Anyone ever use Sawmill Creek?

Did you make sure the screen name you wanted to use was your actual name. I know that stumped me when I registered. I kept trying to use the same screen name I use on other sites but they want your actual name. It took me a couple of tries before I realized you had to use your real name.

Their site?

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Yes, I’m on SawMill Creek. I got on about the same time I joined LJ’ers. As posted above, you have to use your real name on that site(I think it’s dumb), and can’t use anything else. I don’t care much for that site,as you can’t find any shop tours, some of your post(they call them “threads on there) don’t show up, or never get posted, and I ain’t figured out how to post pixs on there yet. It’s a crazy site, and I haven’t figured out their fomat yet. Everything is somewhere else, and I can’t find nothin. The site is not closed,as I just checked it before coming back to the best site around——- LumberJocks!

-- Remember--- one good turn-- gets most of the blanket!!!!

The only reason I want to register is to see some of the images posted… I notice in some google searches that the site comes up quite often, but you can’t view the images unless your registered

-- San Diego, CA US Navy

You just need to use a real SOUNDING name, not necessarily your own.

-- Julian, Park Forest, IL

You might want to try it again later today. Apparently, they’re experiencing a technical glitch this morning. I’m unable to access that site thus far today. I’m a frequent visitor there.

Like Lumber Jocks, SMC is also a good woodworkers forum. Agreed, it takes a while to get the hang of it. For me, that seems to be the case with most forums!

-- Build for the joy of it!

To see some of the threads/areas – you have to be a donating member. In other words – its not free. But it is advertisement free. LJ – has ads – hence it’s free (although you can donate and I encourage you to).

SMC seems to be very closed to most – you have to be more technically savvy to navigate it. I’m a member because I wanted to take advantage of some plans that I knew was posted on the site.

LJ’s is my number one site for tons of reasons. I don’t mind the ads on this site because Martin has done such a marvelous job of integrating them in a non-obstrusive way.

LJ’s ROCKS!

-- You can't get a hug from Facebook.

I told em over there to K M A and they deleted me. LOL Just too stuffy and restricting.

-- Dan-- Info for all @ http://www.hoistman.com

I fill the same way as u papadan

Actually, at SMC, they have two membership statuses: member and contributor. If you’re a contributor you have the option of turning the ads off. Personally, I don’t mind the ads at any of the WW forums. In fact, sometimes they’re quite useful in helping us to learn of new sources for tools, machines, etc. SMC used to be completely ad free but not enough folks were willing to contribute to keep it ad free.

As someone else mentioned already in this topic, only contributors at SMC have access to ALL of the forums. However, there are only a very few of their forums that require contributor status to access.

I agree, that forum can be a bit stuffy and restrictive at times. Like all forums that I’m familiar with, however, they are privately owned and, as such, are free to make and enforce whatever rules they wish.

For me, I don’t see the various WW forums on the net as being in competition with each other, even though they probably are from the forums owners’ point of view. I’m thankful that there are so many resources available and use the ones that I find to be helpful and useful for me.

Only recently did I learn about Lumber Jocks and am thankful that a friend told me about it. Now, I just need to figure out how to post some pics of some of my projects!! I’ve certainly enjoyed seeing other people’s work on here.

-- Build for the joy of it!

What exactly do you mean by contributor? Are you talking about monitary cotributions, or participation in the forum discussions? I’m not quite clear on this. I might be brain-dead, and just don’t know it!!!
Explanation please. Thank you very much.

-- Remember--- one good turn-- gets most of the blanket!!!!

Rick, You’re not brain dead! I should have been more clear. Yes, to have contributor status at SMC you have to donate $6.00 per year. That gives you access to a few more forums on that site that aren’t available to people who have the free membership.

-- Build for the joy of it!

So far, I have not had any problems at SMC.

-- http://www.seantroy.com

Ok,See, I gotch ya. I do remember reading about that now. But I wasn’t going to pay for anything until I knew more about it, or if I even wanted to. I guess my freeby ran out tonight. I tried to read forum topics and replys—— no weino panada—closed up to me tighter’ Dick’s hatband!!! Unless I pay the bucks for star treatment—— NOT!

-- Remember--- one good turn-- gets most of the blanket!!!!

Hey Rick,

It must have been some other issue that prevented you from seeing the forums. Did you attempt to sign in?

I say that because the “freeby” doesn’t expire at SMC. It’s not a trial period. In other words, you can be a non paying member forever, should you choose to do that. There are many non paying members at SMC who have been members for years.

My guess is that there was a sign in button that you didn’t see. Or, the site was experiencing a technical glitch.

-- Build for the joy of it!

Well… i eventually got an account there set up using a “real sounding name”. I guess my name isn’t real enough for them. But, I guess they didn’t like that name either because they deleted my account and sent me a little email telling me that I had to use my real name. (this is 2 days after I emailed them saying I couldn’t use my real name). I received an email shortly after that from one of the admins I suppose, and I pretty much told them they could take their site and shove it. Lumberjocks is better anyways.

-- San Diego, CA US Navy

Thanks ,SEE for the reply. I don’t usually haver to sign in, cause I got their site up in my toolbar, and just hit it when I’m ready to go on. But—- Maybe I need to re-sign in, and see what happens. I was thinking there was no time limit, so ‘ppreciate it. I’ll try again. SE ya.

-- Remember--- one good turn-- gets most of the blanket!!!!

I no longer bother with SMC they’re moderation is to overbearing.

-- Still clinging to my guns and religion.

For what it’s worth, I was unable to register with Sawmill Creek as well. Created the account, but the email activation never came; that was two weeks ago. Looks like an active community but after a half-hour of monkeying around with their registration process just to see it not work, I gave up.

SMC used to be a really friendly upbeat site. There are still some good folks there, and some good posts, but over-moderating has taken it’s toll in recent years. I guess “power to the people” occasionally causes “Nazi-itis”.

Funny you should say that Abbott, that’s why I left. I think I made 4-5 posts…3 of which I got a moderator spanking for. One word, “yes”, got me 2 pms from different mods. and was deleted. That yes was just a reply to another member in a rather lengthy post of mine answering sawmill questions from several people. The question was did I sell lumber. I answered that with one word and typed quite a bit in reply to the rest sharing my experience/knowledge…that was all glossed over and I got a slap on the wrist for the word “yes”. Being a forum moderator myself I felt they were as you said overbearing. I don’t feel these forums are the place to bash other forums, that is not what I am doing. But for me SMC was just not a good fit.

-- Urban logger, http://nelsonwoodworks.biz/

I’m on the creek, but don’t post there very frequently… It’s not as active as here, or BT3Central… The turners area is okay, but the workshops area keeps beating the same dust collection questions to death over, and over, and over again…

-- Trying to follow the example of the master.