MumMumMum's Full Review: Popular Woodworking Magazine
My husband and I each have our own magazine addictions. I’m a sucker for every home decorating, gardening, and crafting magazine out there, and he’s a fool for every home improvement and woodworking magazine on the shelves. One of the things that keeps our marriage together is the fact that we both “cross over” on the magazine addictions. He’s developed an interest in mine, wanting to get ideas for projects and design for the house and garden. But what he finds a little annoying (so he says, but I see the smile in his eyes when he says it), is that I also love his woodworking magazines. No, I haven’t built any of the projects yet, but just give me time. I love hanging out in the shop (aka garage) with my husband when he’s using the table saw. I love reading these magazines to get a good idea of what tools we might be purchasing next. And I really love (this is the part he “says” he hates!) getting ideas for more projects for my sweet handy hubby to build. One of the magazines he purchases several times a year is Popular Woodworking. I’ll be focusing on the August 2002 Special Tool issue for the purposes of this review, mainly because my dear husband ran off with the July/August issue when he went out of town this week. From the looks of the contents for the July/August 2002 issue that I found on their website, www.popularwoodworking.com, there may be a Christmas present or two that he’s planning to make me in that issue….guess I’ll have to wait and see!
What’s in the August Issue
Out on a Limb is the Letter from the Editor. This month Steve Shanesy, the editor and publisher, focuses on WoodWorks 2002. This is an event likened to the State Fair of woodworking, and will be held in several areas of the US on different weekends from September through January 2003. For more information on this event you can visit www.woodworks2002.com.
Letters is just that. Letters from readers with questions or comments about the magazine and/or woodworking. They claim that they try to respond to all correspondence, not just the letters they publish. My husband has never written them regarding anything so I don’t know if that’s accurate, but I assume it is.
Q & A is once again letters from readers, this time asking for advice. Some of the topics covered in this issue are How to Get Square and Stay Square: Good Habits and a Simple Jig, Right-vs. Left-tilt Table Saws, and Am I Suffering From Backlash in My Vintage Hand Plane? According to my husband, they do a really good job of addressing the questions readers send in, he’s often learned something new and helpful from them.
Tricks of the Trade is a section that my husband has always found interesting. In each issue they publish tips and tricks that are sent in from readers that they find useful. Those who send in the most useful and original tip each month receive a prize. This month the winning “trick” author received Delta’s 22-580 two-speed portable thickness finishing planer, and the runners up (three of them) received $75 each. My husband really found this month’s tips to be useful, the winner was a suggestion to use a butt hinge to mark lumber (his carpenter square went missing – my hubby knows all about that!). I found the tip on retrieving objects with a magnet to be a useful one, and there is also a mobile work bench idea that I could see being adapted for several uses in our home.
Endurance Test is the next section in the magazine. Delta’s 14” Band Saw was put to the test in this issue. Full specifications, price, motor, capacity depth and height, table size and tilt range, blade capacity and weight are all included. The author lists the nice features, recommended modifications and where the band saw is available for purchase. My husband loves this feature of the magazine, he finds their tests to be well done and in-depth, since the magazine claims that each tool featured in this column must have survived at least two years of heavy use in our shop here at Popular Woodworking.
Tool Test is the section in which the staff tests out and rates tools. In this issue it is the Yorkcraft YC-15P Planer, and the DeWalt XRP line of Cordless Drills that are put to the test. Once again full specs are included, (in the case of the planer: price, motor, feed speeds, thickness capacity, weight), and a performance and value rating, as well as the web address of the manufacturer. They use a one to five scale, with five in performance meaning it’s the leader in its category, five in value means it is a great deal, and one means its pricey. They test new tools and products with what they call an honest, real-world workout. We check for ease of assembly and determine how clear and complete the manuals are. They also use the tool in their shop to build projects that appear in the magazine. In each issue the results and experiences they have with the tools are shared among the writers of the magazine. An added bonus is that if the review of the tool doesn’t answer all the questions the reader might have, they are invited to write, email or call the senior editor to have their questions answered. Also, if you visit the website there are links to previous tool reviews, and you can sign up for a free weekly email newsletter, which focuses on tools.
Ingenious Jigs focuses on turning your circular saw into a table saw. There are three photographs and very easy to read plans which show how to accomplish this, as well as why and how you would do this project.
American Woodshops is an article that focuses on the shop of Ernie Conover, an educator and toolmaker in Parkman, Ohio. Scott Phillips, host of the PBS show “The American Woodshop”, is the author of this regular feature of the magazine. I know it might sound odd, but my husband loves to see what other woodworkers have in their shops, sort of a voluntary torture for him. “Geez, I really wish I had that!” can be heard coming from his mouth when he reads this regular feature.
There are several projects in this issue of the magazine. Plans for a Power-tool Workbench, Rough Lumber Cut-off Stand, Fallingwater Table Lamp (Frank Lloyd Wright inspired); how to build table extensions; Divided-light Glass Doors (my husband learned what a mullion and a muntin was in this issue – nope, he didn’t know what they were called before, and please don’t ask me to explain it although now I know what they are as well! LOL); and Octopus’s Garden (a funky looking octopus whirligig) are found in this particular issue.
