Magazines

[wizer]

My favourite Churchill quote is "ooh Yes!"


I'll get me coat.

 

[MikeG.]

I hate to be pedantic (do I really??!!) but I think that ugly/ drunk conversation took place on a train.....

 

[p111dom]

I hate to be pedantic (do I really??!!) but I think that ugly/ drunk conversation took place on a train.....

Possible should have added to my origional that I may have been paraphrasing and that's also possible as I didn't look it up. Was still him that said it though so I guess I get half marks.

 

[Lataxe]

The issue of woodworking magazines certainly seems to animate a lot of woodworkers. I suppose the magazines are somehow representatives (self-appointed) of the WW culture and in some way we all feel they represent us.....?

FWW is the only WW magazine I now subscribe to. I have a trial year of Pop Woodworking but won't be renewing that. I was an F&CM subscriber for a few years but got bored with the narrow perspective (big machines, elm, scandi-modern and a little A&C). I gave them all away - not something I would do with all the back copies of FWW, which are a mine of useful WW info.

I try a British WW magazine now and again but am always very disappointed. I feel they are badly written (over-chatty, look-at-me-the-author tone, padding out tiny amounts of hard WW information); overfull of meaningless tool "tests" (shallow, uncritical, no use help in deciding a purchase, often about crappy tools); awful standard of photography (lopsided, partial and badly lit pics often with no relevance to the text, such as it is).

It seems to be a matter of relativity and also of taste. A lot of people are satisfied with this stuff as they seem to want a kind of Hello! magazine for woodworkers rather than an educational publication.

Anyway - little point to offer criticism as the editors are very fixed in their views of what a WW magazine ought to be and will only tell us critics that we "don't understand the WW magazine market". Ah ha! We understand it very well, as we are the consumers and may vote with our wallets.

Lataxe, spoilt by the high standards of FWW

 

[big soft moose]

I try a British WW magazine now and again but am always very disappointed. I feel they are badly written (over-chatty, look-at-me-the-author tone, padding out tiny amounts of hard WW information); overfull of meaningless tool "tests" (shallow, uncritical, no use help in deciding a purchase, often about crappy tools); awful standard of photography (lopsided, partial and badly lit pics often with no relevance to the text, such as it is).

oof - a bit harshly worded , it will be interesting to see what nick gibbs has to say in response.

One thing i would pick up from this is the matter of photography - not in BWW in particular but as a general thing this often lets down otherwise well written articles - my feeling is that this is because magazines with a relatively modest circulation cant afford to send out a photographer and thus the pics are taken by the woodworking author themselves which is (understandably) not their main area of expertise.

 

[MikeG.]

Excuse my ignorance, but what are FWW and F&CM? (Obviously they are magazines......I just don't know what the letters stand for)

Mike

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Tony

You make some very fair comments about the honing guides piece. In trying to do something different it doesn't always work perfectly. I was trying to give a considered idea of what sort of person might want to use any of the honing guides, and if the Eclipse holds up for everyone. They are all so different that it is almost impossible to compare one directly against another. What I was hoping to do was to get people thinking about the various options, and how one might progress from one product to the next, or instead choose to learn how to do it by hand.

I think it's unfair to say that I came down utterly in favour of the Kell jig. I do think his jigs are mainly aimed at more discerning woodworkers, and you're right there is a problem that they don't run on the surface of the stone (though that is also a benefit). I tried to make it plain what sort of woodworker might favour which of the guides, rather than just saying which was best. Maybe I wasn't clear enough, and yes interviewing Richard Kell in the same issue might be seen as compromising the test. I understand that.

And, actually, it being British is an issue. I think we should be encouraging British toolmaking, not at the cost of something better from somewhere else, but to help our local economy and ensure we don't lose vital skills.

I think it's unfair to say I didn't use any critical analysis. I thought I did. Calling the article 'an absolute joke' is the sort of language that does no one the forum any favours. I'm sure there are some people who will find it interesting and informative. Did you see our test of inverted routers?

Thanks for your support otherwise.

Cheers

Nick

Hi Nick

Sorry if the 'an absolute joke' comment was a little strong. My feelings were strong about the bias I perceived in the article and I spend a lot of my time trying to get students to think critically and write in the same way. I want an honest review with conclusions drawn from the supporting statements

As i said, the magazine was very good apart from this article.

You might be interested to hear that I have a little card in the kitchen telling me that a parcel awaits collection at the local post office - guess I'll be sharpening a few jointer plane blades tomorrow on my scary sharp setup (influenced to some extent by the article on Richard himself)

 

[Losos]

what are FWW and F&CM?

FWW = Fine WoodWorking (American)

F&CM = Furniture & Cabinet Maker (UK)

 

[big soft moose]

Excuse my ignorance, but what are FWW and F&CM? (Obviously they are magazines......I just don't know what the letters stand for)

Mike

"Fine wood working" and "Furniture and cabinet making" I think (i'm not a 100% certain on the F in the first one)

(edit: oops sorry losos I think we posted at the same time - nice to see that i was right about FWW after all)

 

[big soft moose]

Also a comment on turning articles / magazines

Wood turning (GMC group) used to be a good magazine but now getting over arty for my taste and somewhat repetitive - still worth a read tho

Woodturner - an unmitigated pile of poop - I particularly hate reg sherwin who comes across as a patronising gett, especial when he writes his cautionary tales about "Newk omer"

I used to like the turning articles in trad wood but i havent been able to get hold of a copy since it was reincarnated as BWW to see if these are still going

and a word to GW and NW there is more to turning than making fruit bowls, and spindles, for the love of the high lord zombuglast try and carry an inovative turning article at least once in a while.

