ShopNotes ceasing publication

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 10:18 am

I this is very telling about the interest in the woodworking hobby in general, or should I say the lack there of.

At one time I had many friends that were involved in woodworking to one degree or another. However today most of them have pretty much ceased doing anything in the shop. Between the price of wood, the price of equipment and probably their age they just don't do wood working.

I know in 2 cases they had subscriptions to 5 to 10 woodworking type magazines and today they don't have any. I once subscribed to about 5 different mags and today I'm down to one.

Also I think what others have mentioned about the lack of interest in magazines, newspapers and even books is correct. Many people feel it a waste of time to read about something they really don't care about. They can go online do a search or two on a subject that interests them and have nearly all the information they need.

One last comment while I like Shopnotes and Woodsmith I could never justify the cost with content. Perhaps combined they will be worth the price.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 11:22 am

Ed in Tampa wrote:I this is very telling about the interest in the woodworking hobby in general, or should I say the lack there of.

At one time I had many friends that were involved in woodworking to one degree or another. However today most of them have pretty much ceased doing anything in the shop. Between the price of wood, the price of equipment and probably their age they just don't do wood working.

I know in 2 cases they had subscriptions to 5 to 10 woodworking type magazines and today they don't have any. I once subscribed to about 5 different mags and today I'm down to one.

Also I think what others have mentioned about the lack of interest in magazines, newspapers and even books is correct. Many people feel it a waste of time to read about something they really don't care about. They can go online do a search or two on a subject that interests them and have nearly all the information they need.

One last comment while I like Shopnotes and Woodsmith I could never justify the cost with content. Perhaps combined they will be worth the price.

I am down to only one subscription (Wood) myself but it has not been for a lack of interest. It was the cost along with a decrease of quality of the publications that drove my decisions. I often felt like I was reading nothng but advertisements.

I now go to Barnes and Noble for a weekly large coffee and a danish. While I sip that hot coffee I need something to read....problem solved.

dgale · Post by **dgale** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 1:14 pm

dusty wrote: I often felt like I was reading nothng but advertisements.

This is exactly what made me drop Wood and keep Woodsmith. In reality, it's not that often I actually go out and build one of the plans in these various magazines but rather I just like them as bedtime reading material. Often they inspire ideas, provide good tips, and I usually see something I'd like to make if I had enough time, which I rarely do. I understand why there are so many ads in most magazines...subscriber numbers have likely plummeted and advertising is increasingly the majority of their revenue...which also makes it understnadable why advertisement-free magazines are really struggling. That being said, I enjoy reading a magazine like Woodsmith because I don't have to wade through the ads to get what I'm really after. As far as Woodsmith and ShopNotes go, I found that their plans are sufficiently detailed that I could actually build them if/when I found the time, as well as providing sources for various hardware etc. that a given plan may require.

robinson46176 · Post by **robinson46176** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 3:44 pm

I guess I am the odd one here (that has been said before:o )... I seldom care that much about most projects but I do like to closely read all of the ads.

That is the only way I can keep up with what is new. I would much rather read about what someone is doing "to" his shop than see how he cut microscopic dovetail joints in a dog house.

.

ChrisNeilan · Post by **ChrisNeilan** » Mon Nov 03, 2014 4:41 pm

robinson46176 wrote:I guess I am the odd one here (that has been said before:o )... I seldom care that much about most projects but I do like to closely read all of the ads. That is the only way I can keep up with what is new. I would much rather read about what someone is doing "to" his shop than see how he cut microscopic dovetail joints in a dog house.

.

I agree. I like to drool over the tools I'm never going to buy (and the projects I'm never going to build)!:)

rlkeeney · Post by **rlkeeney** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 5:59 am

If I could have only one woodworking magazine it would be Shop Notes.

Ed in Tampa · Post by **Ed in Tampa** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 10:03 am

dusty wrote:I am down to only one subscription (Wood) myself but it has not been for a lack of interest. It was the cost along with a decrease of quality of the publications that drove my decisions. I often felt like I was reading nothng but advertisements.

I now go to Barnes and Noble for a weekly large coffee and a danish. While I sip that hot coffee I need something to read....problem solved.

dusty
I'm with you. I do some of my best reading at Barnes and Noble. Unfortunately that does not help magazine publishers pay their bills.

I am also like Farmer I love ads, they keep me up-to-date with what is new, what everyone is talking about and perhaps something that will make my life easier. I rarely buy what I see advertised but I love to know it exists.

dgale · Post by **dgale** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 12:16 pm

Not a fan of the ads but I do enjoy the tool reviews, as long as I feel they are objective...ie not just pushing the tool from their biggest advertisers. Fine Homebuilding has always been good at this - an honest, detailed assessment of multiple brands of a given power tool. They give a good assessment of performance, pros and cons of each, and then offer up their top pick and also their pick that best balances performance with affordability.

I guess the problem with the ads is when some magazines just get overrun with them and it's hard to separate the content from the ads.

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Tue Nov 04, 2014 4:47 pm

Ed in Tampa wrote:dusty
I'm with you. I do some of my best reading at Barnes and Noble. Unfortunately that does not help magazine publishers pay their bills.

I am also like Farmer I love ads, they keep me up-to-date with what is new, what everyone is talking about and perhaps something that will make my life easier. I rarely buy what I see advertised but I love to know it exists.

Not buying the magazines is how I am able to pay my bills. If they were less expensive, along with many others items, maybe I could afford to buy them and take them home.

Shopnotes is one of the magazines that I often do buy after reading it at Barnes and Noble.

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:12 am

I really do not mind if Woodsmith combines ShopNotes into Woodsmith. From my perspective, It would cut down on the number of publications. I think we also have to keep in mind that there are no advertisements which help to defray costs. I believe such a combination would make for a stronger publication.
BPR