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The magazine has certainly gone downhill. It feels like they've shifted their focus to the DIY, YouTube crowd. And the ads on the website are so off-putting I can't stand browsing the site (which is what's slowing it down - too many adds and pointless, unrelated links trying to load). The writing has been on the wall since Lang, Huey and Bender all left. Megan did what she could, but the corporate overlords and their shareholder masters are who ultimately dictate what happens. It was a good run, but all good things eventually find their demise in the pursuit of quarterly returns.
Jason
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Yeah, same here. I don't think the quality of the content is bad, but it doesn't cater to my interests as much as it did. I still love Follansbee's column, and I do appreciate that there's a wider variety of authors now, so you get a broad range of styles, techniques, etc. I still don't own a router or a table saw, so there's less and less in the magazine that appeals to me. I know I'm really not a good representative of their target market, so I never expected them to cater to my interests. Rather, I was pleasantly surprised that they continued to hold my interest for so long. They had a good run there under Schwarz and then Fitzpatrick. I miss their content already.
When my subscription runs out, I think I'll switch over to Mortise and Tenon. And maybe I'll stop getting so many magazines and start picking up more books. Lost Art Press is a veritable gold mine of woodworking books nowadays, and I should start supporting their efforts again. After all, I'm not likely to go back and reread most of my old woodworking magazines, but a good book can always be reread with pleasure.
Steve S.
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Tradition cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour.
- T. S. Eliot
Tutorials and Build-Alongs at The Literary Workshop
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Definitely Lost Arts Press, content and quality is superb. Also, Amazon for used, vintage books.
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Don't give up just yet... I'm still in the saddle for them, with many pieces and blogs in the works. The traditional hand tool only perspective is still in the mix.
Zachary Dillinger
https://www.amazon.com/author/zdillinger
Author of "On Woodworking: Notes from a Lifetime at the Bench" and "With Saw, Plane and Chisel: Making Historic American Furniture With Hand Tools",
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11-07-2018, 11:14 AM
(This post was last modified: 11-07-2018, 12:09 PM by Handplanesandmore.)
PW now enforces automatic renewals (for new customers?) and to unsubscribe you need to call them. I don't know if any other woodworking magazines do the same (my FW subscription has several months left and it will expire if I don't renew it (which is also my plan).
Magazines and books are pretty much the same to me as 95% of them cover the same old stuff that has been published, with some exceptions. like the LAP's Charles Hayward books.
Recently, I was given a new book authored by a skilled woodworker. I spent less than 30 minutes finishing it, because half of it is about his non-woodworking journey (hiking) which I skipped, and the book is thin. I am not interested in any modern woodworker's personal life or philosophy. After reading it, I donated it to the club's library. By the way, the author's previous articles in FW are solid, but his book is a disappointment if you are looking for wisdom on woodworking per se.
Sad that these days known (including those known mostly due to the invention of social media) and less known woodworkers all come out with books that make books look stupid or more like tools for personal glory. I am skeptical of any new books as my collection of books by people like Frid, Krenov and Hayward covers almost anything I need and do. The complete searchable FW collection supplements the books well. Some new books have nice photographs, but I am a woodworker not a photographer.
Simon
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"They had a good run there under Schwarz and then Fitzpatrick. I miss their content already."
--Bibliophile13
BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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(11-07-2018, 02:01 PM)Ray Newman Wrote: "They had a good run there under Schwarz and then Fitzpatrick. I miss their content already."
--Bibliophile13
BINGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes - I let mine run out awhile back, about when Megan left. I have "Hands Employed Aright" coming from LAP for Christmas - and can't wait to read it. If it turns out to be worth it's price, I'll buy more of them... it's been a very long time since I bought a new WW'ing book. Ten years or more.....
For what it's worth, the reason I am interested in the LAP book is because when it came out, they published the 1st chapter so I could get a sense of if I liked it before I bought it. Who else does that for their customers in todays world???? And yes, I liked it.....
Between Chris and Megan's new publishing ventures, we may all still be their customers for a long time to come... kinda like doing business with LV and LN...
Skip
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(11-07-2018, 08:40 AM)ZachDillinger Wrote: Don't give up just yet... I'm still in the saddle for them, with many pieces and blogs in the works. The traditional hand tool only perspective is still in the mix. Sorry Zach;
Always liked your articles, and I have both of your books, but I'm not going back.......
Skip
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I resubscribed a couple months ago when they sent me an offer of two years for $18.00. I was surprised by the latest issue as well. Looks more like American Woodworker than Pop Wood, which is strange because F+W shuttered American Woodworker a few years ago. Kind of makes me wonder if the company is under new ownership again. I may subscribe to Mortise and Tenon magazine, but I ordered their first issue a couple of years ago and it looked a little too highbrow for my tastes. I have no idea if the magazine has changed since as I have never thumbed through another issue.
Mike
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(11-07-2018, 08:40 AM)ZachDillinger Wrote: Don't give up just yet... I'm still in the saddle for them, with many pieces and blogs in the works. The traditional hand tool only perspective is still in the mix.
Glad to hear that!
Steve S.
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Tradition cannot be inherited, and if you want it you must obtain it by great labour.
- T. S. Eliot
Tutorials and Build-Alongs at The Literary Workshop
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