Anyone subscribe to Woodsmith?

[jerrye]

Also of note, when I dropped ShopNotes is that I keep getting this call from Flagstaff Az asking me to re-subscribe, they are really getting on my nerves.

FWIW, the only way I've found to eliminate this annoyance is to tell them "Remove me from your list". Anything else just bumps you down the list. HTH

[radhak]

Does anyone have a link to Shopnotes and Woodsmith?

pretty simple : www.shopnotes.com or www.woodsmith.com (and www.workbenchmagazine.com rounds out their woodworking stable). their store-front is www.plansnow.com

[Stormbringer]

http://www.augusthome.com/

[radhak]

WoodSmith/ShopNotes/WorkBench are from the same folks. They also run the WoodNet forum. I took ShopNotes for 2 years as it was highly recommended. I am definitely the lone wolf here, but, I did not like it. I guess my gripe is twofold; the articles are of things I'd never build, and the "reviews" seemed to just be sales pitches. (Which I felt was bad for a mag that does not have any ads - which you'd think meant they were unbiased). Anyways, I did not hate it, but, did not like it either ! I've looked through Woodsmith before, the theme is a bit different, but, it has the same feel.

Different strokes for different people i guess, but i have met a couple of others who did not like it either, and these were experienced ww-ers, who got bored of the step-by-step approach, and even the 'technique' articles that are sometimes repeated in different contexts. But as a beginner, all that suits me fine, even gives me the needed impetus to work on stuff that might have intimidated otherwise.

Actually, the few projects that I have completed have come from this group of projects. (And there have been a bunch I'd have liked to, and could have, but for the non-approval from swmbo - 'why do we need that?')

As for the reviews, in a field like this, all reviews can be seen like a sales pitch. The only reason they review something would be if they like it, and feel the reader might want to use/buy it. But seeing that the reviews cover usage, pros/cons, cost, etc, I'd say that's all one can ask for. If their 'liking' the product has to do with any monetory compensation that's not revealed, one never knows, here or with any other mag.

Yes, what they never do is a comparison/ratings of various similar products (like all 2HP routers), something we all like to look and refer to.

And yes, the very peculiar aspect of both mags is that there is a very prominent 'I' used thruout (i mean the personal pronoun, as in 'I did this / did not like that', etc), but I have never been able to identify who this person is. I certainly cannot believe it's the same person building all the projects, reviewing products, answering user queries, expounding on all techniques, etc, etc. The missing byline at the end of each article jars a bit.

[and207]

Shopnotes

Personnaly I prefer ShopNotes.

ShopNotes + few good books + BT3Central = I'm in business

Andre

[padboy]

I subscribe to both and enjoy them;but lament the demise of the quality that used to be inherent in Fine Woodworking during its' black & white period. That magazine now appears to be running low on interesting, innovative articles(after all, how many times does one have to be shown how to cut a box-joint, even dovetails for that matter?).

[LCHIEN]

Does anyone have a link to Shopnotes and Woodsmith?

they're published by August Home publishing.

try www.augusthome.com

[sacherjj]

I was debating ordering, after looking through the sample issue, but half of the tips looks recycled from Shop Notes. I think I'm just gonna stay there for now.

[Bruce Cohen]

I've been subscribing to both since they started, and along with Fine Woodworking, I'm almost tempted to say that these three mags are all most of us really need.

Bruce

[bert11]

thanks

thanks for your input

steve