furniture and cabinetmaking

[johnnyb]

just picked up a double deal(241)
of this mag. what's happened? it's pure cod. and I can't get my money back!
fine woodworking is no longer sold through third party sellers so I got my refund and tried this!

 

[TheTiddles]

I think it accurately reflects what people want to read, based on what you see being popular on forums, YouTube etc… there’s not a lot of content of people making unique furniture, but if you want another mid-quality shed, the world’s your oyster.

 

[Doug71]

I have a subscription to The Woodworker magazine (previously Good Woodworking), every time it turns up I tell myself I must remember to cancel it but then never get around to it, takes about 5 mins to read any interesting bits then I never look at it again.

 

[johnnyb]

I've loved fine woodworking for many years. yes some issues are a bit thin but others are reference material. f and c is now an oddity almost a coffee table hipster thing. the adverts are few and to the point as well. tbh I prefer woodworker mags from the 30s 40s and 50s they are more thorough in there treatment of woodworking topics still relevant now. I can spend an hour reading those but f and c has little for me.

 

[TheTiddles]

British Woodworking was obviously the peak of perfection, especially the articles on sharpening

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I got Woodturning mag for a few years when I got it with Tesco points but gave that up as it got too arty for me. I stopped reading the rest thirty years ago as I was just reading the same things over and over again.

 

[Mike.R]

I've subscribed to FW on and off over the years, a fresh copy dropped through my letterbox just last week but although it's very nicely produced there's little fresh content to interest me these days. The main value of the subscription is having access to the online resource that Fine Woodworking offers. If I'm ever stuck knowing what to do with a project, chances are there's an article or a video to help out.

For me the heyday of FW was back in the late seventies when the magazine was printed in black and white and full of fascinating articles and beautiful photographs. Its arrival was something of an event in the workshop at the time.

I still have many of the early magazines and dip into them every now and then. Maybe if you're a bit underwhelmed by todays wood working magazines, you could buy the odd copy of Fine Woodworking from the 70s or 80s from Ebay, there's usually a few available.

 

[ossyhugh]

Try Quercus; recently started by Nick Gibbs editor of British Woodworking. Good length articles, interesting and a bit querky, designed to be rolled up ion your back pocket. No advertisments!!!! Some top notch contributors [Richard Arnold eg]. Available on line as hard copy or electronic publication. Only problem is you want to read it cover to cover as soon as it arrives, so nothing else gets done. Orientated to hand tools.

 

[recipio]

F+C started as a good magazine aimed at the amateur who wants to do good quality work. I have the entire collection from issue 3. I think they lost their way in the last few years. The standard of design is nothing as good as it was pre 2000 and the articles were lazy and poorly researched.
As for Fine Woodworking I saw an article a few months ago on how to drive a screw ! I won't be renewing my subscriptions.

 

[Normancb]

I've subscribed to Fine Woodworking since issue 1. I gave all the magazines away a year or so ago and bought the entire archive on a USB stick. It was on offer at the time - currently USD99 for all issues from 1975 to the end of 2020. Saved about 4 ft of shelf space and it's searchable.

 

[TheTiddles]

I've subscribed to Fine Woodworking since issue 1. I gave all the magazines away a year or so ago and bought the entire archive on a USB stick. It was on offer at the time - currently USD99 for all issues from 1975 to the end of 2020. Saved about 4 ft of shelf space and it's searchable.

Have you got the “Swan Music Stand” issue? I saved that one copy when throwing out years worth of them as the only thing worth saving… I’ve lost it.

 

[paulrbarnard]

I find most magazines get too samey over time. There is a limit to what they can include. They need to hook new readers so need entry level stuff but then that just turns in to filler after the reader has followed for a while. Even the aspirational projects get a bit formulaic over a period of time. It happens in all subjects. I’ve subscribed to woodworking, landrovers, cycling and photography magazines over the years and tend to stop a subscription after a year or two as they just don’t offer enough new and even the adds stay pretty much the same.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I used to justify to myself buying all the mags by reckoning that if I got one good idea or one good way of saving per mag. it justified the cost. With the internet that's gone by the bye.

 

[Mike.R]

Ossyhugh's reference to Quercus reminded me (in a roundabout way) of Lost Art Press who publish many wonderful books but also have an excellent blog and whilst it is in digital format it reminds me of the width and breadth of the early the Fine Woodworking magazines.

There are 915 pages to date, well worth a browse.

https://blog.lostartpress.com

 

[SammyQ]

"HOW MUCH?" for a look-a-like Schwartz shirt????? Those prices are not just insane, they're hyperbolically insane.

 

[Mike.R]

The blog is free to read.

 

[SammyQ]

Agreed, MikeR, and it is a valuable resource p'raps for hand toolies. I was just so taken aback by $165 for.....a shirt?

 

[Dee J]

The blog is free to read.

And that's the challenge for any paid-for print or online media. Everything is available, all the time, and largely free. OK a curatorial filter is needed to sort wheat from chaff - but what riches are available for the explorer.

 

[IanA]

Since last August I 've only received 2 issues of Fine Woodworking but got a refund from iSubscribe after one phone call and a couple of e-mails. I gave up on the Woodworker many moons ago, shortly after it published an article on how to make wooden jam tarts!

 

[recipio]

The late Paul Richardson started F+C with good intentions. He aimed it at the'bloke in the shed' ( like most of us.) They began to drift away in the naughties by dropping the letters page and articles by jobbing cabinetmakers. With the loss of the Cheltenham exhiition it's now hard to see what the good cabinetmakers are producing. ?