Shopsmith Forums

In addition to the most wonderful replies, don't forget the internet!

I too am very much a novice, that is why I spend a whole lot of time here on this forum as well as a few others. One of my favorites is: The Woodwhisperer, he has a good teaching technique & a quite a few video clips that you can freely download.

Also don't forget the wonderful Shopsmith videos.

I like "Popular Woodworking" so well that my son and I plan to attend their Woodworking in America Conference Oct 1-3. Their editoral staff, headed by Chris Schwarz, is second to none. One of the editors, Glen Huey is testing the PowerPro. I hope to meet him at the conference and ask him how the testing is going.

I know it was not exactly the question, but I really like the Woodsmith shop TV show. They do some projects, but most of it is teaching techniques. I watch it locally on PBS.

If you get a chance take a look at Candian Home Workshop. It's a hard magazine to find, so I subscribe to it. They have a pretty decent website.

boostfan wrote:I know it was not exactly the question, but I really like the Woodsmith shop TV show. They do some projects, but most of it is teaching techniques. I watch it locally on PBS.

The Woodsmith Shop show is pretty good show, but in my opinion, it don't replace Norm.

Brent

I find Norm to be incredibly talented, but the equipment he uses is just to un-realistic for hobby woodworkers. He finally lost me when I saw his "resawing" saw. I have closely watched magazines, I have never even seen one advertised.

Just a "FYI": ShopNotes and Woodsmith are "companion" magazines, put out by the same people, even sharing materials at times.
Both have zero advertising, plans, cut lists, jigs, tool reviews, etc., but are different enough that both together are worthwhile imho (I do get 'em both).

I was getting Woodsmith when ShopNotes started, and the first issue came with a bonus-- complete, separate plans for a very good router table, which I then built and still use today.

I'll have to take another look at the other recommendations. I take none I see here lightly.

The problem with many woodworking magazines is they copy each other. If one does a review of say, Bandsaws you will see bandsaw reviews show up the next issue in others. The problem is they all basically say the same thing. Also most Wood Working mags have projects and plans and while most are great, they don't always build the project the best way. For instance if they do an article on miter joints. You can be sure any project plan article in that edition will almost always include miter joints. However miter joints may not be the best or strongest joint to use.

There are four magazines I consider excellent
Fine Wood Working - however it is aimed at woodworking as an art rather than a craft. and the magazine reflects that attitude.

Wood - Excellent mag seems to do the reviews the others copy. Good projects perhaps too simple or too complicated they don't seem to get the middle road much.

Woodsmith - Great but doesn't contain an ads so you don't learn about new stuff coming out very often. Comprehensive and complete plans, techniques and training.

Shopnotes- Like Woodsmith no ads, excellent for building your own jigs usually a copy of the high dollar jig you seen advertized in one of the other mags.

I consider the rest the also runs, however there is an excellent mag out of either Canada or Britian that I like but it is slowly shifting into a Fine Wood Working wantabe.

The real problem is with the economy stagnant as it is there isn't a lot to write about. There aren't many new machines of interest and most of the suppliers are in survive mode rather than innovation mode.

What I thought was a the best for innovation, technique, new ideas, and learning how was Shopsmith's own Saw Dust sessions with Nick. I still believe Nick was bringing in more revenue to SS than he was costing SS. To me Nick besides being a great woodworker was an even better salesman.

Though I like both Shopnotes and Woodsmith magazines, they are not what I will call "reading" magazines. They are more based on plans with some "how-tos" mixed into the plans. I myself have never been able to sit and "read" one of these two magazines for an hour. They are a great reference magazine for woodworking though, and that is why I have some in my shop, and not sitting on my coffee table.

"Fine Woodworking", "WOOD", etc. type of magazines have more of an article based format which provides a lot more reading than the "plan-based" wood magazines mentioned above.

One magazine that isn't mentioned here very often (if at all) is "Woodshop News". I have been subscribing to this magazine for years now. It covers everything woodshop/woodworking related, from how-to's, features about woodshops and woodworkers from around the country, to new and current woodworking tools and the "wood market" itself. If you like looking at tool ads, this one has tools advertised that you have never seen or heard of in the other general woodworking magazines. Check out the website at:
www.woodshopnews.com to see what I'm talking about. Although it is aimed more towards the professional, I've learned a lot about the woodworking world through this magazine.

Thank you all for your input. I have decided on Woodsmith (I got a sample copy from them and the router book) and Wood (I do like to see some ads to see new stuff coming out as Ed in Tampa mentioned).