As a sorta new ww (cobbler) been thinking about subscribing to a magazine or two. I know many of ya'll have mentioned they get old with time, but I haven't seen but a few issues. Any recommendations, or any to stay away from. Adversitising is not a big issue with me, one way or the other. Thanks in advance.
I think that Fine Woodworking is the premier magazine with American Woodworker coming in second.
I have every issue of FW and always use it as a reference.
Other magazines I come across are Wood Magazine, Workbench, Popular Woodworking and Woodworkers Journal. All except FW, I tear out the pages with worthwhile articals, staple them together, and file them. It can reduce a 3 foot stack into a 3 inch stack.
Gary
If you are into power tools, and jigs and fixtures that go with power tools, try Woodsmith
I am not putting down the current magazine. It is still well written, and the graphics and drawings are excellent. By the way, my local Lowe's has Woodsmith on the racks when an issue comes out.
As a beginner in the hobby, it is very easy to read a Woodsmith article, look at the drawings and graphics, and think "I Can DO this!!!! Wrong. Stick with just building the jigs and fixtures until you understand Woodsmith lingo and how the articles are written. Step 2 thru step 3 may be most of a Saturday afternoon. This is not a hit on your woodworking skills, it is about how woodworking magazines compromise between 15 year veterans and newbie's in writing their articles.
Phil
I think it was "Rick Samuel" who stated:
F ine W ood W orking
is the one I've always subscribed to over the years -- even back before I even did any woodworking!
It always inspires me, even when I know my skills fall short in so many ways.
I like it so well, I've even bought back issues on eBay so I now have the entire set from the first issue to the current one . . . .
(Someday when I get a Round Tuit, I MUST make proper wooden sleeves to replace the cardboard ones that house the collection now.)
-Don
It's surprising how much, and how little, woodworking has changed - at least the magazines. Last year I picked up a couple or three hundred woodworking magazines from the 70's and 80's at a garage sale, and about a hundred plans, for five bucks. Paper gloat? Anyway, the sophistication of the publishing and the power tools have changed quite a bit, but the bulk of the stuff was still spot on. No surprise really. The thing that got me was the Tips sections. There were tips in the old magazines that I've seen in much more recent magazines, and someone got paid for submitting the tip both times. Maybe there's a business there - submitting tips from old magazines and getting paid for your "originality". ;)
Most of the woodworking magazines have something to offer and which one best suits your needs is dependent on your woodworking skills - and whether or not you can live without four color printing. Check out some of the magazines at libraries and large bookstores like Borders or Barnes & Noble. You'll want a magazine that's a little over your head so you'll learn, but not too much.
R
Fine Woodworking.
You won't understand it, but keep reading. Soon you'll start to be inspired by it. After a few years you might even get to start arguing with it. 8-)
My ambition used to be to get a piece illustrated in it. Now it's to write for it.
If you're in the UK, then Good Woodworking is a very good mag about entry-level woodworking. Read it at first, but you ought to grow out of it pretty soon.
Best UK mag is Furniture and Cabinet Making.
Rick:
Chosing which WW magazines to read/use, is pretty much an individual choice.
There is a lot of positives about Fine WoodWorking. My library has a copies of it, perhaps yours does as well, to see how you like it. Some say that the black and white (no color) picture volumes where the best. Not sure about that, but often the articles were written by now the senior woodworkers like Maloof, Krenov, etc. These older articles are available in the hardbound books that frequently are remaindered in my area or perhaps on Amazon. Tends to have more serious projects for a beginner. The annual workshop issues are great. (around DEC/JAN).
American Woodworker has it's ups and downs. A couple of years ago, it was taken over by the Reader's Digest group. No offense to them, but the projects sort of "sucked" for awhile. Now, after about 5 years, they're doing pretty good.
Wood Magazine - the first "popular" magazine from the Meridith Group - Family Handyman is one of theirs - and I think Better Homes and Garden. Good generally, lots of articles on woodworkers in general. I like their easy projects.
Woodsmith/Shop Notes- two of the finest magazines around. Shop Notes has articles on building stuff for your workshop, jigs/fixtures/machines, etc. Woodsmith concentrates on the furniture. I read these two alot.
Router magazine - one word - NO. Hasn't yet lived up to what it should be. A reprint of an English publication.
Woodworker's Journal - owned by Rockler now, and the projects are hit and miss. More miss. The older issues of about 4 or so years ago where more interesting.
Workbench - use to be ok and now, it's falling off my favorite reads. Articles tend to be things like - replacing a deck or building a patio. Not woodworking.
Woodcraft - a good, but still young magazine owned by Woodcraft. Good articles but still hasn't become my all time favorite.
Woodwork - some have said that this is the premier magazine. Really oriented towards the pro - tho beginners might find some use of it. I started to read it again after the editor stopped by our club and talked about what he things the magazine is. Great articles on woodworkers and some projects.
And finally - one of the best all round - Popular Woodworking - this is one magazine that I would have to say, year after year, has offered up some great projects. I have used it over and over and treasure each of my copies. Easy to understand and a variety of shop and furniture projects. A great magazine!
