New Goodwoodworking - First Impressions

[Alf]

My first impressions were of how short the items are and in many cases very simplistic.

Too many short 'bits' and not enough in-depth articles and much of the layout IMO seems quite 'untidy'.

The new layout seems fiddly, too many short bits, not enough "making" details in the larger articles. The graphic design seems at first bewildering and more about the graphic design than woodwork.

I thought you had made some good moves but there was neither depth, nor clarity, to quite a number of the articles.

Give a copy of page 9 to someone who knows nothing about turning and ask them how long it takes to have any idea about what a thread chaser does. Perhaps it's just me, but I'm still unsure.

Wot they said. Not news to Nick, as I've already emailed him privately with more in-depth comment. What I really can't understand is why content seems to be heading for greater superficiality. Looking back at comments we've made in the past, time and again "more depth/detail" has been the theme. ](*,) Is GWW really aiming to be a coffee table magazine? In which case it's going to make thinning down the magazine subs this year a "no-brainer"... On the plus side, I enjoyed Steve's bookcase. Why? 'Cos you could actually read it; it had narrative flow. And that's was seems to be missing from so much of the rest of the mag.

Extremely Unimpressed of Cornwall

 

[Anonymous]

I am quite surprised at some of these posts.

I do not disagree with the general points made such as a 'busy' look, too little depth in many articles (particularly the chaser one - I have no idea what they do after reading it either Neil).

However. The last 4 or 5 issues of GWW preceding this new one were, pretty poor in my opinion. In case people have forgotten already, this was also many other member's opinion too.

So, let's take off those rose tinted spectacles :roll:

Rather than slating Nick and the team's efforts and work, I would say that the improvements made so far are good (although plenty of work still required) and clearly the magazine will develop over the coming months and will hopefully become the premier English WW mag. - something it most definitely has not been for quite a while.

For what it's worth Nick. I enjoyed the book reviews and the woodland article. I felt that you were expanding the coverage to a wider readership which is essential when one considers the variety of people that may buy the mag, along with their varied reasons for buying it (DIY, furniture making, turning, new tools, old tools, carpentry, carving, marquetry, professionals, amateurs......)

I do not want ONLY woodworking projects and reviews of YET MORE tools in my magazines. Any mags I get with just these things in hit the bin pretty quickly. I want varied content and thought provoking articles. For instance, I had never thought about actually buying a section of forest before, however, my interest was piqued

I generally liked what I got in this one - but more depth please

Out of one hundred pages, I counted twenty three pages that held my interest.

that is more than I found in the past 4 issues put together!!!!

 

[mudman]

I have to echo what Tony says.
I liked the new look and the whole feel of the magazine has changed for the better. Before I found myself skimming through the mag in one sitting, this issue has been picked up several times now. That to me is a good test for a magazine.
As to the woodlands article, haven't got around to reading it properly yet but ever since growing up on the treeless South Downs, I've always dreamed of owning a patch of woods so this is of interest. Was a bit dissapointed to read that it is now becoming fashionable and the price is now going up.

 

[mudman]

Just thought, I haven't read the thread chasing article either, and only skimmed the spinning wheel one, which does look interesting to me. So, plenty more to read in it yet.
I like to be able to skim a mag when I've just received it and be able to come back later for a more in depth read. I think GWW has achieved this.

Keep up the good work Nick and Team.

PS, please run Ian's plane making article, I know there are a lot of people that would like to see this, me included. [-o<

 

[devonwoody]

The last thread mentioned Ians article re the cabinet case and I should mention that I could not follow wording re the mention of the plane storage. This came about because a photograph of this portion of the cabinet was curtailed.

However I did a search on this forum and was able to locate a picture of the plane storeage section of the cabinet.

The purpose of my thread is to point out that articles are possibly shortened by the editorial staff. (for their reasons no doubt)

 

[Martin Brown]

In my opinion the ad rates are just way too high. For such a poorly viewed rag (see all posts above) it is mad that we have to pay to advertise. Shurely shome mishtake?? Thank your God they don't make any other magazines. Luckily Nick Gibbs has other interests to keep him from the scrap heap. Andy King can go back to his stand in for Buster Bloodvessel....."hello Cleckheaton we're Bid Minors".

BTW thanks to all who above threw out their Veritas poster. please recycle.

 

[Javier]

Thanks for the warm welcome and the book info. Will definitely be ordering it.

 

[Philly]

ROTFL :lol:
Nice one Martin-think you are onto a loser, there, though. :lol:
Cheers
Philly

 

[Alf]

BTW thanks to all who above threw out their Veritas poster. please recycle.

