What's your favourite Woodworking Mag?

[Driver]

I subscribe to both AWR and Fine Woodworking. They're both excellent. And different. After a lot of agonising, I voted for Fine Woodworking because, having only returned to woodwork after a very long interval, I find that it is more instructive in basic techniques so it gives me more help where I need it most.

AWR is a very good publication. I particularly like the fact that it showcases excellence in design and workmanship. If you use the two publications as a reflection of the state of woodworking in Australia and the US, it seems to me that Aussie woodworkers have a definite edge in modern design.

Col

[Oldblock]

You'd better put me down for FWW. Bought a copy of an Oz one which was alright, so good I cant remember what it was called, as one of your respondents put it 'a bit bland' but what upset me was the typeface (font?) it gave the mag a sort of fussy look.
ShopNotes is a bit too basic for my needs, tried a year's subscription but haven't renewed.

Been subscribing to FWW for about ten years now there's nothing to compare for sheer publishing quality but Yanks insularity is breathtaking.

There. I voted.

[dale]

I suppose I'll have to cave in and buy an Ozzy Post "Approved" letterbox. [/B]

Buy?...Buy??? I thought the appropriate verb would be "make" :-)

[craigb]

So its FWW by a nose to AWR, daylight third.

[silentC]

Looks that way. Wouldn't have gotten very good odds for the win and the place. Probably not the triffecta either.

Subscribed to both the other day, now waiting to see what all the fuss is about

[rabster]

I vote AWR. Considering the small size of the Oz market compared to the US and UK, I think they do a pretty good job. Good articles, good contributers, and good production values.

[Bob Willson]

First off, I work for Aussie Post and I take exception to the remark that we just ram the mail into letter boxes. I will have you know that the amount of force we use is carefully calculated to Just remove the outside covers and to disfigure the inside contents in some critical areas only. We are professionals, not some damned cowboys.

I have just subscribed to Fine Woodworking. That in itself was an ordeal and an excersise in frustration. It took about 20 goes using their $%^& website (and still failing) before I gave up and just sent them an email asking to be subscribed.

I also subscribe to Australian Woodsmith. This is (I believe) a direct rrip off of their American mother mag. I have made several of their projects and have often found that they are using Imperial measurements and then just swapping the measurements into metric. This has been much improved of late, so they may now be actually using CAD software to do the redrawing. Still, I like the detail that they go into and have not had many problems with their mag

I also get (subscribe) to The Australian Woodworker. Mainly, because of the Neil Scobie designs. He designs elegant pieces that are not too difficult to make well.

Also included in this magazine are some jigs by a brilliant Australian jig maker. I don't know if you have heard of him but he goes by the name of David Dundas. I understand that he is quite old and now spends most of his time in a rocking chair. Ah well, comes to us all in the end I suppose.

[silentC]

I arrived back home on Saturday from 2 weeks' leave and was welcomed by the latest issues of FWW and AWR. Could've used them when sitting around the pool in Surfers to break the tedium of swimming and chasing the kids.

Bob, I'm sorry to say but our local postie Greg needs to be sent on a refresher course. Not only were the covers intact but the plastic wrap was still in place as well. I do hope it wont count against his promotion.

I understand that with the weather cooling down a bit up there of late, David will be spending more time in his shed and less in his rocker.

[Bob Willson]

Preomototion? There ain't gunna be no promotion for this little incompetent. He has already had all the training he's gunna get.
What is his last name? I will see to it that he is drummed out of the service in disgrace. How do you think it makes all the other posties feel when they hear that the side has been let down like this? I will also see to it that his pension and super are revoked. We just cannot have one bad apple in the barrel letting us all be tarred with the same feather.


(Mixed metaphors a speciality)

[silkwood]

I've already voted on this poll, for Fine Woodworking, to which I subscribe. I have just been going through the latest AWR, of which I buy most issues, and decided to make further comment.

Firstly, the comparison reviews they do are generally awful. The latest one on drills doesn't describe the testing format well, doesn't explain the scoring or rating system adequately and to top it off uses each drill after one charge, despite admitting that the manufacturers recommend multiple charges to obtain the best results. Better quality battery systems, including the more sophisticated chargers, will improve immensely, whilst the more budget units will improve little if at all. Additionally, little was done to explain why different units were preferred over others.

AWR reminds me a little of the opposite of most of the pommie mags (apologies, but then I was born in Manchester myself). Their mags seem to have terrific detail on tools and techniques, but the work displayed often tends to the pedestrian, and that's being kind.

AWR has many truly dreadful articles and often simpers ad nauseum over it's advertisers product (take the recent article on Forestry Tasmania, it would be difficult to find a more biased perspective) yet the work shown is often amazing, usually beautiful.

Having said all of that, it is often very good and I love being able to read about quality work from an Australian perspective. I've probably got up a few noses out there, time to blast the newcomer!

Cheers,

[Woodgrub]

WHAT NO RESPONCE TO THE NEWCOMMER YET

iT'S BEEN A DAY AND A HALF NOW

And whats more he's an admitted Pom

If ya don't like em then don't by em

Regards

[Bob Willson]

What sort of a response do you want Woodgrub?

I agree with almost everything that silkwood says. I personally do not like AWR and although I sometimes buy it, I am usually a bit disappointed with the contents. I believe that it is generally directed more towards the professional rather than the enthusiast.

Re your comment:

And whats more he's an admitted Pom If ya don't like em then don't by em

You are not actually allowed to buy Poms. Slavery was outlawed (in the west) some time ago. It was always a waste of time and money to own the Pommie ones anyway as they never worked very well.

[Oldblock]

Re Bob Wilson's comments about FWW website, I have to agree. Trying to subscribe or renew an FWW subscription online if you dont live in the US is a bit like trying to extract teeth.

How such an excellent publication can be so inept about it's overseas customers puzzles me.

They send a little letter reminding me to renew, the fact that they have addressed it to me in in Australia seems to escape their attention. They keep on sending them even if you renew by snail mail. I'm retired and stopped writing out chques and sticking down envelopes about two or three years ago and pay all my bils over the phone or online.

Each year I run the gauntlet of their website but my failing memory prevents me from remembering how I conquered it the previous year and to date I have had:

One subscription not renewed
Two subscriptions renewed but with the wrong address, this took about four email exchanges to get it right.
And finally, One subscription not renewed but treated as a new subscriber resulting in two magazines arriving just days apart.

A visit to the website to correct the error resulted in another session of trying to beat the 'I dont live in America' syndrome.

Maybe we should start a poll rating subsribing online to overseas magazines.

I'll keep you posted about my latest spat with Taunton Press.

Ray

[silkwood]

Bob's right, I don't (but I am Cheap).

Cheers,

[Woodgrub]

TO BOB WILSON

I meant no harm to a person, I meant to be refering to the magazine.

My public and humble apology. :confused: