FWW Sliding bevel TEST!?!?!?

Re: FWW Sliding bevel TEST!?!?!?

Jim in Burlington Ontario

>I agree and don't plan on throwing out my bevel guage anytime soon. Your table was stunning. The knots and rays from them are fantastic I don't think the pic's do it justice I am sure it shimmers more in the daylight. Jim

Re: FWW Sliding bevel TEST!?!?!?

NickB

>You know, I had the same reaction (I have a sliding bevel with the design he complained about-I readjusted and it works just fine for me). It made me dismiss the entire article, which may have had some good stuff in it (but I guess I'll never know, because the article got filed in my mental round file). Oh well...

Nick

Re: FWW Sliding bevel TEST!?!?!?

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>Chico,

I noticed that too but kind of rolled past it since I prefer the type with the tightening knob at the end of the stock (though not all of these are good - Stanley made one some time lately that won't tighten).

My sliding bevel of that type actually has a hex carriage bolt, if I remember right, that allows even finer tuning than a square; and yes, it's not at all hard to have the lever within the sides of the body when it's tight.

Every magazine makes misteaks, although this one should have gotten caught; if you decide to write them a letter, I would think it would get published.

Need More on MDF and Best Burfl

Todd Stock

>I guess we got kind of spoiled with Mario, Mike, Tage, and the rest of the first and second generation of FWW writers and editors.

Rae and some of the other younger guys are too busy writing books to do much in the way of articles, which might explain why we seem to waste pages on 'new and improved' sharpening systems (grit on glass...messy AND slow, woowee!!!) and MDF.

Re: FWW Sliding bevel TEST!?!?!?

Alan Hamilton

>Chico,

I had no idea.....that is to say I had no idea FWW had "dumbed down" that much. Clearly, some years ago, FWW made a conscious decision to devote much, or most, of their formerly wonderful pages, to the lowest common woodworking denominator. I didn't realize how low they have stooped; they're trying to gather big crowds rather than fine woodworking crowds--they're devoted to quantity when they formerly sought quality.

Everything I've seen lately about FWW makes me think I did right by letting my subscription lapse. Anyone else? Does anyone now buy a magazine that trys to fill the vacuum left by FWW? I'd welcome any suggestions.

Alan

Thanks Jim.

HC Sakman

>

Woodwork comes to mind....

HC Sakman

>...though some issues are really "turning" based. If you're not a turner, turning doesn't seem attractive.

FWW is still very good~to~excellent but like others said, they are trying to serve a much wider spread of readers than ever before. It's not to time to cancel a subscription, though if they keep going this way, they will have to drop the "FINE" part out of their name.

In the last issue there was nothing decent other than that chest of drawer article, which still didn't give me anything new. I appreciate the fact somebody finally thought of rabbeting dovetails in case construction. That's an uncommon info but very useful.

Chico...

I`ll second Woodwork

Bob Hackett

>

Another Vote for Woodwork

Lyn J. Mangiameli

>

No one, really

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I subscribe to Woodwork although I find some of their articles way too far out into art-lingo-land; but there's still enough meat to make it worthwhile overall.

Popular Woodworking is a very good magazine aiming for what I think of as upper-middle-class ww - definitely not a beginners droner, but not so rarefied as to leave newbies completely at sea. I was pleased to resubscribe to it recently after buying it at the newsstand for a while - its quality has really gone up in recent years. And of course I like Chris Schwarz' continued attempt to stuff as much hand tool info into the magazine as he can get away with.

I haven't found anything that quite equals what FWW was in its heyday. Part of this, I think, is that the milieu has changed. When they started out, they were just about the only magazine focused on the particular segment of the woodworking community. Even then, they were uneven; if you look at some of the stuff in the early black and white issues, it's a little embarrassing (especially for those of us around when the stuff was being touted as Really Cool Design). I still subscribe, though I find I go through each issue in about half the time it used to take me; every time my subscription's up for renewal, they kind of come to life in an issue and give me hope, which is then squelched after I've sent in my check to renew.

I really appreciated their venture with "Home Furniture" a few years ago, and was disappointed to see the magazine fail. Lots of good ideas, and when the retirement gods smile down on me and I HAVE SOME MORE TIME DOGGONE IT, I plan to cruise through my issues of that magazine for inspiration. Perhaps, though, the failure of that magazine convinced the publishers that there's no market for interesting, high-quality stuff, and that what we need is a glossy version of [other magazines not mentioned above that I will not name].