These are all very detailed projects with easy to follow plans and diagrams. For example, the Power-tool Workbench is nine pages of very in-depth how-tos on building a traditional workbench, outfeed table and assembly bench. There are many photographs, a supply list, well-drawn, extremely detailed plans, as well as a source list for the hardware. They’ve also included changes that can be made to make the bench even less expensive than the $372 they spent on their project. Less expensive vise, nice vise but no toolbox, and a total economy model, ranging in cost from $263 down to $135. The projects all range from beginner (the Fallingwater Table Lamp that my husband assures me I could make…I’m sure he’s right!), to the more advanced woodworker. (I’d never even consider doing the glass doors, but my husband says that its actually not too hard to do at all, now that he’s read the article and seen the plans.)
There is an article on Shapers & Router Tables that addresses the pro’s and con’s of each, and what a woodworker needs to consider when they’re choosing which they should buy, as well as an article on Picking the Best Mobile Base. This article focuses on comparing six different mobile bases, testing their stability, and seeing what it took to make the base stationary. My husband and I both found this article particularly useful, since mobility for his tools isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity. He’s crammed his shop tools, etc, into the garage and having them mobile makes it much easier for him, and me, when needing to make room for other luxuries, such as my car!
There is of course, always one section in any woodworking magazine that can send my husband into a tizzy. He doesn’t need centerfolds to gain that lustful glaze in his eyes, he just needs to read about and look at photographs of The Ultimate Home Workshop. He and I both wish we had the room for a workshop like the one detailed here, but at this time its just not possible. (Although we are thinking about an addition to the house, so this article was particularly useful for us.) A simple but efficient floor plan idea is detailed in this article, as well as what the authors believe are the necessary tools for a good home workshop. Tips on organization, power, lights and ventilation are included.
Caption The Cartoon is another regular feature of the magazine. Just what it sounds like, it’s a cartoon captioning competition for readers. The winners receive a Freud FJ85 Jigsaw with Electronic Cruise Control, and runners up receive a one-year subscription to the magazine.
The magazine finishes up with two pages of classified ads and an article from Bob Flexner, a contributing editor, on storing finishing materials in a safe manner and an enlightening article from Barb Siddiqui on the right attitude when dealing with precision. Close is not good enough when it comes to woodworking and circus knife throwing in her estimation. I have to wholeheartedly agree with her on that one. The comedy of errors that happened when my husband was building my (now) beautiful bookcases because of one slight slip when cutting turned what should have been a four-hour project into a two-day project. (I can’t share his mistake with you, he’d absolutely die of humiliation! LOL!)
There is also a product information card that can be sent in to obtain free information on products and services featured in the magazine.
Our Thoughts
My husband is an advanced carpenter/woodworker. He’s built several houses and a lot of furniture in his time. He enjoys this magazine and has found something useful in each and every issue. There’s a little bit for everyone in here, from workbenches to whirligigs, from easy beginner projects to more advanced ideas. He and I both find the plans to be quite detailed, and more often than not there are at least two projects that we wouldn’t mind tackling. When I’m reading the magazine on my own I don’t find the advertising content to be overwhelming, and it doesn’t interrupt the flow of the articles, which are always well-written and easy to understand. If we’re perusing it together the advertising as well as the articles give us an opportunity to discuss different tools and options, and gives me a good understanding of just what my husband is looking for when it comes to tools. I find the articles on the tools themselves to be quite helpful for me in my quest to learn more about my husband’s hobby. (I call it that, but its really an obsession. If he could quit his job and work in his workshop for the rest of his days he’d be happy!) I have to admit I really do want to join him out there in the workshop. I love the smell of wood, the power tools (yeah, yeah, call me Mrs. Bob the Builder!), and most of all, I love the finished product. When I help my husband on projects I have a great sense of accomplishment. Building something yourself, and building it well, is better than store-bought any day!
Popular Woodworking is published six times a year, bimonthly, with an extra Special Tool Issue. The Subscription rates are as follows:
USA: 1 year (6 issues) for $19.96.
Canada: 1 year (6 issues) for $26.96 in US funds (including GST/HST)
International: 1 year (6 issues) for $26.96 in US funds (surface delivery)
International Air Mail: 1 year (6 issues) for $54.96 in US funds (airmail)
You can mail in the card that’s inserted in the magazine to subscribe or you can visit the website and subscribe on their secure site. They take Visa, Mastercard, and American Express cards as well. And if you go to the website you can order a free issue to see if you like the magazine. If you don’t want to subscribe, just write cancel on the invoice when it comes and send it back to them.
There is lots of information at the website regarding past issues, free plans, and much, much more, including the Popular Woodworking Book Store. Just pop on over to www.popularwoodworking.com and see for yourself!
Now, this is a list of the contents of the July/August 2002 issue to use as a comparison to this issue:
Arts & Crafts Bookcase
Arts & Crafts Cellarette
Asian Bedside Table
Classic Six-legged Huntboard
Compact Entertainment Unit
European Telephone Console
Frame & Panel Dresser
Martha's Vineyard Cupboard
Modern Occasional Table
Modern Storage Tower
Out of the Woodwork, Shelf Indulgence
Super-simple Dado & Rabbet Jig
Tank Heaven
Tsunami Band-sawn Box
Two Tub Tables
White Oak Bookcase
I wonder what Mr. Bob the Builder will be making for me!
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