If you're a carver or interested in carving there are other mags out there as well as for the scroll saw users. Can't vouch for them, as I don't do either.
What I would do, is what I did - just start buying an issue at time (if you can afford it) of the following: Fine Woodworking/Popular Woodworker/Shop Notes and Woodsmith. See if you find them interesting and easy to follow. I'd also throw in Wood in there as well.
Each of these magazines have their own websites and so you probably can get a good sense of their projects/article just by logging into the sites and poking around.
Good luck and reading!
MJ Wallace
Thanks for the tips. Especially Rocodjour's on getting something a bit over my head, so I'll learn something. Good point.
I like Shopnotes and Fine Woodworking. Taunton Press publications are usually good. I prefer books but mags tell about new stuff.
I get a couple of them.
The premier magazine is Fine Woodworking. While it is over my head skill-wise, it is a good inspiration
I find that Wood has some fairly simple plans and projects that a beginner can tackle with good results using just modest tools and techniques.
Nobody has mentioned Woodworking Magazine. Something there for all skill levels, ad free, excellent writing. Somewhat hard to find and the schedule of issues is not real apparent, but well worth the search. I typically find my copy in Lowes. No subscriptions yet, but I'll sign on if they go that way.
Take a look at their web site:
and check out the sample article.
After subscribing to pretty much all of them at once for a while I'm down to Fine Woodworking, Woodwork, and Popular Woodworking. I get other magazines such as Fine Homebuilding, Journal of Light Construction, and Tools of the Trade but they have a different focus, namely home construction and design--which means my house will NEVER be done. ;~) All the rest of the woodworking magazines are gone...
Fine Woodworking often features projects and tool comparisons and is the bench-mark magazine for many woodworkers. Lots of power tool stuff with some handtool stuff.
Woodwork is eclectic and is a good source for ideas. I like the interviews with studio furniture makers and turners and appreciate that friends and associates show up in it regularly (and they printed an e-mail I sent them ;~) ). Power and hand tool stuff and some articles by former rec participants.
Popular Woodworking has taken on the role of offering articles on handtool skill development and debunking much of the Normite mentality that you NEED lots of big iron to do woodworking. They do have power tool articles but they don't overpower the handtool articles (pun intended) like many magazines. The editor is an interesting guy whom I've engaged in conversation a few times in person and via e-mail. One discussion in particular was pretty neat as Tom Lie-Nielson was the third participant... I like the relatively new Arts & Mysteries series as it brings old knowledge back to life--a Roy Underhill approach to the world that brings back memories of my time working at Colonial Williamsburg, VA as a skilled craft interpreter.
What I'm not after is plans for making push sticks, extension cord organizers, small stock organizers, etc... common fair in some of the magazines. I'm also not looking for dimensioned plans as I interpret furniture and apply design principles such as golden rectangle to my work. Personally, I've got big iron and nice handtools and freely wander between camps within and across projects. Teaching my boys how to make things has encouraged me to expand my skills with handtools--NO way am I letting an 8 year old loose on a 3 HP cabinet saw or 8" jointer... but using a rip panel saw to resaw a board and L-N plane surface it is another story.
John
I'm new to this also and as you can see the old-timers like FWW (I've never read it). I've read a few so here are my thoughts.
Woodowrkers Journal - decent mag but I dropped them after they started sending books to my house that I never ordered.
American Woodworker - LOTS of advertisements.
Wood Magazine - As a newbie my favorite so far. Easy to read with projects that I could actually build. Helpful tips in each issue. Lots of tool comparisons.
Shop Notes - Great for jigs, storage, tool modifications/enhancements. Definitely worth the money for someone starting out.
Workbench - Somehow I won a 'free' subscription to this magazine. When the bill comes I won't be ordering it. One word, sucks.
Especially if you're into way overcomplicated, totally over thought, Rube Goldberg devices. Fun to build, interesting to look at, but often a waste of time.
I like Popular Woodworking and Fine Woodworking. Wood Magazine is often good for much simpler jigs than Shop Notes.
I would recommend heading down to the Leebrary or your local bookstores and doing a bit of browsing. A few will make sense to a new ww and several won't. mahalo, jo4hn
Tue, Aug 29, 2006, 4:28pm (EDT-1) snipped-for-privacy@moment.net (Rick=A0Samuel) doth wondereth: =A0=A0As a sorta new ww (cobbler) been thinking about subscribing to a magazine or two. I know many of ya'll have mentioned they get old with time, but I haven't seen but a few issues. Any recommendations, or any to stay away from. Adversitising is not a big issue with me, one way or the other. Thanks in advance.
No one is going to be able to tell what magazine(s) you are going to like, or not, except you. You're the one who'll be paying, go to a magazine stand or two for a few months, look over various magazines, and decide which one(s) you like enough to subscribe to.
Me, I subscribe to about a dozen or so magazines. The "only" woodworking type magazine now is WoodenBoat - because that's the only one I like well enough to subscribe to.
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