I've kept mine. It'll be handy for covering the benchtop when I do the next glue-up... :wink:

Javier, my apologies; welcome to the forum.

Cheers, Alf

 

[devonwoody]

BTW thanks to all who above threw out their Veritas poster. please recycle.

I've kept mine. It'll be handy for covering the benchtop when I do the next glue-up... :wink:

Javier, my apologies; welcome to the forum.

Cheers, Alf

Actually Alf I've kept mine, thought it would be handy to make for putting in the car, a caravan, even to take along to Yandles then we could all have tea again with Philly sitting at a table :lol:

 

[Steve Maskery]

On the plus side, I enjoyed Steve's bookcase.

Thank you very much Alf, I do try to make stuff readable, even for people who are not going to make up the project.

articles are possibly shortened by the editorial staff

Not just shortened, DW, sometimes bits are added. Usually it's not a problem, but all the stuff about sharpening in the bookcase article originated, not at my keyboard, but in a telephone conversation. Scary Sharp has become Scarily Sharp, and personally, I think that section did not help the narrative flow of the piece. It's OK, I've sorted this out amicably with Nick, but DW, you are right, what appears on the page is not necessarily the truth the whole truth ANBTT.

Editors have to, well, edit, and they do so to try to ensure that the project is of maximum value to the reader, and the original author probably has no idea of how it is going to relate to other pieces in the same issue, for example. Authors always think that their work is sacrosant, and take it as a duellable challenge if someone modifies their precious work, but sometimes it just has to be, or postpone the piece for another time.

On the wider issue of the new mag, I'd say that this is a step in the right direction. Yes, a few things are disappointing, but if they are recognised and corrected, then we should be able to look forward to it being the best it can be. Lets hope each is better than the last, and give the whole team our support, shall we? After all, if we don't support it, and it folds, we shall all be the poorer.

Cheers
Steve

 

[mudman]

BTW thanks to all who above threw out their Veritas poster. please recycle.

Actually mine is going up on the wall with careful annotations to indicate the ranking system I have in place to promote the 'This is what I want for next birthday/Christmas/easter/Father's Day/Mother's Day/' system thet I have in place in my house.

My wife threatened to put up a similar poster showing large amounts of expensive jewlery with careful annotations to indicate which piece would be required before an equivalent Veritas item would enter the house.

 

[devonwoody]

To GWW

Can I have an extra edition this month, finished the Sept. issue already

 

[GCR]

I always found the previous GWW mags a little superficial on first scan, but usually found some depth on re-reading. I am not sure that this has changed. My first impression as I waded through the new format was "when does the real woodwork start". 7 pages of words and little practical as a lead in! I would expect a woodworking mag to set about something "hands on" with drawings/photos close to the start of the mag - if I were idly scanning through at a shop I might well pass it by. I am also easily confused, I wondered what "the cranked chisel" had to do with bench planes (itself a re-hash from not that long ago) on page 88. The format adopted for Planing machines was, I thought, clear and useful.

Bob

 

[MikeW]

BTW thanks to all who above threw out their Veritas poster. please recycle.

Actually mine is going up on the wall with careful annotations to indicate the ranking system I have in place to promote the 'This is what I want for next birthday/Christmas/easter/Father's Day/Mother's Day/' system thet I have in place in my house.

My wife threatened to put up a similar poster showing large amounts of expensive jewlery with careful annotations to indicate which piece would be required before an equivalent Veritas item would enter the house.

Careful there, Barry...your wife may well be more serious than you are :wink:.

Hate to tell you what happened one year I forgot both our anniversary and her birthday (they are 5 days apart). It was an expensive year. :lol:

 

[MikeW]

Nick and company...
I have not ever seen you magazine--didn't even know it existed before the last couple mentions and threads where the name came up.

I did attempt to see what it was all about by going to a web site link once, and of course, only got to a subscription page.

Because of the above, I only have ignorant encouragement for you, and a little personal advice as a reader of other magazines--to which I don't have any expectation for you to answer in a public forum.

I assume you have a clear vision statement of what you desire to communicate--information relevant to your vision--and how to present that information. I also assume you and the other editors review submissions in raw form, as well as the edited revisions, against that vision statement.

If you and the other editors feel that you have a ways to go before the magazine is where you desire it to be, I would also assume you have a clear road map and timeline to get there.

I personally like a bit of variety as relates to working with wood. I also have a need for inspirational articles, ones that challenge me, provoking me to want to try out a concept, method or entire project.

