Magazine suggestion

[Hobbywood]

Hello, folks. I'm new here and this is my first post.

While I'm not necessarily new to working with wood, I have recently decided to make woodworking my new hobby. I'm finishing up an enclosure for our daughter's bearded dragon (Lewis) and it has really gotten me excited about building other things as well as some projects around the house that my wife and I have been talking about the last few years.

I'm going to be upgrading some of my power tools in a few weeks (new table saw, drill/driver and impact driver, etc) as I start my new journey. As you can imagine, I've been reading lots of reviews and watching a lot of YouTube videos. I can't get enough.

One of the things I was wanting to do was subscribe to a woodworking magazine but there are so many that I thought I'd get y'all's opinion on what would be the better choice for what I'm looking for.

I'm the proverbial weekend warrior/DIY'er so I'm looking for something that offers good advice for beginners and novices as well as realistic project suggestions. I'm a long way from making furniture for the house so I don't want to waste my time/money on a dreamer's magazine. I want something that will put me to work, not keep me in my chair looking at pictures of stuff I wish I could make.

I did a little research into woodworking forums and found this one to be well traveled and covering a lot of subjects. I'm looking forward to "meeting" everyone and learning everything I can.

[chips ahoy]

Welcome to the forum.You can gain a lot of knowledge from the good folks on here,don't be afraid to ask questions.I gave up magazines many years ago so can't help you there but I am sure others can make good suggestions for you.Pics of projects are always welcome,saying on here is "no pics didn't happen",just kidding of course.Enjoy your new hobby and remember safety first.

Mel

[mdhills]

Welcome!  Sounds exciting.

Take a look at "woodworking for mere mortals" on youtube and see if those projects grab you.  Steve is definitely targeting people who want to make things, as opposed to go deep into period furniture techniques...  

For magazines, I'd recommend looking for a Barnes and Noble and getting any magazines that grab your fancy.  Do this for a half year and you'll probably have an idea of what holds your interest.  Your library may also have back issues.  Or you might find folks on craigslist selling cheap (or giiving away) their archives of back issues.  A lot of woodworking content isn't particularly new.  A magazine subscription just meters out the content and is a periodic day-brightner.

Matt

[Strokes77]

Welcome!  Sounds exciting.

Take a look at "woodworking for mere mortals" on youtube and see if those projects grab you.  Steve is definitely targeting people who want to make things, as opposed to go deep into period furniture techniques...  

For magazines, I'd recommend looking for a Barnes and Noble and getting any magazines that grab your fancy.  Do this for a half year and you'll probably have an idea of what holds your interest.  Your library may also have back issues.  Or you might find folks on craigslist selling cheap (or giiving away) their archives of back issues.  A lot of woodworking content isn't particularly new.  A magazine subscription just meters out the content and is a periodic day-brightner.

Matt

I would strongly recommend a monthly subscription to one of the woodworking "Channels" instead.  There are a lot.  Rob Cosman, Paul Sellers, Mark Spagnoala, many others, even Steve from Mere Mortals is starting a subscription service...

These are FAR more beneficial than a magazine with 3-4 pages of relevant to you info per edition.

[fredhargis]

I don't think the magazines are a bad idea, but the publishing industry is in a state of decline with electronic media taking over. That said, I would suggest 3 to consider, and 2 to pass on. the considerations would be Woodsmith (our former host here) along with Wood and popular Woodworking. (PWW is still going through some pains and may fall off my list soon). 2 to avoid (IMHO) are Woodcraft are Woodworker's Journal. They are both owned by woodworking retailers (not a bad thing) but tend to be more focused on making you shop those retailers. Another source of info are forums such as this one. There are some that are a little hinky, but several that have lots of knowledgeable folks and good advice.

[FS7]

Hello, folks. I'm new here and this is my first post.

While I'm not necessarily new to working with wood, I have recently decided to make woodworking my new hobby. I'm finishing up an enclosure for our daughter's bearded dragon (Lewis) and it has really gotten me excited about building other things as well as some projects around the house that my wife and I have been talking about the last few years.

I'm going to be upgrading some of my power tools in a few weeks (new table saw, drill/driver and impact driver, etc) as I start my new journey. As you can imagine, I've been reading lots of reviews and watching a lot of YouTube videos. I can't get enough.

One of the things I was wanting to do was subscribe to a woodworking magazine but there are so many that I thought I'd get y'all's opinion on what would be the better choice for what I'm looking for.

I'm the proverbial weekend warrior/DIY'er so I'm looking for something that offers good advice for beginners and novices as well as realistic project suggestions. I'm a long way from making furniture for the house so I don't want to waste my time/money on a dreamer's magazine. I want something that will put me to work, not keep me in my chair looking at pictures of stuff I wish I could make.

