Shopsmith Forums

I started subscribing to Wood and ShopNotes a few years ago…Wood has been a bit of a disappointment to me - way too many ads and I get a bit leery of how objective some of their reviews and whatnot are, given how sponsor-centric they are. While I still enjoy flipping though it, I don't find that many of the projects are to my taste or of much interest to me. I don better digging though old back issues at the used book store for specific projects of interest then I do waiting for my subscription to produce projects of interest. I do like the line of construction toys they've been running for a while now - I haven't had time to think about making any of them but they are enjoyable to look at each month. Wood is also guilty of a couple of my pet peeves - one is all the subscription cards that fall out every time you start to read a new copy (lots of magazines are guilty of this, including my long-running subscription to Fine Homebuilding…just a peeve and really pretty minor but it still annoys me). The other peeve is the nonstop re-subscription letters they send in the main and attach to each issue, starting at least 6-8 months before a subscription runs out…they are wasteful, annoying,m and misleading, making me think my subscription is running out way before it really does. Long and short is I gave Wood a couple years to win me over and they haven't done it yet…they have 2-3 more issues to do it or I won't be renewing my subscription.

As for ShopNotes, I enjoy reading this one much more - no ads, clear and concise plans, helpful tips and ideas etc. The only downside I really have to this one is ultimately I don't think I need a subscription worth of suggestions for upgrades to my shop…they definitely have some interesting ideas, jigs etc. that come out but at some point I think I have enough back issues between those I've gotten via my subscription and the piles of older issues I've gotten cheap at used book stores etc. that I can full fill my needs for now. I'll probably not renew and go the route Dusty mentioned of checking out the newest issue at our local bookstore and deciding if there's really anything in there so intriguing that I want o buy it. I may, however, give Woodsmith a chance for a year or two since they are also ad-free and similar format to ShopNotes…but then again, I may just go the bookstore route on that one as well since both are available at our local bookstore.

Popular Woodworking? I've never read it but somehow I got on their e-mail list and they bombard me pretty regularly with various e-mails, offers, newsletters etc. - some of it is of interest but not enough to make me consider a subscription.

dgale wrote: Popular Woodworking? I've never read it but somehow I got on their e-mail list and they bombard me pretty regularly with various e-mails, offers, newsletters etc. - some of it is of interest but not enough to make me consider a subscription.

I got on their email list too. ONLY because they had a 30 day give-away contest. I get at least 2 or 3 emails a DAY from them. Going to unscribe to it SOON.

beeg wrote:I got on their email list too. ONLY because they had a 30 day give-away contest. I get at least 2 or 3 emails a DAY from them. Going to unscribe to it SOON.

I think I initially got on their list as I purchased a couple of books from them a year or so ago…but I too have done their Father's Day 30-day giveaway contests, knowing that it will lead to more mailing list bombardment, so no one but myself to blame but it still doesn't endear me to want to be a subscriber or otherwise patronize them much or I expect it will continue and even potentially ramp up more.

This is just an update. I just received an e-mail on how you will be able to purchase all of the American Woodworker issues either as a download or on CD for $99.
BPR

I have some of the first issues of American Woodworker. I just pulled out March/April 1988 Vol 4 No.1 - the first I subscribed too. It was a 9 x 12 format in black and white, no color. It had nice line drawings and was distinctive as a magazine. That issue is devoted to several articles, but the feature was Shaker Rockers and they gave you 15 pages on that alone. It began with a History of Mount Lebanon Rockers by Nick Engler, then turned to Design Characteristics, and finally Making the Rockers. There is a whole article on taping the seat, and another on useful tools for make the rockers.

Then they changed their whole format to a smaller size and busy color and became unremarkable. I guess I am not surprised they did, the forces of advertizing being what they are as well as going with the herd instinct. I think in their first format, they would have given Fine Woodworking, which also started in a large black and white format, a good competitive run and probably would not have seen the "Going Out Of Business" sign. I stopped subscribing to them when they became like all the rest.

Geez! I just received my latest American Woodworker magazine. Issue # 172, June/July 2014. Not a single word about discontinuing the Mag. In fact there is mention of hiring/or getting new contributing editors.

charlese wrote:Geez! I just received my latest American Woodworker magazine. Issue # 172, June/July 2014. Not a single word about discontinuing the Mag. In fact there is mention of hiring/or getting new contributing editors.

They are gonna get them from over at PW. Just add a right leg to the P.

O.K! After the August/September issue of AW I will receive PW. I just quit PW a couple months ago. Guess I'll be getting some more of them (PW) regardless of my likes/wants.

I've been amused at the numerous letters and offers PW has been sending since I quit them. Sounds to me that PW is also a bit desperate.

charlese wrote:O.K! After the August/September issue of AW I will receive PW. I just quit PW a couple months ago. Guess I'll be getting some more of them (PW) regardless of my likes/wants.

I've been amused at the numerous letters and offers PW has been sending since I quit them. Sounds to me that PW is also a bit desperate.

That has been modus operandi for the magazine business a long long time.