Magazine Subscriptions

It’s all opinion and which one’s editorial content fit’s your needs and style of working.
Wife and I do not subscribe to any non woodworking mags. That leaves me with $ to subscribe to Wood, FWW, AWW, WJ, Shop Notes, and Woodsmith. Of the lot, I prefer Woodsmith. If I had to drop one, it would be FWW. That’s due to sorry ratio between the good, down to earth wood working content and the fluff. IMO. YMMV

-- Gene

I like fine woodworking since it really shows high end and artistic work. I also love Wood as it has nice insights into the other aspects of woodworking. Those are my main two. the others are ok, but not to the same level.

Also, I have hears that the new editor for Woodcraft magazine has taken it to a new level. I want to see a copy to see if it is true though

-- making sawdust....

Yup. All opinion.
I dropped all but FWW and Wood.
I subscribed to Wood because they gave me a deal of 3 years for 12 bucks. When that ran out I was going to drop it because the renewal rate was too high but a friend got one of those buy one get one free deals and he gave me the free.
I steal looks at the others while waiting for the wife in the supermarket.

Lee

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.

I’m with Sawdust2…the same subscriptions…but Popular Woodworking has it’s high points. I buy it on the newsstands every so often.

-- /\/\/\ BarryW /\/\/\ Stay so busy you don't have time to die.

I used to do WOOD for many, many years but dropped them when they ripped me off and could not get anyone to answer a phone. Also dropped Woodsmith after a couple of years. But now subscribe to Popular Woodworking and it’s sister pub Woodworking Magazine, mainly because I like their work and projects.
I pick up several other mags before long plane rides to pass the time and I really enjoy FWW but won’t subscribe to them, they make to many things I don’t want to build.
Personally, I find WWJ and AW cheap knock offs IMHO, sorry to those that do like them.

-- "You get what you inspect, not what you expect"

Here is a link to a thread that ran here sometime ago that might help:

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/2723

Most magazines have some thing to inspire us but we still need to be creative or we become a copy cat for others. Expanding a idea and taking it to a different level is great in theory but practical… not easy.

-- Tommy, Pa, www.bigstickmfg.com

Just a thought…. keep what you’ve got, and add just an on-line subscription to FWW. They have the best website as far as being able to go back and pull up plans, articles, whatever. It’s cheaper than a print subscription, and much more valuable, in my opinion.

-- Charlie M. "Woodworking - patience = firewood"

Just keep subscription to LumberJocks.. it’s for free ;)

-- Martin, http://lumberjocks.com | My Facebook: http://profile.to/msojka

Go Martin! Drop all except woodworking if woodworking is in your blood. Every tid bit of information is a jewel and something to ponder and learn from.

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

The only two I have kept have been Fine Woodworking and Woodworking magazine. The last runs completely advertisement free and I have found to be quite good so far.

-- Chris

Having subscribed to or read practically all woodworking mags in the market, I can say given a limited budget, the best deal is NOT to subscribe to any at all, because you’ll never find a mag that always comes out with issues that satisfy you. Whether it’s FWW, or AWW, or WW, etc., there’re bound to be some good issues and some not. My library has FWW, Handyman, etc. and so I can always read / borrow them there. Others I check out at newsstands and buy them when I like the content of any particular issue. Overall, I spend roughly the same amount of money a year in total just on different mags. FWW is good for ideas, advanced techniques, style, etc. (but many of its tips suck in terms of practicality) but they seldom provide enough details for their projects – because they want you to buy their measured drawings at $25 or so each plus shipping) For amateur woodworkers looking for projects to do, AW, WS, WC and Wood are the better choices. Woodwork, popular woodworking and Woodworking are for those with skills above the beginner’s level. When it comes to reader’s tips, AW, WOOD, Shopnotes and WS stand out in the crowd. Just another person’s two cents, of course.

-- The time I enjoy wasting is not time wasted

Hey Guys,

Editors don’t have much time for thread-entries and such (my Garden Bench and Planter story were due on Jim’s desk last Wednesday), but I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself, and reintroduce Woodcraft magazine.

If you haven’t seen the magazine since its inception, I think it’s time to give Woodcraft magazine a new look. A lot of changes have already happened in ‘08. We’re working to make ‘09 even better.

Start with the cover. Projects. Good ones. Built by some of the biggest names (and nicest guys) in the woodworking business. Next check the masthead and contributing craftsmen. For those of you who wax poetic about AW’s good old days, you’ll like what you see. On the other hand, if you’re a WOOD reader, check out the editor-in-chief. The combination of East-meets-Midwest has made for a most interesting year.

Using our combined experiences, Jim and I are working hard to offer y’all a woodworking buffet. Power tool and handtool techniques. Take-it-to-your shop finishing stories. Plus lots of easy-to-follow projects.

At the risk of opening the floodgates, I’d like to ask you all to give us a fresh look. If you like what you see, tell a friend; if you don’t, email me.

joe_hurst@woodcraftmagazine.com

And if anyone thinks they can do better job, I’d like to invite you to try your hand at magazine writing. Our game could use some fresh faces. I’d be honored to help you share what you know with the woodworking community. (Ellis Wallentine and Tim Snyder did a fine job of teaching me how to do on-location stories. After more than a decade, it’s still the best part of my job.)

That’s it for now. Now get back in the shop. Make a little extra sawdust for me, OK?

Sincerely,
Joe Hurst-Wajszczuk
Senior Editor, Woodcraft Magazine

I get, in order of preference (this order can change from month to month):
Popular Woodworking
Woodworking
Fine Woodworking

I’ve gotten in the past, in no particular order, but dropped:
Woodsmith
Shopnotes
Wood
American Woodworker (garbage… the worst!)
Woodwork
Woodshop News (a good read about the biz… not project or skill oriented)

-- - Please help keep Lumberjocks an enjoyable escape by refusing to participate in political discussions. Simply spit out the bait and ignore the thread...

I have an on-line subscription to FWW. If I am looking for someting, I just punch it in. It is easier than looking thru stacks of magazines trying to find something. I agree with CharlieM1958. Good Luck!

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

I concur with ND2ELK!

FWW’s online subscription is a good purchase. The search engine works very well.

-- - Please help keep Lumberjocks an enjoyable escape by refusing to participate in political discussions. Simply spit out the bait and ignore the thread...

I have subscribed to many different woodworking magazines over a span of about 45 years. Most of them good, some not so good. Fine Woodworking always stood out, so also Wood, Wordworkers Journal, WoodSmith, Workbench, HandyMan is ok. Sorry Joe, never tried Woodcraft. I would always look forward to receiving them in the mail. They have provided me with many hours of enjoyment. I have hundreds of Magazines, and some books stored on shelves. They are indexed and I refer to them when I am looking for a project or how-to-do something. With my woodworking magazines, my various books, the local library, and the internet (especially LumberJocks) I have all I need.

-- Ron in Osseo, Minnesota