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Post by jfc on Mar 30, 2008 20:43:29 GMT
So whats the best one then ?
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Post by paulchapman on Mar 30, 2008 20:48:23 GMT
Furniture & Cabinet Making for me - it's consistently good, has excellent contributors and lots of inspirational stuff. Cheers  Paul |
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Post by andy on Mar 30, 2008 21:11:45 GMT
If you like 30+ pictures of Andy King then try Good Woodworking ;D
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Post by wizer on Mar 30, 2008 21:21:45 GMT
F&C for me
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Post by engineerone on Mar 30, 2008 21:36:54 GMT
english or american??? think overall the one with the best all round product is popular woodworking, slim, but full of useful and interesting information, or the sister woodworking, but less frequent (maybe just for you jason ;D) after all this time why do you want to learn to read  fine woodworking is not what it was, but still pretty good, and i like also american woodworker, and bhg wood. as for uk, F&C regularly whilst the latest version of good woodworking with andy's work is always worth a read. you're not thinking of subscribing to something are you?  paul |
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Post by sainty on Mar 30, 2008 21:53:36 GMT
Another vote for F&C for me. I'm a bit concerned about the new editors comments about having a quick/easy piece in each mag. To me that's not what F&C is about, I want to see the most complicated projects/techniques. Let GW do the bird tables!!
Occaisionally get GW, not as much as I used to after there was an artical about guttering. I did get it recently however and it seems to have improved.
As was said on the other side, there does seem to be a bit of a gap in the market for a chippy/joiner mag. I don't know whether there is a market for such a thing.
cheers
Sainty
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Post by jfc on Mar 30, 2008 22:50:23 GMT
I have more pictures of him on my bedroom wall ;D
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Post by modernist on Mar 30, 2008 22:54:40 GMT
F & C for me but they have become more in hock to the machine manufacturers/advertisers over the past couple of years. The reviews have lost their independence and critical comments are notable by their absence. Even glaring failures are smoothed over in the normal way of believing future production will be better.
Not worthless but devalued and misleading.
Good design articles in the main but some of the regulars are a bit samey.
Still little to challenge it for furniture making.
cheers
Brian
God its only 11 o'clock but after midnight - bad day tomorrow ;D
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Post by andy king on Mar 31, 2008 8:09:20 GMT
I have more pictures of him on my bedroom wall ;D hmm... my picture is usually found pinned to dartboards. Other than that, on mantlepieces or cookers to scare kids away from danger. cheers Andy |
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chill
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Post by chill on Mar 31, 2008 12:21:50 GMT
F&C for me too. i share saintys concern over the weekend projects, there are plenty of mags that already cover these,
it is the more difficult projects that are of interest.the chasing of extra readers with more simple projects may alienate some of the current readership
just my tuppenceworth
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Post by mrgrimsdale on Mar 31, 2008 14:01:14 GMT
I went off them entirely when I did a C&J course and found that the huge pile of magazines I'd accumulated had taught me f-all about basic woodwork - the worst of it being that I didn't know what I didn't know. I'd never have found out without doing a course and some training. So I dumped them, saved a big cuttings file but dumped that too eventually. I had a peek a new ventures like so called Traditional Woodworking but it seemed always to be the same old b***x. Bought a lot of books though - some as recommended by people here (ta) but some of them are just re-hashes of mag articles - just trying to squeeze a bit more cash out with some more b****x ;D Just taken out a sub for that american one can't remember what its called. No ads or product placement it says. We shall see  cheers Jacob |
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Post by darrenw on Mar 31, 2008 15:58:22 GMT
F&C for me too. I'm looking for inspiration and it delivers better than the others. For me the most interesting part is the Pros Gallery. You see some good stuff in there. You also see some pretty good stuff in the Readers Gallery.
I hope they don't 'dumb it down' to much (if thats not too harsh a phrase). I want to see the high end stuff with interesting shapes/designs.
I also have a subs to GW but might change that to British Woodworking (or what ever its called). Will see what this months is like.
D
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Post by jaco on Mar 31, 2008 16:27:06 GMT
Anything I get for free when eldest heir visits foreign countries!
;D ;D
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Post by woodworker on Mar 31, 2008 16:27:29 GMT
I'm into the American mags at the moment, and still have a sub with F & C........ just  , it's not imho as good as it was say a year ago. Tool reviews as mentioned in above posts not very well done (sort of glossed over) etc. I mentioned this before somewhere ;D (can't remember) I'm convinced there is an attention span limit on all the mags, after a while you get this burn out effect and just lose interest. And you definitely get the deja vu feeling particularly with some of the British mags. . |
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Post by pitbull on Mar 31, 2008 17:21:35 GMT
Couldn't say any are the best they are all the same, totally agree with Jacob.
I would rather spend my money on an old book. Even though its the same basis as the mags that they go over thew same thing as the other, But there far more relevant to me.
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Telos
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Post by Telos on Apr 2, 2008 9:40:36 GMT
Can I suggest to all of you that are concerned with the direction F&C is going in to send an e-mail to the new editor Michael Huntley at michaelh@thegmcgroup.com. Tell him exactly what you expect from F&C, what you don't like about it and don't want to see.
The trouble with most things like this is that no one complains to the right people, having just mailed him myself, he is very open to suggestions, so the more people that mail him the more likely it will be that he changes his mind. It's up to you...
