Favorite Woodworking Magazine?

[MikeH]

What is your favorite woodworking magazine and why?

 

[Kyle]

I like wooden boat magazine..

Its got all the good stuff.. the sea, wood, woodworking and transportation.

 

[Travis Porter]

It has been Fine Woodworking as I like the reviews, varieties, etc. I have recently started buying Popular Woodworking at the news stand and may end up subscribing. More in depth reviews, and seems to be more in line with what I do.

 

[Douglas Robinson]

Woodsmith or FWW. Its a toss up.

Doug

 

[DaveO]

Pop. WW'ing, but just recently. They have really upped the quality of their articles and projects. Second would be FWW, and third the new Woodcraft Mag.

Dave

 

[MikeH]

I just found Popular Woodworking for $10.96 for 7 issue here (Link removed). Seems like a pretty good deal to me. :-D

Update: I just went to site I referenced above and can't get it to work. I'll check on it tomorrow and update here.


Ok, Ok.....HERE is an even better deal and it works!

 

[WoodWrangler]

Wood magazine ... good articles, lots of articles, enough detail, good plans.

Woodsmith ... great diagrams, good plans

 

[fsdogwood]

Thanks for the PWW link, mine is ending, so I
bought from the link you provided.
The Arts-and-Mysteries series in PWW, by Adam Cherubini is pretty inspiring, kind brings you
back to the old days, teaches you the way he thought would fit the way hand tool would work.


Pinwu

 

[pcooper]

Fine Woodworking, Woodsmith, ShopNotes, toss up on all. I like things about all but mostly the last two because of the lack of advertising taking up the space on the pages. Some of the others are good too but seem to be too basic for my taste right now, and have too many tool reviews versus actual woodworking stuff. I like the FWW web site ALMOST as good as this one (really!!!) because of the good information both give, and the web thing is more adaptable to my needs by being able to ask questions.

 

[cpowell]

My favorite magazine is Field and Stream...oh, WOODWORKING mag...:eusa_doh:

I don't have one. I subscribed to ShopNotes a few years ago but lost interest in the content.

I may take note of the replies here. I've never read FWW or PWW.

Chuck

 

[RobD]

My favorite is Wood magazine. They always seem to have projects that are at my skill level (fairly new) and also are things I want to build. For example, from their latest issue, I am going to build both the full length mirror and blanket chest. I always find something in their I want to try to build.

Next up would be Woodsmith and Shopnotes. They are both a little hit or miss with me. Either I love the whole issue or it seems like they have nothing useful. For example, the ShopNotes I got in the mail yesterday was disappointing for me.

All that being said, I definitely use magazines a lot more for their projects than tool reviews. For tool reviews I usually rely more on what I find online.

 

[nelsone]

Pop Wood and FWW. Both seem to have good articles and projects that are challenging. I like Pop Wood's focus on both hand tools and power tools. Makes for a nice blend.

 

[lwhughes149]

I have subscribed to Woodsmith and can't wait to receive each issue. I also subscribed to Shopnotes but I was also disappointed in the current issue. I like Woodsmith because for someone who is new to furniture building they follow you through an entire project however I am now leaning towards Norm Abrams books for obtaining greater knowledge. He also followers you through an entire project. I feel if I use his techniques over and over I will have a better base for future projects. For those of you who have followed my projects in the last year you will remember the beautiful walnut secretary I made last summer. It is still beautiful and stands proudly in my den however the sides have come from the rails about 1/4 inch on each side and the two vertical divides that separated the three drawers over the three main drawer had also come apart. Norm said dovetails on the front dados to hold the rails in place. I wasn't willing to learn that process. Today I am dealing with a mistake or two but I have learned another lesson in woodworking, listen to the pros. Woodsmith is good and I will continue to get it but Norm knows best for me for now. For those who are new to furniture building I would say go to Ebay and order all three of his books. They are packed with valuable information. Lorraine

 

[dancam]

Loraine,

I have to agree with you regarding Norm. But if you built anything from his first season you would've experienced some serious wood movement problems. Norm fully admitted his first season, he was building furniture as a carpenter and didn't pay too much attention to cross grain glue up etc.