Maybe we all ought to get together and write a joint letter to them telling them there's lots out there they could be examining; try to inspire re-examination of their mission. Or, maybe they're right; maybe there's really not enough interest in the fine stuff to sustain them.

Home Furniture can come back as....

HC Sakman

>....Shop & Tools version of FWW, maybe issued semi-annually or quarterly. I'm sure it'd be a good seller. I hope though they won't fill it with already published pictures. Don't they (Taunton) know that people who buy their books, more than likely, are also buying the FWW magazine???? Therefore readers somewhat may feel cheated when they see the same articles which were published before, with exactly the same pictures and all? Or is it just me?

Chico...

No Clue

Todd Stock

>So far, PW stands the best chance to move in that direction, but I still find myself passing on most issues. Woodwork can be interesting, but it seems the editors go for the 'Art for Art's Sake' thing a bit too much, and more than their fair share of Krenovian hobbit furniture.

Still, Woodwork is the most visually pleasing ww magazine out there, although I have not felt the need to purchase a copy in two or three years.

A sure sign that FWW had finally abandoned the 'fine' part of the moniker was when one of my friends who favors WOOD decided to subscribe.

Unless this is another dry spell (there have been several - we'll know by Aug), I'll drop next time around.

You have to realize, Todd,

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>that Woodwork is published out here on the Left Coast, about twenty miles south of me here in Sebastopol and about five hours' drive from Fort Bragg and College of the Redwoods, the epicenter of Krenov. It's hard to avoid Krenoviana in local furniture exhibitions.

I like a lot of Krenov's ideas, but I agree - I sometimes wonder at what point I'll scream, "No more precious little cabinets!!!"

Seeking permission from the group

Bill Houghton, Sebastopol, CA

>I'm thinking I might take the time to write a letter to the FWW folks, relating this conversation in an attempt to get their attention to how far away from the mark they are. May I quote folks here and, if so, would you like credit or prefer anonymity? People may want to respond by e-mail rather than here, so I know what your individual desires are.

If people would like, I can post my final letter here.

Re: You have to realize, Todd,

Todd Stock

>Good point - I admire the heck out of the guy, and popped for all of his books when first published, but a little Krenov goes a really, really long way for me.

Woodwork would do well to recruit some Midwest and East Coast authors, and perhaps to build on some of the photo-by-photo technique and project guides that I've seen them do so well.

Magazines....

Barb Siddiqui - Wenatchee, WA

>It seems to me, for several years, the only things qualifying FWW as 'Fine' are the gallery sections and the back cover, which is always worth a serious study. They're now marketing to the lowest common denominator, I agree, and republishing pics not only from magazine to book, but from older books to newly released titles, which is disappointing. They've become all flash and no meat. Do others disagree, or shouldn't there be fewer 'new tool reviews' and more emphasis on the 'Home Furniture' angle we all so dearly loved? Their letters to the editor section continually lists readers begging to "keep the Fine in Fine Woodworking." Do they just not know how?

Every woodworking magazine seeks its own niche, trying to separate itself from the pack. Popular Woodworking has done an amazing job of that in recent years, and is becoming the 'keeper' to store and refer back to later, though they are trying to guide newbies as well as entice intermediate woodworkers into more challenging methods, which is great. Sometimes I wish these magazines would put less emphasis on braggadocio and self-glorification ("THE leader in the industry"...."THE voice of the woodworking community"...)and just Be superior. If they truly are, it will show by itself. I think there are a lot of good editorial staffs out there, but they end up answerable to the marketing team. They need to straighten out these 'business heads' and lead the way, if that is at all possible.

Just one reader's opinion.

Fine with me

Barb Siddiqui - Wenatchee, WA

>...If they were on the ball, they'd be aware of this thread already!

Agree with Barb.

HC Sakman

>...and go for it!

Chico...

In defense of FW...long

Joe Hurst

>Ok guys-

Rest assured, the editors at FW...and everyone at Taunton...is well aware of any shortcomings.

I'll bet my next paycheck that there are many Tauntoners lurking about this site, as well as the others we all visit. Go ahead and send a letter, these guys WELCOME constructive criticism (unlike some other mags), but realize that you're preaching to the choir.