 

[OPJ]

I try a British WW magazine now and again but am always very disappointed. I feel they are badly written (over-chatty, look-at-me-the-author tone, padding out tiny amounts of hard WW information); overfull of meaningless tool "tests" (shallow, uncritical, no use help in deciding a purchase, often about crappy tools); awful standard of photography (lopsided, partial and badly lit pics often with no relevance to the text, such as it is).

oof - a bit harshly worded , it will be interesting to see what nick gibbs has to say in response.

One thing i would pick up from this is the matter of photography - not in BWW in particular but as a general thing this often lets down otherwise well written articles - my feeling is that this is because magazines with a relatively modest circulation cant afford to send out a photographer and thus the pics are taken by the woodworking author themselves which is (understandably) not their main area of expertise.

You're right about the photography, BSM. After I my article in the previous issue, Nick did mention to me that my workshop is "very dark" - this is something I plan to improve upon, when finances allow... I've think you've hit the nail on the head though - we're woodworkers, first and foremost! I thought Nick did an excellent job in taking the main shots of my TV stand though, it takes a surprising amount of effort to get everything setup just right, now I've seen it for myself, first-hand.

Lataxe, I'm quite sure we've been over all this before. We have seen a lot of Nick's own work featured in the magazines, particularly in the earlier days when the magazine was lacking in contributors. I feel now this is an issue that has been addressed and that things are on the up. In some other magazines, we see very little at all from the editors.

 

[big soft moose]

You're right about the photography, BSM. After I my article in the previous issue, Nick did mention to me that my workshop is "very dark" - this is something I plan to improve upon, when finances allow... I've think you've hit the nail on the head though - we're woodworkers, first and foremost! I thought Nick did an excellent job in taking the main shots of my TV stand though, it takes a surprising amount of effort to get everything setup just right, now I've seen it for myself, first-hand.
.

I'm lucky in that i'm also a semi pro photographer so i have the gear and the set up - unfortunately I doubt that i'm a competent enough turner (amateur 8 years) to have anything to say which would interest the BWW readership

I have thought of contact nick re freelance photo work because as a semi pro i'm relatively cheap , but i suspect that the money just aint there.

BTW re the dark workshop the cheapest way of improving the lighting for photography is to use some builders site halogen lamps which are inexpensive from screwfix etc (and can be folded up when not in use) - these create a colour cast on digital photos but one which is easy to correct in post processing - that said as a point of safety these get hot so are not ideal if you are creating a lot of dust or solvents.

the other option is a multiple flash gun set up using slave cells on cheap flash guns bought via ebay or similar - this is relatively simple and can seriously improve the lighting - principally by having flash from more than one angle you cut harsh shadows and light up the background a little.

It is also worth making a cove (out of white or black card) and a diffuse flash tent (out of muslin) for photographing the finished product.

 

[OPJ]

I have thought of contact nick re freelance photo work because as a semi pro i'm relatively cheap , but i suspect that the money just aint there.

Well, it won't cost a penny to ask him, will it! :wink:

Thanks for all the tips and advice. Long term, I plan to insulate the walls, paint them white and add more strip lights, which I'm sure will also help.

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Well, Lataxe, that's ok. There's always room for improvement, but fundamentally, I just don't think you're probably a British Woodworking reader. Fortunately plenty are. Just compare Issue 1 and Issue 8 to see how things have progressed. I've said before in this thread that sometimes we are too chatty, and I know we could do better with the depth of our testing and other things, but look what we've achieved in the last year, from a standing start with virtually no resources. We can't ape Fine Woodworking, but we can produce a magazine with character and passion. If it's frayed around the edges, so be it.

Thanks, Tony, for your response. I appreciate that. I would love every one of our tests to be hyper-critical and objective, to test products scientifically (as we did with screws and glues), but there are only so many seconds in a minute. Thanks anyway.

Back to work. Do email me if you'd like a free trial copy.

Nick

 

[big soft moose]

Thanks for all the tips and advice. Long term, I plan to insulate the walls, paint them white and add more strip lights, which I'm sure will also help.

yes it will - though be aware that shooting under flourecent lights might also cause a colour cast (unless you have the camera set to flourescent white balance of course) and then there may be problems if you are mixing light sources , such as using a sodium anglepoise as well. My prefference is to shoot RAW format and sort such issues out in post processing.

if you (or anyone else) has other questions about photographing their work for publication i am happy to advise if i can either on the boards or by pm

 

[Nick Gibbs]

I'm with you Moose, regarding light. But still learning!!! We can but try. I guess that's what makes it fun, and the prospect of sparring with Lataxe. I can't say I much like my writing be criticised, but if you stick you head above the parapet you have to expect to be shot at. My thinking is that you have to have a go in life, to try to do something distinct, to test your own abilities and to find people who want to join the journey. I suspect Lataxe just isn't a fellow traveller, but I certainly do listen to his comments, and to your advice. Thanks.

Nick

 

[bjm]

If your work isn't being criticised it isn't being noticed?

It's all about how you respond!

Brian

 

[Nick Gibbs]

So true, Brian. So true. I hope I've responded appropriately.

Nick

 

[big soft moose]

Ive sent you a pm re the free copy nick but as a matter of interest where do i buy BWW from ?

I used to get Trad wood in Smiths but neither they nor my newsagent carry BWW.

Pete

 

[Nick Gibbs]

You can buy it at Borders, various newsagents, and larger Smiths (but not railways stations and airports). Email me your postcode and I can find a stockist.

Cheers

Nick