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Telos
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Post by Telos on Apr 2, 2008 13:29:01 GMT
Here's a copy of the message I sent, with Michaels reply: Dear Michael, Having just read your editorial in F&C 139 I felt I had to pass on my thoughts regarding your vision for the future direction of the magazine. I can understand that there must be huge pressure to continually renew the look or content to keep the magazine fresh, but I have a problem with the notion that F&C must appeal to all ends of the woodworking spectrum. There are dozens of woodworking magazines, all of them competing for the same amateur/DIY end of the market. The only exception that really caters for the advanced amateur or professional is F&C. For many years it has been a showcase for both inspirational and aspirational work, with expert tips and insight into quality furniture making. I have to say, therefore, that I find it rather bizarre to find a test for a £12,000 Felder combi followed only just over the page by a project for a picture frame. I'm wondering if in future issues we can look forward to a review of the Altendorf F45 followed by a project to make a breadboard! I really do believe this is a step in the wrong direction, F&C shouldn't be trying to encourage unskilled DIY'ers, leave that to the other magazines, it should be tempting skilled amateurs and professionals to improve the quality of their work. I don't think F&C should attempt to be a "Jack-of-all-Trades" as it will end up appealing to no one. I have a feeling this concept could lose F&C a lot of old fans. Best Regards, Many thanks for writing in. I do need feedback from readers. I agree that F&C must stand out from the general crowd of Woodworking Magazines sold in the UK. We try and do this by the quality of the pieces featured and the space we give to photographs and text describing the actual making process. However I have had the comment made that F&C aims too high and is elitist. Now I am the first person to say that one must always aim for the best, but what I don't want to do is edit a magazine that is not perceived as approachable by the non-elite reader. My intention is to draw extra readers in by having one simpler project in each issue. Note 'simpler' not 'simple'. The remaining project mix will be the same as it has been. I also want to have more about techniques used in professional workshops. I have been charged with the job of getting more readers. If I don't get more readers the magazine will not be in a strong position. So when I hear that people don't buy F&C because the content is too advanced I feel that I need to broaden the range of competency that F&C appeals to. This process cannot happen overnight and I welcome reader's comments. It will take several issues to find the right balance. I am not trying to appeal to DIYers, but I am trying to appeal to those who would like, but cannot afford the time or money, to do the first year of a cabinetmaking course. Please do write in and tell me what you think of each issue. I cannot reply to all comments but I do try to take note of them! And of course you might like to send in some pictures of your own work, if you haven't already done so, because I want to feature reader's work. The reader's gallery is looking a bit thin at the moment! Best wishes, So, if anyone disagrees with his view that F&C is elitist (maybe it should be?) and needs to be broadened in scope, please e-mail him! If you have an opinion you want to share he wants to hear from you! |
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chill
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Post by chill on Apr 2, 2008 16:01:23 GMT
hi telos i totally agree with you, as a limited but enthusiastic amateur i aspire to do work of the quality consistently showcased in F&C. there are plenty of good mags aimed at the amateur/diy market already and my opinion is that F&C should be encouraging people to aspire to the elite and not attempting to join the already saturated ranks of the general woodwork press.
without aspiration and inspiration we will all stagnate and standards will drop to be the best you need to learn from and see the best
p.s. will write to Micheal expessing my concerns
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Telos
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Post by Telos on Apr 2, 2008 19:35:38 GMT
Great, chill. Glad to hear I'm not alone - the more people that write in the greater the effect  |
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Post by andy on Apr 2, 2008 21:13:07 GMT
Can I suggest to all of you that are concerned with the direction F&C is going in to send an e-mail to the new editor Michael Huntley at michaelh@thegmcgroup.com. Tell him exactly what you expect from F&C, what you don't like about it and don't want to see. The trouble with most things like this is that no one complains to the right people, having just mailed him myself, he is very open to suggestions, so the more people that mail him the more likely it will be that he changes his mind. It's up to you... You could always invite him to join the forum Never read a copy of F&C, is it available at smiths? If so I will pick up a copy Andy |
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Post by jfc on Apr 2, 2008 21:52:21 GMT
Thats a new one for you . Normally you just borrow them and keep them ;D
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Post by andy on Apr 2, 2008 22:00:13 GMT
Thats a new one for you . Normally you just borrow them and keep them ;D Sorry you misunderstood me I will pick up a copy and stand in smiths and read it in my lunch hour ;D |
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Post by matthew on Apr 2, 2008 22:09:51 GMT
Having seen me reading F&C, which is good, my wife mistakenly bought me a subscription to Fine Woodworking instead. I'm glad she did!
On the downside they use some kind of bizarre and archaic measurement system called 'feet' and 'inches'. And the tool reviews aren't necessary relevant, some kit is different there.
But otherwise, it's a great magazine. The reviews are good, there are lots of handy tips and some good ideas in the projects. US magazines are definitely different to those here, but it's certainly worth a look.
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Post by wrongnail on Apr 6, 2008 15:04:15 GMT
I just cancelled 'Good Woodworking'. I'm not so worried about Andy King's mug, but lately there's been a plethora of 'Homes and Gardens' type articles. Interviews with cabinet makers who want to be 'different'. They sell fanciful furniture at astronomical prices to rich people who suffer from the 'King's New Suit' syndrome and have no more sense than buy. These workers are good at what they do, make no mistake, but some of them are just a tiny bit pompous about the craft. When I find a magazine that also doesn't have about four 'head to head', tool tests in each issue, then I will subscribe to it! I just buy 'em when I need to. John |
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Post by mrgrimsdale on Apr 6, 2008 16:01:52 GMT
my wife mistakenly bought me a subscription to Fine Woodworking instead. I'm glad she did! Mine bought me a "British Woodworking". Can't say I was bothered ;D ;D cheers Jacob |
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, it's not imho as good as it was say a year ago. Tool reviews as mentioned in above posts not very well done (sort of glossed over) etc.
