Well our Northern Calif, local Woodcraft dealer has not
been able to get the first issue of the new Woodcraft
magazine for some time now. I kept asking and they
keep saying it's on order.
Has anyone seen it? What's the take? Yes/No/Need more
issues to decide?
Seems that when Rockler took over Woodworker's Journal
the qualtity of projects went down - still not in the
same league of Finewoodworking (but few are) nor even
Popular Woodworking (which is my choice for second
best woodworking magazine).
Thoughts/comments?
MJ Wallace
mjwallace notes:
>Well our Northern Calif, local Woodcraft dealer has not
>been able to get the first issue of the new Woodcraft
>magazine for some time now. I kept asking and they
>keep saying it's on order.
>
>Has anyone seen it? What's the take? Yes/No/Need more
>issues to decide?
>
>Seems that when Rockler took over Woodworker's Journal
>the qualtity of projects went down - still not in the
>same league of Finewoodworking (but few are) nor even
>Popular Woodworking (which is my choice for second
>best woodworking magazine).
>
>Thoughts/comments?
I stopped by the semi-local (Roanoke, VA) Woodcraft a few days ago after making
a tool pick up run at Yellow Freight. I was searching for a couple exotic
woods, osage orange and persimmon, but I bought the second issue of WC
Magazine. IMO, its lacking cohesiveness at this point, as it doesn't seem quite
gelled. What is in there is well done, which you'd expect with A.J. as editor,
but the material doesn't hang together as a package. Too, in my opinion,
again, using a product manager from Woodcraft to write tool reviews is not a
superb idea, no matter how much money it saves. The particular product manager
is a nice guy, one helluva woodworker, and an excellent product manager (which
means he knows tools very, very well, among other things), but...it is
extremely difficult not to slant material towards the guy signing your paycheck
in such situations.
Too, there seems to me to be an extreme bias toward covering only tools that
Woodcraft carries, which may largely be the result of the publisher, Shawn
Draper, also being the VP of Marketing for Woodcraft. Don Guillard is product
director, Ken Kupsche is catalog director and Bob Spencer is director of
education.
And there goes any--right between slim and none anyway--chance I had of selling
to the magazine.
John English is a former contributing editor to Woodworker's Journal, doing a
lot of moderately difficult projects, many of which I've liked. His linen
cabinet for Woodcraft is another one of those. Whether it meets your needs, in
taste or level of difficulty, I can't say. I'm not going to comment on your
comment about Woodworker's Journal article levels, because I do work for them
at fairly consistent levels. I believe Rob's work, and that of his boss and the
overall staff and freelancers, has risen considerably in the past few years.
Again, whether it meets your stands is up to you. Popular Woodworking has
improved tremendously in the decade since Steve Shanesy took over. He's abetted
by an excellent crew, too.
It's pricey at $7.99, $29.97 for seven issues by subscription. They do send you
a free Woodcraft T shirt when you pay.
IMO, the magazine will gell, the mission will be clarified, and A.J. will
continue to turn out top quality material that makes greater sense for the
woodworker...if Marketing stays off his back. I hope it all works, because
whether I sell there or not, another market is a good thing for other writers
in the field.
Charlie Self
"They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some
kind of federal program." George W. Bush, St. Charles, Missouri, November 2,
2000
Charlie
Would much rather get a price break OR the T-shirt, choice to be mine
in those situations - However, once upon a time I called up a big time
magazine and asked if I could get the 1yr sub without the FREE goodies
and pay less for the Subscription, and was royally put down for even
considering something so crass, let alone calling and asking about it
<vbg!!>
John
On 27 Jan 2005 10:13:59 GMT, [email protected] (Charlie Self)
wrote:
>mjwallace notes:
>
>>Well our Northern Calif, local Woodcraft dealer has not
>>been able to get the first issue of the new Woodcraft
>>magazine for some time now. I kept asking and they
>>keep saying it's on order.
>>
>>Has anyone seen it? What's the take? Yes/No/Need more
>>issues to decide?
>>
>>Seems that when Rockler took over Woodworker's Journal
>>the qualtity of projects went down - still not in the
>>same league of Finewoodworking (but few are) nor even
>>Popular Woodworking (which is my choice for second
>>best woodworking magazine).
>>
>>Thoughts/comments?
>
>I stopped by the semi-local (Roanoke, VA) Woodcraft a few days ago after making
>a tool pick up run at Yellow Freight. I was searching for a couple exotic
>woods, osage orange and persimmon, but I bought the second issue of WC
>Magazine. IMO, its lacking cohesiveness at this point, as it doesn't seem quite
>gelled. What is in there is well done, which you'd expect with A.J. as editor,
>but the material doesn't hang together as a package. Too, in my opinion,
>again, using a product manager from Woodcraft to write tool reviews is not a
>superb idea, no matter how much money it saves. The particular product manager
>is a nice guy, one helluva woodworker, and an excellent product manager (which
>means he knows tools very, very well, among other things), but...it is
>extremely difficult not to slant material towards the guy signing your paycheck
>in such situations.
>
>Too, there seems to me to be an extreme bias toward covering only tools that
>Woodcraft carries, which may largely be the result of the publisher, Shawn
>Draper, also being the VP of Marketing for Woodcraft. Don Guillard is product
>director, Ken Kupsche is catalog director and Bob Spencer is director of
>education.
>
>And there goes any--right between slim and none anyway--chance I had of selling
>to the magazine.
>
>John English is a former contributing editor to Woodworker's Journal, doing a
>lot of moderately difficult projects, many of which I've liked. His linen
>cabinet for Woodcraft is another one of those. Whether it meets your needs, in
>taste or level of difficulty, I can't say. I'm not going to comment on your
>comment about Woodworker's Journal article levels, because I do work for them
>at fairly consistent levels. I believe Rob's work, and that of his boss and the
>overall staff and freelancers, has risen considerably in the past few years.
>Again, whether it meets your stands is up to you. Popular Woodworking has
>improved tremendously in the decade since Steve Shanesy took over. He's abetted
>by an excellent crew, too.
>
>It's pricey at $7.99, $29.97 for seven issues by subscription. They do send you
>a free Woodcraft T shirt when you pay.
>
>IMO, the magazine will gell, the mission will be clarified, and A.J. will
>continue to turn out top quality material that makes greater sense for the
>woodworker...if Marketing stays off his back. I hope it all works, because
>whether I sell there or not, another market is a good thing for other writers
>in the field.
>
>Charlie Self
>"They want the federal government controlling Social Security like it's some
>kind of federal program." George W. Bush, St. Charles, Missouri, November 2,
>2000
[email protected] (Charlie Self) wrote in
news:[email protected]:
<snip>
> I stopped by the semi-local (Roanoke, VA) Woodcraft a few days ago
> after making a tool pick up run at Yellow Freight. I was searching for
> a couple exotic woods, osage orange and persimmon,
<snip some more>
Never really thought of Bodark as an exotic wood...
I just got back from my local woodcraft store, and in the opinion of the
store employees the mag sucks. I saw the second issue and it did not
impress.
Len
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Well our Northern Calif, local Woodcraft dealer has not
> been able to get the first issue of the new Woodcraft
> magazine for some time now. I kept asking and they
> keep saying it's on order.
>
> Has anyone seen it? What's the take? Yes/No/Need more
> issues to decide?
>
> Seems that when Rockler took over Woodworker's Journal
> the qualtity of projects went down - still not in the
> same league of Finewoodworking (but few are) nor even
> Popular Woodworking (which is my choice for second
> best woodworking magazine).
>
> Thoughts/comments?
>
> MJ Wallace
>