I did a little research into woodworking forums and found this one to be well traveled and covering a lot of subjects. I'm looking forward to "meeting" everyone and learning everything I can.

I've been a hobbyist for a good 15 years, and while my skills are way past where they were when I started they aren't up to the level of most here. Also, a lot of the projects featured in the popular magazines (like Wood) are not exactly welcoming to the beginner. Most of what I see in those magazines doesn't really appeal to me, and a lot of of the ones that do need to be modified anyway. Maybe I'm fortunate in the way my brain works, but I don't often need plans and when I have access to them, I can modify them on the fly.

I guess the moral of the story is that if you're looking for beginner-friendly plans, the general case is that the popular magazines are not a good place to start (unless you're pretty good at simplifying plans).

[Hobbywood]

Thanks for the responses. Very much appreciated.

I am subscribed to Steve's WWMM channel on YouTube. I found him a month or so ago and I plan on building his mobile workbench as one of my first projects. I've subscribed to a number of wood working channels recently as well, e.g. Jon Peters, Matthias Wandel and Jay Bates. While I don't ever expect to make some the contraptions that Matthias Wandel has made to assist him in his woodwording, I admire his methods and have a learned a few things already.

I considered Steve's Mere Mortals "class" but I don't really have time to keep up with a set course. I took up the bass a few years ago (after 40 years on the guitar) and there are paid course for that too, but it's the same story. Not enough free time to devote to it.

As far as magazines go, I know all about the retailer-directed kinds. They are in every industry, it seems. I guess one of things I was also looking for was keeping up to date on what's out there. But I guess if I subscribe to enough channels on YouTube, that should be enough to keep me out from under my rock. I'm thinking products, not so much techniques. Not that I'm a "gotta be the first one to have it" kinda guy, I just like to see what comes along and decide if it suits my needs or not.

For instance, I still have, and use, an old B&D variable speed drill that I got back in the 80's. It does the job but the chuck is a PITA as well as switching drill bits and driving bits all the time. Now that I've seen what's on the market in the way of drill/drivers and impact drivers, I can't wait to spoil myself with a nice set.

Anyway, I really appreciate the early responses. Having been on a number of forums, from guitars, basses, DIY'ing and what not, I can see that picked a good one. I'll get some pics of the lizard enclosure and start a thread for your enjoyment.

[Hank Knight]

As others have said, the print magazine industry is suffering at the hands of digital media. There are a number of woodworking magazines out there that are pitched at different levels of expertise. The one that has been consistently good (or relatively so) over the years is Fine Woodworking, but some have issues with it and others find it a little esoteric. The rest have fluctuated pretty dramatically from very good to mediocre or worse and many have disappeared altogether. My recommendation is to spend a little time at your local library and check out several issues of the woodworking magazines they have there. You will probably zero in on one that rings your chimes.

Welcome to the Forum. You can learn a lot here. I'm looking forward to seeing your bearded dragon!

[giradman]

Hi Hobbywood - welcome to the forum!


Over the years, I've bought a lot of woodworking books & DVDs, but another topic - as to magazines, I use to subscribe to a half dozen but now just receive Fine Woodworking and Woodsmith - check out the website links, both sites offer magazines, plans, videos, etc.  Fine Woodworking is published by Taunton Press which offers books, videos, special publications, etc. (e.g. I own a number of Jeff Jewitt books/DVDs on finishing).

Woodsmith is for me a more practical publication w/ tips, tool reviews, and projects of various types - and as you likely know, there is a TV series now in its 11th year - I have the first 6 seasons on DVD - may buy the rest if a substantial discount is offered?

Also, I would support the recommendation to first look at some of these offerings, if available (e.g. local library) or buy a number of single copies and see which ones are of interest - if you want to subscribe, I believe just one or two would be enough - these forums are excellent to have many of your questions answered and projects shown and discussed.  Good luck - Dave

[Bibliophile 13]

Glad to see you here! I had to use my woodworking skills to build a habitat for my daughter's box turtle.

Anyhow, magazines: I've enjoyed Popular Woodworking. They have more hand-tool, old-school content than most magazines being published today. The yearly subscription rate is very reasonable.

Fine Woodworking does have good content, and the production values of the magazine itself are fairly high (nice paper, good photos, etc.).

I do second the idea of looking at your local Barns and Noble, picking up three or four issues for the cover price, and seeing which ones catch your interest. For myself, I think I learned more about woodworking here on this forum than I ever learned from magazines. That, and taking classes in person. Magazines are good for stimulating my interest in aspects of the craft that I might not be aware of. Sometimes I learn a new trick or technique from a magazine article, but mostly I read them because I enjoy seeing how other people approach the craft.