I got my renewal notice for FWW, just after getting that horrible issue with the article on clamping - yea, one of those Irwin hand clamps will apply more pressure than my Bessy K body. I don't think so...
Anyway, I realize that what use to be the unrivaled best is perhaps no more. What do you think is the best woodworking magazine for the advanced amateur/pro market?
Harvey
In addition to the clamping debacle, it seems that the article about hvlp sprayers, paricularly the comments about the Earlex Spraystation being unable to spray water based liquids, was made without the author even using the Earlex. I've been told the Earlex sample submitted to FWW was returned in the same condition it was received, unused. So with all that being said, I find that as my woodworking skills advance, Woodwork magazine continues to become more interesting and useful. The current issue has an article several pages long which goes into detail about wipe on finishes and finishing by a very reputable author. This article alone would be worth the price of a year's subscription in my humble opinion.
Those are the Popular Woodworking folks and I really like their approach! Flexner recently got kind of unfairly (my opinion) beat up on this forum for his "Home Center Finishes" article in another publication, but I've learned lots from him.
Chris Schwartz is an excellent editor.
What I find kind of funny is that I'm a big fan of the Tage Frid school of no-nonsense, getting it done, no-fru-fru, woodworking. Pop Wood & Woodworking seem more "Fridian" to me than the magazine Tage made what it is (was?).
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I still believe FWW is the best, although it has lost a few points lately. Personally, I prefer to buy Taunton Press woodworking books
--they are a better value, although some readers like the advertisements contained in magazines.
Sat, Oct 20, 2007, 11:23am snipped-for-privacy@nowhere.com (eclipsme) doth query: What do you think is the best woodworking magazine for the advanced amateur/pro market?
WoodenBoat.
JOAT "I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth." "Really? Why not?" "I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."
I still like some of the plans that FWW publishes. I also like many of those in Woodsmith. I too like Woodwork but the best advice mag has been the precious few issues of "Woodworking". Its difficult to get in my area and does not offer a subscription yet but it is also ad free and, from what I have seen so far, run by artisans who sound more like they know what they are doing.
Woodowrkers journal isn't bad for 12 $/yr. I never subscribe for more than a year, and try different ones every year. Go to B&N or Borders, have a cup of coffee and read them all. Then you can decide. I like the FWW furniture galleries. (But I was wondering the same thing about the article about clamping forces. Quick grip grater than K Body?)
Mitch
Every magazine goes hot and cold. After all, do you really stop writing about nails, just because you wrote about them when you were still black and white?
I enjoy going through all the ads in any of the woodworking magazines...mostly to take down URL's of those ads that interest me. Then I go visit their sites and learn more about what the specific manufacturer has to sell me. So, believe it or not, I buy magazines to look at the ads. Seldom do I buy a magazine because there is a shoot- out between Sikorsky and Bell shredders. For opinions and technical input, I come here to the Wreck, or I visit Woodweb.com or call my colleagues. A good tool/equipment dealer will tell me; "Rob, this unit is not quite as good as this one, but it is 95% there and you save a ton of dough going this route."
My cynical outlook about magazine reviews came after I was asked to buy an ad in a well-known audio magazine if I wanted a review. The bigger the ad, the better the review. I'm not saying they're all like that, but business is business, and politics is..well...business too. You see, FWW and WOOD etc...NEED the Delta's and Porter Cables, Ridgids and so on...if they want to stay in business, they have to kiss a little ass.
The rest, like the clamping article..is just filler.... and they're scrambling for filler. ALL magazines suffer that lot. All you have to do is pick up a copy of Playboy if you REALLY want to learn about GE Silicone II.... oops.. different kinda filler.
r
And if you don't buy coffee you'll save enough to purchase at least one additional magazine.
ROY!
One thing that people haven't mentioned is that the hand clamps in that article are the new "XP" ones, which can generate way more force than the old ones. They're rated at 550lbs for one-handed clamping, and
900lbs for two-handed.According to this post in the sawmill creek forums
So I don't think it's totally unreasonable...
Chris
Sat, Oct 20, 2007, 11:23am snipped-for-privacy@nowhere.com (eclipsme) doth query: I got my renewal notice for FWW, just after getting that horrible issue with the article on clamping - yea, one of those Irwin hand clamps will apply more pressure than my Bessy K body. I don't think so... Anyway, I realize that what use to be the unrivaled best is perhaps no more. What do you think is the best woodworking magazine for the advanced amateur/pro market?
Almost forgot. Popular Mechanics. Some excellent woodworking plans. But I let my subscription lapse - I believe they go into too much detail on some of their reporting on the war in Iraq, and similar. Not because of the moral, spiritual, or whatever issues - but because it's like, "Hey terrorists, if you do this, you can cause a lot of damage". The trend seems to be write about anything and everything, don't hold back a thing. I figure the terrorists are gonna come up with enough nasty stuff on their own, no sense in giving them hints. Their writers aren't the only ones doing the same thing, and there's plenty of politicians ready to open their mouths telling about how easy it would be for terrorists to do this, or that, and the horrible results. There's times when something doesn't need to be printed, or said. But the woodworking plans are good.
JOAT "I'm an Igor, thur. We don't athk quethtionth." "Really? Why not?" "I don't know, thur. I didn't athk."
Well, IMHO this is only one of the things wrong with this as well as other issues. Still, by your figures the K body still wins, but the point is it appears that this guy pulled the numbers out of a hat. Anyway, overall I think the magazine is just not what it used to be.
Harvey
Woodwork and Woodworking are different publications.
They are, and I am confused. I'll have to check out Woodwork, but I still like the other two.
Who could have predicted that so many woodworking magazines could have names so similar?? ;-}
He described his methodology for measuring clamping force. Now one can argue the method's validity but he didn't "pull the numbers out of a hat".
publication, but I've learned lots from him.
Certainly put me in that group. For years his books on basic finishing were the consulted regularly by me and thousands of others. His common sense, methodical appirach to finishing sure helped me. I realized after reading many of his articles, that sometimes, no matter what you do, things just don't work out when you are finishing.
He used to participate in other forums, but doesn't anymore because he can't defend himself against the know it alls. When you start with "I hate Minwax because it sucks and it made my project look bad, and I'll never use it again", how do you respond? Off group emails with him let me know he really hates conflict over such pointless drivel.
He write articles like the ones metioned above because there is a need to write them. Besides, home center finishes are usually perfect for most needs. Personally, it is a rare bird indeed that knows how to use even those to their fullest potential.
Robert
Very disapointed in FWW 14" bandsaw test. But it is by far the # 1 in my book. I also subscribe to WJ,Popular and wood. It sure is nice to have FWW have the contents on there spline for quick reference when saving the mags. WJ and wood do it off and on.
Second that - I haven't read Woodwork, but Woodworking is definitely my favorite. Woodworking
Just my opinions, Andy
Which sort of smokes me. One would think that if you subscribe to the printed magazine that on-line access would be a gimme. And, I wasted $14.95 last year; I just don't have the time to read everything I subscribe to now.
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