But once realized, he moved forward and became a very accomplished woodworker and more importantaly has done a lot to inspire many many folks into the joys of wood working.

Dan C.

 

[PurpleThumb]

Fine Woodworking here. Love the articles. Now that John is a contributer, I've subscribed to Woodcraft. For the rest I go to Barnes and Noble, scan the others and buy what interests me.

 

[sapwood]

Thanks for starting the thread Mike. I've been considering wood mags subscriptions for a while and it's great to know what others like. I usually grab them off the rack. Local library only subscribes to one, but it's free! I enjoy Shop Notes but figure it will become repetitive/jaded after a year or two.

FWIW, do not subscribe to This Old House magazine. I fell for the $10 for 10 issues offer. It's 90% ads and the rest are fluff article on kitchens and bathrooms :BangHead:

Roger

 

[MikeH]

Thanks for starting the thread Mike. I've been considering wood mags subscriptions for a while and it's great to know what others like. I usually grab them off the rack. Local library only subscribes to one, but it's free! I enjoy Shop Notes but figure it will become repetitive/jaded after a year or two.

FWIW, do not subscribe to This Old House magazine. I fell for the $10 for 10 issues offer. It's 90% ads and the rest are fluff article on kitchens and bathrooms :BangHead:

Roger

You're welcome Roger. I remember you saying in a previous thread that you didn't like it. Duly noted.

 

[McRabbet]

I subscribe to Wood, Popular Woodworking, Woodsmith, Woodwork, Woodworker's Journal, American Woodworker, Fine Woodworking, Finewoodworking.com, Workbench, Shop Notes, Workbench and yes, This Old House (got it for free). I like most of them, but Fine Woodworking is the best (I have well over 120 issues). Wood comes second for me -- I have every issue for the last 15 years -- and then come Woodwork, Popular Woodworking, Shop Notes and Woodsmith. American Woodworker and Woodworker's Journal are okay and I've gotten plenty of ideas from them, too. Workbench and This Old House are throne room reading material.

I'm adapting a plan from the Feb 2000 issue of American Woodworker right now for a Toy Box for my grandson, so they are a great resource. One I didn't mention is a must -- subscribe to Fine Woodworking Magazine - skill building articles, tool reviews, project plans, books (FWW subscribers can get it for $15/yr) as it is an excellent resource loaded with information from all of their past issues. Lots of down-loadable articles and plans.

Rob

 

[froglips]

#1 Woodworking - from the folks at PopWW, but no adds. No subscriptions, just juicy detailed articles and tips. Its the only magazine I read cover to cover.

#2 Popular Woodworking - I totally love the new direction. With Christopher Schwarz and Bob Lang and others, I feel they are leading the pack. They offer a lot of "how do you do _____".

Over the years, I've become less enamored with magazines that just talk about tools. I got tools, but what do I do with them?

Also, this trend to show you how to build a Queen Anne Highboy in only 3 pages have left me cold.

"Cut a 3/8" mortise with your mortiser" has told me exactly what to do. But, what have I learned? Why 3/8? Why select a mortise?

"A mortise provides a strong joint that resists twisting." Now I know what a mortise offers me. I've learned something.

Just my opinion of the universe, not to be confused with fact. I'll leave facts to gravity.

Jim

 

[Terry]

I like them all! But in the order I have subscribed to is starting with the favorite first.
Fine Woodworking
Woodsmith
Shopnotes
Popular Woodworking
Wood Magazine
American Woodworker
Woodcraft
Workbench
Handyman
Woodworker Journal
American Router
Creative Woodworks and Crafts
Woodcarving Illustrated
That's my order of prefence!
Terry