in my local book stores…I got a subscription to American Router based on its cancellation policy. An email exchange with the editor, Alan Goodsell, made me take a shot. I received the January/February Issue 1 yesterday and here’s what I think.
The first thing I noticed, as I scanned through it, was the interesting layout. Its caulk full of pictures and sketches which is always good. The other noticeable thing is the busy pages, which at first bothered me, but grew on me after a while. The larger titles, different colors, and bold fonts helped the old eyes. Also…the tops of the pages are color coded to match the index which is an interesting concept.
The mag is broken up into 5 main sections. The first is “Regulars” (orange) and it contains 8 chapters which include editorials, news, tips and tricks, letters to the editor (how does the first issue get letters to the editor?), reviews, etc. The second is “Projects” (blue) and it contains…well the projects. Third is “Technical” (red) and it contains specific information on things like how to make raised panels on MDF, a jig for large curves, and basic router bit geometry. The fourth section is called “Feature” (purple) and it includes a page on woodworking on the web (which didn’t include SMC btw) and a good explanation of the math of the Golden Section. The last section is labeled “Tests” (green) which is self explanatory.
Now… what do I really think about it you may…or may not…ask?
Well…I basically like it. I think in general it was well written and detailed enough that most workers will get something from it. I didn’t put it down until I went all the way through it…which is a good sign. The 4 page chart of the entire existing router population (or close to it I guess) specs was interesting. The detailed explanation of the Golden Section was excellent and something all woodworkers/designers would benefit from. The workshop vacuum holding fixture was interesting.
Little things I didn’t like?
It has some rough edges that may just be personal. Even though I got over it after awhile I still think it kind of felt like a cruise brochure. It is the first issue and I’m sure they are trying to advertise it…so it may settle down a little. Ads are huge and overpowering.
I will always question tool reviews that exist within the same mag as their huge ad. I know…I know…they have to make money somehow…but it’s always going to be questionable if the review is unbiased.
As far as the projects go…some are weak…some are good. I guess there are few mags that get me excited about projects nowadays. I doubt that I will look forward to this mag for most of them. Maybe it’s just me…I’m no wiz with a router…but I had to look deep within each project for something of substance. It's not the biggest part of this mag anyway.
A small pet peeve of mine…breaking up chapters so you have to go searching in the back to find the end. You know…(continued on page…). It only happens a couple of times…and maybe it’s just me anyway.
So…FWIW…bottom line... I’ll keep the subscription because I like the technical information content. I can always learn more about how and what routers can do. If a project comes along I like…that’s a plus. I think it has potential and look forward to see how it evolves.
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