I have (as a few here know) a dislike for pedantic presentation of ideas that have been rehashed time and time again. But, I don't mind rehashing of ideas wherein the reader is referred to the earlier articles and is prompted to consider information that was not included in prior articles. For instance, one of the magazines for a while had a running article on dovetails. While it was covered in previous issues, each time it was run it gave other, new methods (be they by hand or machine). Rationale for pins vs. tails first and how one goes about one method or the other without a judgement as to "which is better."

One article used a traditional back saw, another used a Japanese style saw. There were representatives of the different router jigs, bandsaw use, etc. I forget which magazine, but it ran nearly an entire year.

I never got tired of considering the "same old information" when it was presented this way. In fact, it challenged me to use the bandsaw for large-scale blanket chest dovetails for my first time. And you know what? I now only do large DTs this way.

I also like pieces or concepts for more advanced workers. Heck, every professional I know does not need a step-by-step guide or even full-measured drawings. But a called-out detail of how something special was carried out is in itself inspiring.

I guess one thing I am trying to communicate is that I don't mind reading through "easier" articles, ads (we all have to pays bills), working concepts that have been previously published (but presented using a different technique), but I need to be encouraged in some way to desire the next issue. For myself, it is the philosophical aspects of how and why to do something, a technique for solving a build issue I hadn't thought of and, of course, those projects done by others that are simply to inspire me to a greater level of woodworking.

My best to you and the staff. I sincerely wish all involved a sense of fulfilment, pride in what you have accomplished and clear direction as you strive to achieve your vision.

Mike Wenzloff

 

[Nick Gibbs]

Hi Mike

Thanks for that note. It is fascinating to read and an excellent reminder of how editors should work.

My/our vision is sometimes in the heart, other times in the head, and often written down. It's a constantly evolving vision, driven by a desire to entertain and inform as many woodworkers as possible, enabling them to enjoy woodworking even more through what they read and through the shared experience of a magazine. And I want to learn and have fun too.

The aim is to have woodworkers craving the day the magazine goes on sale, yearning for another dose of Good Wood.

That is my vision.

Who knows if you ever achieve it, or perhaps you achieve it all the time, every day, by persuing it. The vision is what you do.

As a sailing friend once told me as we sailed across the Channel in an old French pilot boat, it's best to navigate 'towards' a landfall, rather than 'to' a point. That way, he said, you can accept the adjustments that have to be made along the way while keeping your course in mind. You listen to the wind, and to the tides, and to the crew, and watch out for tankers, and try to enjoy the journey, and are satisfied by your destination.

Thanks for your contribution. It has certainly raised my morale.

Nick Gibbs

 

[Nigel]

Hi Nick

A view from a complete novice is that the new format is better as I used to read all I wanted from the previous issues in one sitting as already stated by Mudman I have had the mag for 4 days and still finding interest as for the extra catalogues I welcomed them as there is a certain amount of sloth on my part to request them, I did like the diversion from joints and tools ie Woodlands,I am sure the tweaking you do in response to any feedback can only make it better and I look forward to the next issue

Good luck Nigel

 

[Midnight]

To be honest I'm not exactly sure what to make of the new look... the previous issue arrived days before the new one so I've used that as a base-line...

first thing to be grateful for; an issue free of Andy's legs... yon was enough t put folk off their dinner..!! Ahem...

the editing of Ian's tool cabinet disappointed me; knowing there's far better pics of the project available on a free web site than in a subscribed magazine isn't going to impress or endear me... using a grammar checker might help too...

did find a first however... the review of bench planes; concise, accurate and fair.. never seen that before...

Is it the quality mag I'd "pictured" in my previous rant..??? Nuh uh... not by a long shot... filling the covers with a broad range of topics is an understandable aim, but please, pick one of them.. ANY one... and do a proper job per issue... even if it means spreading a project over a few issues... THAT kinda content will keep me anticipating the next issue; half ass'd n shallow aint gonna cut it... 3 pages to plug a piece of woodland for sale..?????

However..

From experience I've learned that taking a new project off the drawing board and going to first prototype isn't going to be easy; mistakes happen... at best you'll get maybe 70% of the way to where you wanna be... The next one should get the percentage up into the high 90's... or confirm that maybe it isn't worth the bother...

 

[devonwoody]

To the editorial staff of GWW

How about getting your advertisers to do more project sheets like the Veritas one that came with the new magazine.

I would have thought it has got to be a winner with readers.