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favorite woodworking magazine?

2K views 17 replies 18 participants last post by  bernwood 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
What are everyone's favorite wood magazines? I see lots of discussion on great books to line the shelves, but what about periodicals? FWW, PW, etc etc
 
#2 ·
FW is always good. PW has a lot of gem articles and good for hand tool stuff. Woodcraft, American Woodworker, Wood, and almost everything else is awful. My brother got about 6 or 7 subscriptions for 2 years to find which are the best. All the others besides FW and PW are very entry level woodworking and have little valuable information beyond your first year of the craft, although if you are new it might be useful. It irks me to see their plans with fake through tenons and such. Not saying that its bad to start out with easier projects, but we look to magazines and books as the almighty reference to the higher power of woodworking. When I want to open a magazine, I want to be able to learn something new from someone with a wealth of knowledge that is trying to evolve the craft to make it as great as possible.
 
#4 ·
My favorites are Popular Woodworking and Fine Woodworking, but then I like to make furniture and these two seem to best target that segment of this "hobby".
As for the others, I subscribe when specials occur, like three years for the price of one. These give me continued reading, but I only save the two mentioned above as these contain what I consider information to keep on hand, such as: hand tool information, furniture plans and project descriptions, etc. the others, mostly jigs and tool reviews, so I read and then donate to other woodworkers I'm acquainted with. Have all Pop W-working and Fine W-working mags from 2003 on as a reference library.
 
#6 ·
Fine Woodworking and Popular Woodworking.

I get most everything else, because the kids and nieces and nephews and neighbors often have fund-raising events with subscriptions. Might as well get something I'm mildly interested in.

In the last year or so, I've found ideas in American Woodworker and Woodsmith. The rest I just leaf through.
 
#7 ·
RockinDavan- I have to disagree with your comment "All the others besides FW and PW are very entry level woodworking and have little valuable information beyond your first year of the craft"

I have seen advanced level stuff and valuable info in Wood, Woodsmith and Shopnotes. I wouldn't discredit those as being only entry level magazines.

My favorite is probably FWW but I also really like Wood Magazine. Wood has a nice mix of skill level projects and articles as well as decent reviews on things. At one time Shopnotes was my favorite but the newer issues have been kind of stale. I think the earlier issues of Shopnotes were really good.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
Wood is my favorite, but followed closely by PWW and Woodsmith. I subscribe to others when I get a real cheap price. I tried FWW for a few years, just wasn't my cup of tea for some reason. One I find so bad I wouldn't get it if it were free is WWJ. Like everything else, this is one of those "to each his own".
 
#9 ·
Hard for me to pick a favorite.

I like Popular Woodworking and Wood. I occassionally pick up a ShopNotes, if they have a project that interest me.

I also receive WoodCraft, which seems to be hit and miss. I really like some issues, then ready to line the litter box with others.

As far a turning goes: Woodturning Design is the best I have seen.
 
#10 ·
Woodsmith is my favorite. No advertisements, a good binding made for shop use, and very detailed diagrams. Wood is another one I have. They have ads but still a good deal of woodworking info. Steps are pretty detailed photo-wise. They have patterns they include in their mag, which is a nice touch, and a nicely done cut list for their projects. Woodsmith and Wood will usually contain an article on a new skill or technique that is associated with a project so you learn a new method and have something immediately to associate with.
 
#14 ·
I havent bought a magazine in years.I discovered a while back that I was spending quite a few hundred pounds a year on monthlies.
I put an immediate end to it and immediately started buying books mostly on amazon.
I have quite a few hundred books with no adverts and resale ability here magazines used are worthless so when I go to the big woodshop in the sky my books can be resold by my three sons and split between them.
I really don't miss mags atall and love reading and re-reading my books a nice selection always beside my bedroom ensuite toilet. Alistair
 
#15 ·
I subscribe to WOOD and have found it helpful. I occasionally pick up a FWW, PW, or Woodcraft magazine depending on the topics and how much reading time I think I will have.

BUT these magazines pale in comparison to the help, info, and ideas I get here on LJ.
 
#18 ·
Magazines and books can be good "guides" for those folks learning the trade, but for lots of other folks, we like to design our own projects. I like to visit a local library and browse FFW, Wood and a few others to get ideas. I take the basic idea and like to draw my own plans. Family and friends like the designs I come up with which can be a bit unconventional at times.

But don't be discouraged from magazines and books. I always refer back to some of these for tips and methods of doing my craft. A major example of this is a FWW article on designing projects. The basic premiss of the article was nature's formula for proportionate design which included the human body and the solar system itself. In a nut shell, the rule is 1/3. Most furniture will use this basic proportionate formula. One of my sisters aked me to make her an entry way cabinet for her house. She told me she wanted to store her cookbooks in it and wanted a couple of "junk" drawers. Because it was also an entry way cabinet, I also designed a mail drawer. Her other specs instructed me to build a 33 inch wide by 38 inch tall cabinet. The cabinet ended having an 18 inch adjustable shelf cavity behind 2 paneled doors for her cook books, 2 (6 inch tall) catch all drawers, and one (cabinet width) drawer for her mail which was about a 2 inch high mail drawer. The remaining space was proportionately split in the leg and frame space.
 
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