Site and Workshop Joinery Magazine

[J D Architectural Joinery]

After trying to find a magazine that is more suited to my line of work I have come up with nothing.
I am a joiner that manufatures joinery products, ie your doors, your stairs, etc etc basically anything from wood.
I personally feel that the current mags out there revolve around the DIYer / beginners to wood, and, or furniture lads. Which I am none of. The closest I come to furniture making is shopfitting.

So I was wondering if there are people like myself that would have an interest of a magazine maybe that came out quaterly, that dealt more with the heavier side to joinery, ie new machinery rather than tools, New techniques, New regulations, and even things for the apprentice joiners, wether it be site or bench joiners. Rather than the Fine woodworker, there would be a roughing joiners section, a finishing joiners section and a workshop joiners section.
Im sure there are alot of joiners that would be lost in a workshop after serving there time in one, yrs ago but are now so set in there ways in site work, they wouldn't know where to start if they went back in, and vise versa, Some that have been locked away in there workshops for so long, Still hammer and nails.

I have run this by a few mag editors, but get the same kinds of responses. But to help promote wood, and in particular, British wood, I think the biggest sector of woodworkers need to be involved with it a lot more.

What would be the intrest of the forum

 

[woodshavings]

Hi David

Cannot help with the magazine but really liked your photos.

I guess Kayleigh must be rather special..hand cut dovetails next !

John

 

[Richardhw]

Sounds like a damned good idea to me, i'd be down for subscribing to that mag :wink:

 

[Adam]

I'm surprised their isn't a profitable business in that, if only a quarterly. There must be plenty of companies that want to advertise to fitters/carpernters, site tools etc, and companies advertising cutters for profiles for doors etc (giving one specific example). Again, wood sources, workshop heating, Health and Safety, apprentices, maybe a section on legal cases (non-paying customers - a stories of what someone did to sort it out), a section on starting your own business, pitfalls, accountants advertising for business customers.

A little like woodnet is to the foresty industry in fact.

Adam

 

[beech1948]

David,

Interesting one. I am a hobbyist but occasionally make doors and windows for the family but always find that I have to relearn the regs, find data on best practice etc.

I was wondering if you need to go the normal route to publishing. Why not forget paper magazines as they are stuck with huge operating costs, large overheads and are stuck in industry norms. As you have found.

Why not just use the internet via a web site. Publish every month or two months. Start with free subs with a clearly made statement to start charging after 6 issues have been completed but keep charges low-ish.

Maybe start with two or three people who have some understanding of journalism but who contribute part time and share in the eventual money generatedi.e Risk for reward and income from subs + ads.

Timbmet is an obvious example. Maybe they would even add you to their online publication.

Have sections for technique, joinery projects, education, apprentices, new tools - machines, cost control, regs, timber sales, machinery sales, jobs wanted and offered, find-a-professional-joiner.

regards
Alan

 

[opener]

If you decide on the internet route I wouldn't charge for it as that would put a number of people off. It seems to me that the way to make a web site pay is to get lots of traffic and use google ads and other advertising.

I think an online mag for joiners would be a great idea, I'd be a regular reader (though a bit stingey about paying for it )

Cheers
Malcolm

 

[mr]

It seems to me that people have an (erroneous) understanding that if something is on the internet then it must by rights be free to access. Any magazine whether it is online of paper based must be monetized somehow other it will be extremely difficult if not impossible to buy in quality content.

Cheers Mike

 

[Adam]

One sucessfull thing I've seen is getting people to subscribe to a free daily/weekly/quarterly newsletter (by email) which has a limited amount of information, with links to a main website which is subscription only and has the full article. That way, people get a good sample of what they might be paying for should they ever upgrade to membership, they of course can research the information in the newsletter further if they wish, but the majority pay the perhaps nominal fee to see the rest of the articles/pictures/links/plans etc.

The bulk of money would be advertising, product placement for photographs etc, and links through to product purchasing websites as well.

Adam

 

[Woodmagnet]

Good idea David, and good reply Adam. :wink:

 

[John McM]

Great Idea. I'm not in the trade but I am interested in restoring my cottage so info on making doors and windows etc would interest me. Incidentally I no longer buy mags, I much prefer subscribing to FWW where all articles, pdfs, videos etc are available to view, print or whatever and at about £17 pa it's a bargain. I'd go that way, smaller operating costs and it embraces the future and makes the most of technology. You could even investigate podcasts......

Best of luck

 

[J D Architectural Joinery]

The problem with the internet which has been mentioned is the monitoring of info put up, But not everyone has the time to sive through the internet pages,
Sometimes like buying a book, its handy just to have it as a reference. Read it during your piece break,
The young apprentice goes out at night, so won't read the internet, or too busy face booking or whatever it is these days. But during piece breaks sitting in the van, or sitting by the bench hopefully a magazine can be brought out that captures them aswell as the proprietor.
Theres nothing out there that satisfies the industrial market, whether it be companies such as Whitehill, Wadkin, even your Axminster machinery.
When was the last time you saw in a mag a range of affordable window tooling and a review on them.
Also what has been said about regs. PUWER, Building regs in laymans terms, even amendments.
I here they are bringing in an MOT for trailers in October, this could also affect those in the industry but how do people find out. I have a 16' trailer. I only found out through the wife talking to a police friend.

Don't get me wrong I don't want to leave out the finer hand tools, I love running my Lie Nielsens along some wood.


Even on this forum as much as its nice to be all together, it would also be nice to be able to know you could speak to like minded members that did the same as you.

The biggest sector of woodworkers are site joiners and the relevant industries around it, and its not catered for. I was on a site the other week, and none of the so called qualified and experienced joiners new the best way to cut or bore a hole in TRESPA.