Having visited the the home office, I can attest that everyone has a PASSIONATE opinion about where to set the bar, and what to publish. (These guys bleed sawdust.) And they can all back their opinions with rock-solid arguments.

Just bear with them...unless they literally "stop the presses" and whip the staff into working nights and weekends--not the best way to do things if you want maintain a staff--these changes may not appear in the magazine for another issue or three. But changes will be made (again, unlike some other mags).

Now for a little inside information:

Articles depend on 3 elements: content, author and editor. If any one of these three things is shakey, the story may tank.

CONTENT

Personally, I think the fault lies in the topic. Bevel gauges aren't worth the same space as block planes or router bits. But someone thought it was worth a few pages. I'll bet that they'll choose differently next time.

AUTHOR

Latta's been a solid contributor, but it's not fair to assume that he will always smack it out of the park. Heck, if you look back far enough, you'll find a few stories by Rae, Rogowski, Bird, even our own Mr. Wallentine, that missed their mark. Latta's shown himself to be a good writer in the past (just compare his tablesawn dovetail article with Duginski's)...he'll learn from this one.

...another option, of course, it to encourage everyone here to contribute to the editorial well. FW is a reader-written mag. If we don't like what's in the book, then we all have to share at least some of the blame.

EDITOR

It's hard to point a finger at the third ingredient--editorial--because he/she's invisible most of the time. But the editor's job is to be that "picky reader" and identify problems before they make it to print. (Maybe the first editorial decision should have been not to do a full-fledged review in the first place. But without being in the office, there's no way to figure out why they did what they did.)

Glancing at the masthead, you can see how eds come and go. Considering that this is a "seasoned" author, and a "low-pressure" tool, perhaps this review was assigned to a fresh editor. If that was the case, you can be sure that he'll earn his stripes for this piece, and he'll become a better editor for it.

Ok, I'll step down off my soapbox. Fire away.

-Joe Hurst-Wajszczuk

Re: In defense of FW...long

Martin from Granbury

>Although I have not read the entire issue, I sure enjoyed the Shaker chest of drawers article. While I have read quite a bit, I still consider myself a beginner in the shop. Although most on this board would prefer an article not written for a beginner, I believe that beginners have to start somewhere. How does the hobby grow, if we look down upon the beginners? Where will the next generation of woodworkers come from? A well written article that delves deeply into a subject can help a beginner, and maybe the more experienced woodworker will learn something as well. Having said that, I enjoy both FWW and Popular Woodworking. What I don't enjoy is looking through a new Taunton book, and realizing I have most of the articles already at home, if only I search through all of my issues of FWW. It Taunton would publish books that were not merely compilations of previously issued articles, they would probably sell a few more. If you are going to publish books that are merely compliations, then my suggestion is to put all the articles written by one author, for instance, one of my favorites, Chris Becksvoort, in one book. The title could be "Chris Becksvoort on Furniture Construction", then put every single article published in FWW by Chris since the beginning. That would be worth buying, as I would no longer have to search for back issues to buy on Ebay, or figure out which issue contains the article by Chris that I need to reference for my current project.

Re: Seeking permission from the group

Alan Hamilton

>Bill,

I have no objections. But like others, I would be surprised if FWW is not aware of the troubles in the ranks.

Alan

Re: In defense of FW...long

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>Author compilations. Very good idea. Much better than the subject type of soft cover being offered currently.

Thank you Joe. This may reach some ears that count.JR

Correction...Martin not Joe!

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>

Re: You have to realize, Todd,

Sgian Dubh

>It's true that Woodwork comes out of Califruitcake, Bill, and I suppose there is likely to be a local 'influence' shall we say.

I also know that the authorial net is cast pretty far and wide. I know of at least two British based authors that write for Woodwork on a reasonably regular basis-- I'm one.

I think it's quite remarkable that the magazine has an editor-- just one editor. The whole magazine seems to run on a shoestring. With such light editorial control the voice of the author usually seems to come through pretty strongly.

I must admit I'm not a fan of Krenov's style and I've never been able to read his writings on furniture making without wanting to throw the book or article on the fire within a couple of pages, ha, ha. Still, I respect him for sticking to his guns through all the difficult years and for having the wee bit of luck that propelled him into the woodworking superstar that he now is. Slainte.