I ain't the person to organise this kind of thing, just have the idea's. A bit like I drive a vehicle, but can't fix it when it needs something doing to it.

Some good ideas have been mentioned.

Those who do have ideas and like the thought of a magazine email [email protected] as I have been emailing him and he seems to like the idea. the more feedback he gets the more likely we maybe able to get it off the ground.

If Travis Perkins can do a free Proffesional Builder mag on there counter for the builder then surely a workshop / site joiners one would be beneficial.

 

[OPJ]

I have run this by a few mag editors, but get the same kinds of responses.

What's that then, that the average Carpenter [not joiner] can't read anyway?? It would need to have some pretty big pictures! :roll: :wink: :shock:

Seriously though, I like the idea. I only finished college a couple of years ago, but even since then I've met plenty of people who are totally oblivious to the latest regs. on things like the correct clearance between riving knife and saw blade at bed level. And they couldn't care less!

Nobody's gonna pick up a quarterly magazine written by the HSE but, put some woodwork in there with some machinery & tool reviews and something for the Apprentice/DIYer, and it might get noticed.

Best of luck to you if you do manage to get something off the ground. I'd buy it! :wink:

 

[Nick Gibbs]

This is indeed an interesting idea, and as usual lots of themes have come up in this thread, most notably the one concerning technology.

From a publisher in Britain, here are my thoughts.

1. Certainly there's a large group of people who could do with the information.

2. A magazine, while a lovely idea, would be extremely difficult to sell to professional carpenters and joiners. They'd be only visiting the woodworking section in Smiths etc... in small numbers because they wouldn't expect to find a mag for them there. Most of timberyards/merchants have their own publications, so you'd find it very difficult to sell where carpenters buy their kit and materials. Magazines are notoriously difficult to sell on retail counters (except in Smiths, and some specialist sectors).

3. A website would be good, but it would need a lot of investment up front. That's probably the way to go. It would also need a forum to get the traffic going. Perhaps UKWorkshop should consider it. The trouble is that setting up a website without a brand that people already recognise is also difficult because it takes time to get the traffic. And of course there are already various sites, like Screwfix I think, that do this.

4. We at British Woodworking produce a magazine because we don't have the resources of Fine Woodworking to invest in video etc... We have to battle away for the home market in our small way, and ask for as much support from British woodworkers as possible. Hopefully we produce a good enough magazine for people to value it anyway.

However, there's an interesting analogy with woodlands here. We're doing something about English cherry in the next issue of the mag, and discovered that it's now quite difficult to buy. A number of sawmills told us that the problem is that so many people are choosing American cherry that they can't sell English cherry (which some people will say is more interesting), that they can't now get hold of English cherry. Demand has withered and now supply has too. The result is that woodlands that could be supplying perfectly good English cherry will be neglected and will decline and we will lose a valuable local resource. I'm as guilty as the next man of benefiting from globalisation, but the price may be that our local markets suffer and die.

Happy Easter!

Nick

 

[J D Architectural Joinery]

Thanks for the reply Nick.
:-k

 

[J D Architectural Joinery]

Does anyone get the Timber trades journal

 

[Pecker]

What's that then, that the average Carpenter [not joiner] can't read anyway?? It would need to have some pretty big pictures! :roll: :wink: :shock:

Oi!!!!!! :shock: Trouble is we real chippes dont have the time like Joiners to sit down in the warm and read a mag then fall asleep over a coffee sitting on the bench! :wink:

I get really fed up with many of the DIY type mags and would love one more trade orientated, as basically they are often irrelevante to me. I would sometimes like to see a review on say a £300 drill, or a 2K planer rather than a £60 drill and £200 planer. Or a 1000 pound extractor.
Likewise, many times I would rather see true trade work, be it a neat roof, nice porch, posh door, galleried landing, oak floor, hotel bar etc.

The idea of perhaps covering various regs etc is excellent. I for one would welcome a trade mag that covered ALL aspects of the carpentry/joiner trade suitable for inexperienced and exeperinced tradesmen. It is a wonderful trade that seems to often be undervalued and represented.

Woody

 

[J D Architectural Joinery]

Oi!!!!!! :shock: Trouble is we real chippes dont have the time like Joiners to sit down in the warm and read a mag then fall asleep over a coffee sitting on the bench! :wink:



Woody

You should have woke me up. :lol: but then again it can't have been me you saw, as you mentioned something about warmth. :lol:

But your right we are overlooked, but have so many regulations that we have to adhere to, that we may not know about. And buying a ryobi ain't any use to us. If there can be a Contractors journal, or a Welders weekly, hell why can't a publisher come up with a site and workshop based publication.

Forums are all to well, but at times you spend as much time reading the, thats great, oh I love that, type comments.

I hate regulations as much as any other person. But the DIYer needs to know them also, as you are then getting into the cowboys sector of workmanship. Ignorance is no excuse.

I know I don't know everything, and yearn for that improvement to my knowledge, and not living in a city anymore, rather in a small town and villages environment, its hard at times to keep up with whats new.

 

[TheTiddles]

Love your pictures JD, who says you don't get birds into woodwork??!





...well I thought it was funny...

Aidan

 

[J D Architectural Joinery]

Love your pictures JD, who says you don't get birds into woodwork??!





...well I thought it was funny...

Aidan

I bought in some beech doors, and she proceeded to nest on them so quickly made her a ledge above them. :roll:

 

[J D Architectural Joinery]

I may have found what I am looking for. :shock: :lol:

http://www.nelton.co.uk/Template2.asp?P ... ing%20News